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Now that I have two teenagers (nearly) in my house, the hygiene and skincare products I’m buying has multiped. Deodorants, fragrances, body moisturisers and various other lotions and potions are now being bought not just for myself, but for my son and daughter too. One thing that is a regular buy is a facial wash. We seem to go through the stuff like crazy! Our latest cleanser purchased is Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash. This cost £1.09 for 150ml with a 15% off promotion.
Why did I buy this?
For the kids (and occasionally me), I normally grab Aldi’s Lacura Moisturising Facial Wash but I didn’t have time to visit the store. So I opted for this instead. Both products are dupes of Simple skincare products (Simple’s Moisturising Facial Wash and Simple’s Refreshing Facial Wash), both are fragrance free (less irritating and more gentle on the skin) and both very affordable. We’ve never used this before but I thought we would give this a go.
Cien Refreshing Facial Wash, what does it do?
Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash is designed to be a kind to the skin but be an effective cleanser. No fragrance, colour, alcohol and soap free, so this is suitable for those with sensitive skin. This also contains various vitamins (Vitamin B5 & E), all aimed to provide a gentle cleanse.
Packaging
The packaging reminds me very much of Simple’s Refreshing Facial Wash. Plastic tube, tainted green with the overall look of something that’s designed to be natural. Very basic in appearance but seems sturdy and fit for use.
Consistency, Look & Fragrance
Cien’s Refreshing Facial Wash is clear, liquid and more runnier than what I thought it would be. I thought it would be thicker but it wasn’t. And of course, no scent as it’s fragrance free.
On the skin
I applied this onto wet skin. Although it lathered slightly there wasn’t much of it. I could work it into my skin but I felt I needed more so I used more. It felt fine on the skin, but it didn’t quite feel as fresh and moisturising as other facial washes I’ve used before. It just felt ok.
It didn’t make my skin feel or look dry, although it was clean. It removed eyebrow pencil and sun cream reasonably well so it did what it needed to do. But I didn’t particularly enjoy using this and I felt my skin needed something a little more comforting and as mentioned, moisturising in feel.
Recommended?
It did the job! A facial wash should clean the skin, make it look and feel fresh without stripping it. Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash did this. This is absolutely fine for my kids and they will use it but I won’t. I’ve used others that I preferred more and felt were better suited to my skin compared to this one. But if you’re on a budget with normal to combination skin, even a little oily, this would be fine. If your skin is more drier, mature or you want something a little more hydrating (like me) this might not be the right formulation for you. But for £1.09, who wouldn’t give it a whirl?