Rodial Glamtox Cleanser

Sometimes bad experiences can lead to positive things.  For instance, being lied to by a few Space NK consultants about a Darphin essential oil can still lead to the discovery of a wonderful product.  I probably would never have tried anything from this line because I hate hate hate the name Glamtox.  Something about it reminds me of Juicy Couture (shudder) and everything that conjures up.  Rodial sounds so much better, clinical and serious.  Don’t get me wrong. I love whimsy, even ironic whimsy.  But, Glamtox, blech. 

Rodial Glamtox Cleanser, 3.38 oz for $59.00

This was sold to me as a moisturizing and brightening peptide based cleansing balm.   From what I can see of the ingredients, the only possible ingredient that I can imagine would have a brightening effect is the Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, which is a Vitamin C ester that causes less irritation than L-ascorbic acid, and is preferably used in oil-based products.  It is supposedly a superior derivative of Vitamin C, but I don’t see it so often in ingredient lists.  Plus, this sucker is behind a lot of other ingredients. Anyways, it also has salicylic acid, which I like.  I love the fact that it is an oil based cleanser.  I leave this on for up to half an hour and I wash it clean off with water easily, and my skin feels soft and matte, but I have never seen noticeable brightening that is different from the general brightening of washing away grime and dulling excess facial oils.  [UPDATE: Yeah, I have been using this exclusively for the last few weeks, and leaving it on for more than 30 minutes at a time, and I HAVE noticed a brightened, glowing complexion.]

What makes this a definite repurchase even though it is very expensive for a cleanser and I hate spending too much on cleansers?  First, I can use it like a cleansing mask that not only dissolves dirt, grime and excess facial oil, but it also dissolves makeup.  Secondly, and this is the winner, it totally does not irritate reactive sensitized skin from nuclear bombardment of glycolic acids and retinoids.  When my skin is especially cracked, most cleansers give me a burning, firey feeling.  You know, when even Cetaphil, La Roche Posay’s Toleriane and Avene burns.  Not this.  This is gentle, and it still removes grime.  It also recalibrates dry cracked skin and gives it necessary moisture without making it greasy.

This is a staple for me which has been purchased 3x.

Ingredients: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Glycerin, PEG-8 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Glyceryl Dibehenate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Polyglycerol-3-Diisostearate, Tribehenin, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Behenate, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Salycilic Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool, Dipropylene Glycol, Sodium Palmytoylproline, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, Nymphea Alba (Water Lily) Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Tocopherol.

Repurchased in September 2012

Repurchased in January 2013