Purpose • Gentle Cleansing Wash • Cleansers

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adipose on 1/6/2012 3:21:00 PM more reviews by adipose

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I've been using Purpose for about 3 years now, and I'm pretty satisfied. I'm very lazy and unambitious when it comes to skincare/grooming, so I adhere to the aphorism, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. Purpose is sufficient for my needs such that I'd rather just stick with it than waste money and effort searching for a superior product. I've used other cleansers (Cetaphil, Cerave, etc.); while most of them 'got the job done', they usually had some unpleasant aspect that prompted me to look elsewhere once a bottle had been used up.

Pros:
-Cleans well, esp my oily t-zone, and no weird film of soapy residue left over. Decent lather. I don't wear makeup, although I'd venture to guess that alone, Purpose probably isn't sufficient for removing makeup.
-Softer skin. I was surprised that this cleanser actually made my skin feel somewhat softer than before. None of the other cleansers I've used have done this, so big plus!
-Touted as 'gentle'. I'm not sure what this means. I've certainly had no problems (e.g., no redness, tingling/stinging, or excessive drying), but my skin isn't particularly sensitive and I don't have any skin conditions, so might not work as well for others.
-Pleasant-ish smell. I'm not bothered by the smell, although it seems other reviewers are. Personally, while I prefer scentless products, I find Purpose tolerable, indeed positively pleasant compared to the foul-smelling Cetaphil.
-Relatively inexpensive and easy to find. $5 - $7 at every drug store I've been to.

tl;dr - Decent cleanser for my non-sensitive, not-too-problematic, combination skin. Makes skin feel softer. Cheap. No complaints :D

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Nyghtbeauty on 12/26/2011 6:05:00 PM more reviews by Nyghtbeauty

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

This stuff is amazing! My skin is very sensitive to chemicals & although it's very oily, it gets stripped dry by nearly everything I've ever used. The first time I used this to take off my makeup, I thought it hadn't done anything because I saw no redness or blotchiness. I thought I still had makeup on, but a quick swipe of witch hazel showed there was *nothing* on my skin! Completely clean and no irritation! It even gets eye makeup (maybe not every trace of mascara, but no cleanser does that). There is no drying, even if I wait to put on moisturizer, and no matter how red my skin is before washing, this calms it down. This is absolutely my HG cleanser, and only $5 for 8 oz!

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janejp on 12/21/2011 2:07:00 PM more reviews by janejp

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This product smells bad and irritates my skin. After three days my skin was itchy and turning red. Chemicals are chemicals.

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sunnytiel66 on 12/16/2011 10:55:00 AM more reviews by sunnytiel66

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

I faithfully use this product. Gentle on my sensitive, acne prone, combination skin. Removes makeup, but not eyeliner, and nice lather.

My teen son also uses for his post-accutane skin, which is Extremely sensitive to anything else he uses. He will not use anything else but this Purpose cleanser because all others burn, but not this. Not drying, but if your skin is very very dry then your skin may possible feel a bit tight afterward.

Have used this for several years and will not switch.

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*TOP REVIEWER* melangerehab on 12/14/2011 9:55:00 PM more reviews by melangerehab

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Eh. It's okay. It does the job, but it's not outstanding. Kinda made my skin oilier after repeated washes.

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IUPgrad2010 on 12/9/2011 11:51:00 AM more reviews by IUPgrad2010

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other, Olive   Hair: Brown, Curly, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

well,

i also bought the CVS brand of Purpose cleanser (last night) along with the CVS brand power cleanser (also lastnight)

anywho, i loved the product, but i absolutely positively CANNOT get over the smell, its nauseating, i may have gotten a bad bottle or something, but at first it smells ok usually im sensitive to the purfumey smells, but then im hit with the smell of mildew, and that takes the cake for me, so its going back.

*sigh*

if anyone knows of another brand of Soapless cleanser, please let me know. itd b appreciated.

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SnootyTooty on 12/1/2011 1:57:00 PM more reviews by SnootyTooty

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I have been using this product for almost 1 year now. This is a great gentle facial cleanser especially in the drying fall/winter months. If you wear makeup, I would suggest using a makeup remover before hand. I use extra virgin olive oil to remove my makeup -> wipe away the olive oil / makeup with a warm towel -> use 1 pump of the Purpose facial cleanser, create lather by gently rubbing on face in a circular motion ->My skin has never been so soft, moisturized, clear, and fresh!

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ashestoamour on 11/30/2011 12:24:00 PM more reviews by ashestoamour

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I faithfully used this product for years before switching to the Clarisonic. It is a gentle yet effective cleanser that really breakup oil and leaves my skin feeling clean. A little really goes a long way, and so this cleanser is also cost effective. However, because it is a foaming cleanser I cannot use it with my Clarisonic, and so I have stopped using this cleanser. Additionally, it is not cruelty-free, and so I can not use it, because have decided to eliminate as many animal tested products as possible. Still it is an excellent cleanser, that I would recommend to anyone with normal to oily or acne prone skin.

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Puppytime on 11/24/2011 1:40:00 PM more reviews by Puppytime

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

I didn't know why I was breaking out so badly, and I was using a BP cleanser that I thought would help but didn't stop the break outs,I finally got this and in the first 2 days I stopped breaking out AND my overall skin looked so much clearer, after a week all I have is acne scarring, I had no idea I had sensitive skin. I will keep buying this unless is stops working for me!

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jiee on 11/14/2011 12:04:00 AM more reviews by jiee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

OH, this is definitely my HG. My skin is stubborn. I don't think anything works on my skin. Purpose is perfect for removing eye makeup. I usually don't wear heavy eye makeup though.. only very light mascara and light eye liner. St. Ives green tea is good at removing makeup also, but it stings my eyes. Purpose as it says, as gentle as water, it never makes my eyes feel uncomfortable. I didn't dry my skin at all. After using it, my skin feels clean and soft. I would definitely repurchase.

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azn123 on 11/11/2011 7:40:00 PM more reviews by azn123

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

Cetaphil used to be my HG cleanser for years, but I began to feel that I wasn't getting a full cleansing, so I set out for another frills free cleanser. Enter Purpose. I use two pumps every night (first pump since I need to remove my sunscreen, the second pump for actual skin cleansing) - it does a great job. I don't experience any dryness after drying off, either! But I should note that I buy the CVS brand version now instead of Purpose's actual version, and I will explain why.

My only gripe with Purpose was that it is insanely expensive for a facial wash - I've seen it for $12 at CVS. TWELVE DOLLARS! I end up getting the CVS version because it gives a lot more product (nearly double!) for only around $8, which I think is a legit deal. The CVS version works all the same as the Purpose version only that it has a different scent and the cleanser doesn't appear to have a yellow tint.

I suggest people buy the CVS version - you're getting a lot more product for your money. Overall, I love this cleanser and it is my HG face wash.

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*TOP REVIEWER* SHeust on 11/10/2011 12:25:00 AM more reviews by SHeust

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Green    

I originally set out to buy this after seeing all the great reviews, and it was out of stock. I got the Clean & Clear Foaming Cleanser for Sensitive Skin instead, because it was supposed to be a dupe for Purpose.
I used that all up and then got the chance to try Purpose.

Pros:
Good cleaning, took off most of my makeup (85%-ish)
Lathers nicely
Little goes a long way
No odd smells
Reasonable price
Cons:
Drying!

Now, even though I only have one real con for this, it is a big one. My skin is combination and kind of sensitive, and this really irritated my drier skin. I ended up going back to the Clean & Clear, which I am very happy with, after only using this a few times. It was not worth the irritation. I'm surprised that my skin reacted that way since this is supposed to be super gentle, but you may want to heed this review if you have sensitive skin too.

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sleepingbeauty617 on 11/8/2011 1:49:00 PM more reviews by sleepingbeauty617

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My favorite cleanser!! I looooove this cleanser and always go back to it after trying something new. This product cleans very thoroughly, and removes all traces of makeup and dirt. It even removes my stubborn Shiseido 55 sunscreen! This cleanser does not make my skin dry or irritated, and has a nice soft smell to it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a great and efficient drugstore cleanser.

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geniebelle6901 on 11/3/2011 4:58:00 AM more reviews by geniebelle6901

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is my HG cleanser! It's mild, non-medicated, non-drying, and non-greasy which is perfect for my oily/acne prone/sensitive skin. It not only cleanses, but it also removes makeup...even eye makeup without irritating my skin & eyes. I don't have to use a separate makeup remover. It leaves my skin feeling nice and clean. I have been using this for a long time & will continue to use it. I use the CVS dupe which is double the amount and cheaper.

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NattyNat82 on 10/31/2011 8:53:00 PM more reviews by NattyNat82

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This seems to be my go to cleanser whenever I need my skin to recover from some other bad product I tried. My dermatologist told me about this soap years ago b/c they stopped selling the Acne Aid soap (great product!). I used the soap until J&J came out with the pump form. I love them both, but I have to admit that pumps are a lot less messy. Anyway this product is so gentle, yet cleans so effectively. My skin feels very clean, but not tight. It removes whatever makeup I have on my face too. It is a gentle and wonderful product that I am extremely grateful for. =)

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makeupforeverandever13 on 10/17/2011 9:36:00 PM more reviews by makeupforeverandever13

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

My mom is extremely thrifty and would not let me buy the "expensive" regular Purpose cleanser, so I had to get the two or three bucks cheaper CVS version that says "Compare to Purpose'" on it. The ingredients for both are pretty much the same, though, so I don't think it made a difference.
Anyway, the face wash has a nice lather and leaves my face with a fresh clean feeling. It does what it says it will, which is wash your face. It doesn't have any ridiculous claims like "included in this cleanser is ancient pink ostrich egg extract that will make your skin look airbrushed". My only problem with it (why I took off a lippie) is because it does seem it a bit TOO gentle at times, like it's washing your face but not DEEP cleansing washing it...maybe it's just me.

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nilikhosh on 10/7/2011 7:54:00 PM more reviews by nilikhosh

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brown, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I love this cleanser. I have used so many products in the last years and nothing has worked as well as this. I have a sensitive, acne prone skin and this product does not irritate or dry my skin out. After weeks of using this product my skin looks so much better. Definitely recommend this.

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NQseraphina on 10/3/2011 1:43:00 AM more reviews by NQseraphina

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I have been using this for nearly a year now, and I quite like it. I have sensitive, combination skin, and this product is mild enough to clean my face without breaking me out. It has a mild, pleasant smell, and the packaging is simple and straightforward. It is affordable, does its job with no fuss. I do not use any waterproof makeup, but whatever makeup I do use, this cleanser removes it nicely and leaves my face feeling smooth, clean, and refreshed. I have tried a couple of other cleansers, but I find myself gravitating toward this one over and over again for re-purchase. It comes with a pump which is great for sanitary purposes, but if you plan on leaving the bottle in the shower, make sure you get it out of the water's way because the cap is not waterproof at all. When water seeps through the cap at the base of the pump and into the product, it gets diluted and VERY runny, making it a little fussier to pump out and use.

Semi-HG cleanser right here!

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drea0627 on 9/13/2011 9:27:00 PM more reviews by drea0627

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I was looking for a gentle cleanser for my sensitive acne prone skin. I only used this in the morning. It didn't dry my skin, but then my pores started to get clogged and my skin broke out. I realized it was because this cleanser didn't clean my skin adequately. This did not work for my oily skin.

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yhooman on 9/6/2011 11:08:00 PM more reviews by yhooman

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

This product claims to be as gentle as water but sodium laureth sulfate is the third ingredient (the same ingredient used in detergents) and also has synthetic fragrance. While not problematic for normal and resilient skin, if you have contact dermatitis or eczema or if you find that it makes you break out it may be that you have an SLS or fragrance sensitivity. check out some natural cleansers or try making your own cleansing oil at home (many oils dissolve oil and debris/make up and actually prevent breakouts).

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No