2011-09-19

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel review

Mario Badescu feels a bit similar to Kiehls for me- those simplistic packaging, products emphasising on somewhat 'natural based ingredients' (e.g. seaweed, enzyme, clays etc etc )- which are not really reflected in the massive seemingly chemical filled ingredient lists of either brands, but oh well =)

Out of curiosity in the brand I purchased a few items  through a friend (which were very difficult since they seem almost exclusive to NY or something and did not ship overseas)- access in Australia just seems costly and difficult after taking into account the postage and all.

The enzyme cleansing gel comes in a gernous 8oz (236ml) bottle. The bottle is a soft plastic but with decent thickness, I've dropped it in the shower a few times but never seems to shatter or damage the bottle.



Ingredient list and all on the back:


Applicator is interesting- the plastic bit flips up and you just squeeze it to get some product out. After you are done just flick it down to 'lock' it in. Pretty nifty. Due to the gel nature of the product I don't really get 'hardened' residue around the opening either like some of these dispensers.


The gel like it looks in the bottle, is a light green color. Not the most pleasing looking. It's slightly 'thickish' gel, but not very hard to spread over dry skin or wet skin. The instruction for the product says to massage on wet skin, then rinse. (Product is not marketed as a makeup remover, so it's just a normal cleanser).

It's a cleanser which features enzymes, which are known to be able to gently exfoliate the skin without harsh grains or physical buffing. The enzyme takes the dead skin away gradually and gently.

Spreading the gel out on damp skin- there are no granules in this or anything, just a simple gel. It does NOT foam or do anything like that. It goes a little bit more slippery once massaged onto damp skin and rinses off easily.


I tend to try to massage this in for 30 seconds at least before rinsing, most enzyme based products require you to leave it slightly longer on the skin for the enzymes to kick in and start exfoliating. 

After rinsing off, you get slightly more radiant and smoother skin. It will NOT take away large flaky skin immediately like those granular scrubs, it is designed for a very gentle, even exfoliation used in place of a face wash. Either suitable for those with slightly sensitive skin (used a few times a week in place of physical scrub), or for those with oily skin who need a lot more regular exfoliation on a daily basis- this would double as a face wash easily.


This is an enzyme based gel cleanser, it's not as potent as say something like Dermalogica Microfoliant (probably my favorite enzyme type of cleanser). However it is intended to be used more regularly than something like the microfoliant (which I feel is a bit harsh on my sensitive skin if used daily, and obviously my skin doesn't really need daily exfoliation either).

I've been using this on and off for a while, definitely having difficulty going through the bottle! Given the generous size of the bottle I've also started using it for my upper body (where you tend to get some congestion on chest area etc) and it is probably not potent enough to replace a body scrub.

This is a pretty decent, mildly exfoliating gel cleanser. However the biggest issue I have with this (and a lot of people might also have), is the scent. It's a bit of a chemical/ fake floral scent which I really dislike.

I've been using this in conjunction with my new Clarisonic mia face brush and it seems to work ok too.

Overall 3.5/5. Recommend you grabbing a sample and try for at least 1 week before purchasing the full sized bottle. It is those exfoliating cleansers people would either love or hate.

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