Boots • Botanics Skin Brightening Cleanser • Cleansers

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suzyorchid on 9/21/2012 11:04:00 PM more reviews by suzyorchid

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

I really wanted to love this product because 1) the Boots line seems to be a good value, 2) it smelled great, 3) had good ingredients, and 4) there was a lot of product for the price.

However, this cleanser didn't work for me -- I actually had a bad reaction to it around Week 2-3. I started getting clusters of small little bumps (I think they are called milia?)...I know I got it from this cleanser because it was the only product I switched in my routine.

I did like several things about this product though: 1) the smell was great, 2) I felt that it cleansed properly, 3) you could feel some of the products working, and 4) lastly, the bottle probably would have lasted a long time because I didn't have to use much of the product at each wash.

Others may have better luck with this, and for the price I definitely think it's worth a try. I bought this at Target for about $7 and the sales clerk let me return it due to my bad skin reaction. In addition, I had not used very much so they were fine with the return (YMMV since its not a Target policy).

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Lunatrick on 8/31/2012 11:20:00 AM more reviews by Lunatrick

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Red, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

THIS IS MY HG SKINCARE. I am 30 years old (yuck!) and I have gone through literally EVERYTHING trying to clear up my super-sensitive, super acne-prone face. BP, AHAs, BHAs, different face washes (including the Simple gel and CeraVe foaming, which are recommended a lot on the Skin Care Board), prescriptions from the derm (differin, several antibiotics and another cream that I can't recall the name of), you name it. This product (in conjunction with the Botanics rosewater toner) has done more to calm down my breakouts and settle my skin back to health after all the harsh products that I've tried over the years than anything! I use it twice a day (alone in the morning, and after a Ponds makeup remover wipe in the evening -- apply then wipe off, exactly like the directions state), follow with the rosewater toner, and that's it -- no acne products, not even any moisturizers (I'm going to try one from the Botanics line soon, but I'm really oily and don't really need it and they all tend to cause clogs/breakouts for me). I also love the pumper bottle although mine is a little cheapy and has a tendency to get stuck in the 'down' position at times, but it still works so I only docked 1 point off the Packaging Quality score. I *highly* recommend this for extremely temperamental skin that just does not like anything.

P.S. I'm contemplating stocking up on a bunch of bottles because the products that I really love always end up discontinued...

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whatthedeuce on 4/10/2012 3:46:00 PM more reviews by whatthedeuce

Age: 30-35   Skin: Dry, Dark   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I've been using this cleanser for a month now & it's good stuff. I have dry skin & plenty of large pores & dark blotches on my face. I started using this & within a week, the dark parts under my mouth just disappeared. After a month, my face looks much better than before. It's definitely made a difference- consistent use has done wonders.

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andreinabarthly on 11/4/2011 10:36:00 AM more reviews by andreinabarthly

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Tan   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I am a dr.haushka user of their cleansing milk. I love their cleansing milk as it is great for sensitive skin. I am on a budget and so I decided to try this cleanser as it is only 8 bucks, compare to 38 bucks! I am in love with this product it has not caused breakouts, it really brightens your skin complexion and keeps it soft. I will definitely want to repurchase!

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COCO792 on 10/9/2011 11:55:00 AM more reviews by COCO792

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I'm on my 3rd or 4th bottle of this. I was looking for an inexpensive sensitive cleanser that I could use everyday without worrying about my skin.

I was 16-17 at the time, so had a few spots. I had given up using spot products because they didn't do anything or made me worse.
but because this isn't targeted for spots, it doesn't have nasty chemicals in (that I know of) and gently cleans my face. I had dull skin at the time, and I did notice this made my skin clearer and brighter. not brighter as in luminous, but a lot less dull. so I've been using this now for 2years, I'm going on for 19 and this has never failed me. I'm happy with this and haven't thought of buying anything else. if I was going to change from this, I'd probably buy the Botanics sensitive cleanser. but I have sensitive skin and this works fine. it also smells great too.

I used to use a cotton ball with this to clean my face, but it didn't really work and I needed a lot of product. I found using my fingers gets a deeper clean and I need a lot less product than with a cotton ball. my skin feels nice a refreshed after using this, and it doesn't make my skin dry and tight.

FYI: it doesn't take off makeup that well, so use a makeup wipe first.

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*TOP REVIEWER* phalaenopsis_619 on 2/24/2011 9:35:00 PM more reviews by phalaenopsis_619

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I use this as a morning cleanser. It's a milky lotion that's not harsh with your skin. Not extremely moisturizing but you can always put some skin lotion on afterwards. Cleans quite well for a morning wash and comes with a good price.

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kmennie on 1/17/2011 2:44:00 PM more reviews by kmennie

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

Love it. Found it on sale -- used it for a week -- rushed back to the store for two more bottles.

I have greasy skin and thought this was going to be a disaster, but it left me glowing. No break-outs. Two pumps massaged on in the bath = perfect cleanse. I am not a big believer in package claims and buy whatever smells nice and more or less works, so I was really pleasantly surprised to find myself actually "brightened." One does feel the AHA tingling. I got better results with this than I have with much more concentrated products (where I suppose I might've overdone it, AHA-wise).

Not sure I'll like it so much in the summer, but it's perfect for winter. A+ for value.

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*TOP REVIEWER* lou4k6 on 11/6/2010 7:54:00 PM more reviews by lou4k6

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I really like this cleanser. First of all its excellent value and has a handy pump bottle. This cleanser is more of a cleansing milk than cream which is for me a minor drawback, even though I have a oily skin type I prefer a more creamier texture to my cleansers. It smells nice and removes make up excellently without making me feel as if I have a film over my face. This is specifically a brightening cleanser which I think it actually did do to my skin which is good. I also have to recommend the toner that goes with this which I like even more than this product. All in all a brilliant cheap product which I will be repurchasing!

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sollieday on 9/22/2010 10:30:00 PM more reviews by sollieday

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

I think this product is very good. I've been happy with it. No problems, it seems to clean well, and my face looks brighter. I didn't actually expect it to brighten, I was just hoping for it to not dull my skin. So, it exceeded expectations.

I don't wear makeup, really. Eye makeup, which I use a different product to remove, and maybe the tiniest bit of mineral concealer, so I can't comment on the makeup removing capabilities of this cleanser.

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Covergirlgirl on 7/7/2010 2:54:00 AM more reviews by Covergirlgirl

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

This is a good non-fussy cleanser. Someone said they use it as a pre-cleanser, which to me just seems kinda odd, but then again I don't wear that much makeup. I just use my fingers to apply it and wash it off with water. I have combination skin(grrr) thats oily and still dry at the same time, and it leaves my skin feeling clean and soft. Best of all in the past three weeks I can actually see the difference when I use it. I will re-purchase, if hopefully target doesn't get rid of it soon(knock on wood).

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

DaisyRoquer on 3/29/2010 8:05:00 AM more reviews by DaisyRoquer

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Other    

Overall, this cleanser was fine for removing make-up. I just wiped it over my face with a cotton wool bud, then splashed my face with water to remove the residue. It was effective, but far too drying - after one use, my skin looked very stripped so I decided not to use it again. That said, I do have combination skin and generally use Pond's Cold Cream, so I am used to very "hyrdating" cleansers. On the plus side, as I said it does take make-up off well, it smells great, it's cheap, it contains AHAs and the pump bottle is excellent.

The toner version of this is much better, HG for me!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Adriana265 on 3/17/2010 9:45:00 AM more reviews by Adriana265

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Has this product been reformulated? I read the first review on this from 2007 and the reviewer said the 2nd ingredient was mineral oil...on my bottle, the 2nd ingredient is olive oil. I'm guessing this has been reformulated then.


I use this as a pre-cleanser, not an actual cleanser. This isn't exactly designed to be a deep cleansing product, it just wipes away surface makeup/grime/oil from your face before you use your regular cleanser. Anyway, I put quite a bit on my face, massage it in, then use a cotton pad to wipe the product off. It removes the surface makeup very well. After this, I then wet my face and use the cleansing mousse from Botanics...then follow up with moisturizer.


I have normal-combo skin (occasionally oily on the t zone) but I sometimes get dry patches on my cheeks during cold weather too. This cleanser leaves my skin SOOOO soft. This won't dry out your skin at all, even if your skin is dry to the bone. It does leave a film on your skin, but like I said, this IS a pre-cleanser (even though they don't advertise it as that...it is!) so you should follow up with a cleansing wash to get rid of the residue.


I personally quite like the smell. This also contains sweet maple, bilberry and sweet cane - these contain natural AHAs to brighten and renew the skin's surface. My skin does look somewhat brighter after using this for a few months.


I have extremely sensitive/breakout prone skin and I haven't experienced any irritation or breakouts. I would repurchase!

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

Halli on 2/15/2010 1:13:00 AM more reviews by Halli

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this product on a whim of trying new brightening products and lucky for me it was on sale! I've been using this product for about 3 weeks now and I haven't broken out or anything which is great! I love the fact that this cleanser doesn't need water and it leaves my skin nice and moisterized. As for the brightening effect I am pleased to say that it has lightened up my acne scars quite a bit.

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sey115 on 1/31/2010 2:39:00 PM more reviews by sey115

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Blue    

Purchased this cleanser in Canada and am so happy with it, and happy that you can buy it at Shoppers Drug Mart.

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rishasoul on 1/18/2010 10:25:00 AM more reviews by rishasoul

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair, Warm   Hair: Other, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

The packaging is very nice and it smells good. Its even got plant extracts approved by Kew Gardens :) As cleansers go though it's pretty average. It takes off my make-up well but afterwards you're left with a layer of moisture on your face. It's not great. So you need to wash that off with water. And as for brightening my skin I can't say I've seen any improvements.
All in all it's average. I'll be returning to using Garnier's Cleansing Milk after this.

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kcj1314 on 1/9/2010 2:08:00 AM more reviews by kcj1314

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

this is only my second review even though i visit this site regularly. i had to let people know that this stuff ruined my skin! bought it at target (cheap) because i am a new fan of the boots expert line and thought i'd try something new. big mistake! after a few days i was getting very strange pimples. i am thirty years old and have never experienced anything like this. they didn't pop or eventually go away. they got worse and multiplied! maybe its the alpha hydroxy in it...? anyway, i waited for a while and kept using it thinking i was just purging. nope. when my brother commented on how terrible my skin looked (first time ever) i tossed this. low and behold i have my skin back a week later. oh, and the pump broke after two days.

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ladeerose on 7/20/2009 7:21:00 AM more reviews by ladeerose

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

i use this cleanser about two to three times a week, i masage my entire face with thi on for about 10 mins (with my fingers), i find thi cleans my skin well and i have noticed a brighter and more smooth compleion, i then get it off ith a cotton pad and also a final rinse of cold water. overall good product.

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erkybunny on 6/24/2009 3:13:00 AM more reviews by erkybunny

Age: 19-24   Skin: Other, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I'm not sure about the brightening thing but as a cleanser and makeup remover this works pretty well for me. It is safe for acne and I would reccomend this over any harsh exfoliators. This is just the right amount for nice healthy skin.

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MsBrutality on 1/28/2009 1:46:00 AM more reviews by MsBrutality

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I love this product! I had extremely bad acne, and I have been using this product, along with the other cleansers, toners, and mosturizers fromt this line, for about a month, and my skin has improved so much! The gel really felt gentle on my face, and my skin felt really refreshed afterwards.

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*TOP REVIEWER* LelaViavonie on 12/22/2008 12:16:00 PM more reviews by LelaViavonie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I love this stuff! I bought this at my local target on a whim needing a face wash for my trip and it turned out to be reallllly good!

I like how my face feels really clean afterwards and it smells wonderful!

Hopefully this will be the right cleanser for me and I wont have to return it :) :)
So far sooo good :)

Update: I had to stop using this product becuase my face was reacting to it... very wierd.

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