Tropic Skin Care Organic Hot Bamboo Smoothing Cleanser

Hello my lovelies!


Over the last couple of weeks I've been using a product that I'd had my eye on for a while. I first heard about Tropic Skin Care when Susan Ma appeared on The Apprentice in 2011 but back then the website had a limited number of products and I decided against buying anything. A few weeks ago I saw Tropic Skin Care pop up in my suggestions on Twitter and I thought I would take another look at their site. Although their range is still small, they have more products than before and one that caught my eye was the Organic Hot Bamboo Smoothing Cleanser. I had been looking at hot cloth cleansers for a while and was actually thinking of buying the No7 cleanser from Boots until I found this. It was £15, which was more expensive than the Boots brand, but the description drew me in and I had to buy it.

All Tropic Skin Care products contain 100% natural ingredients and are vegan friendly and free of animal testing. I know organic, vegan products are quite popular now, so I can see this company going far.

The Organic Hot Bamboo Smoothing Cleanser contains an array of plant extracts including almond, jojoba, green tea and lemongrass. It claims to be enriched in antioxidants and essential oils to smooth and brighten skin, whilst removing makeup and exfoliating the face. The cream is thick and an off-white colour and melts onto the skin with a refreshing scent of lemongrass whilst the supplied bamboo cloth is soft and thick, holding water well.

The instructions recommend using two to four pumps and massaging into dry skin. I personally find that two pumps is more than enough. I like to massage the cream into the skin for a minute or so, melting the product and making sure I've reached all the areas of my face. After my skin is suitably massaged, I dampen the bamboo cloth with hot water and use it to buff away the product. I rinse the cloth and repeat the process a few times to remove all traces of the cream and then finally splash my face with warm water to ensure my skin is thoroughly rinsed.

The first thing I noticed about this cream (apart from the smell) was that it could be quite difficult to remove. The product leaves an oily coating on the skin that I found can't be rinsed away without rubbing the face with the cloth. This isn't too much of a disadvantage as it leaves my skin feeling moisturised but it does mean that it takes a little longer to complete my cleansing routine. I was worried about the bamboo cloth being too abrasive for my sensitive skin, but I found that it stayed soft (even when left to dry) and doesn't get the horrible damp smell that some face cloths do. The information on the website also says that the cloth is antibacterial.

After drying my face, I noticed that my makeup had been removed easily with no harsh scrubbing (particularly around the eyes) and I did not experience the tight feeling that I get with foaming cleansers. My skin was left feeling soft and plump with the lemongrass scent lingering for a little while.

I have tested this product for about two weeks now and I am still as impressed as I was on the first use. My skin has stayed hydrated with no dryness or scaliness. I haven't had any more breakouts since using this but the breakout I had just before I received this hasn't cleared up completely yet. Although my skin has improved, I think the oiliness of the product has slowed the healing process slightly. I've noticed that, despite feeling clean initially, over time my face felt slightly more oily than when I was using my Bioré cleansers, but overall the Smoothing Cleanser has been much kinder to my skin. My previous experiences with cream cleansers have been a similar story, so maybe my skin just doesn't agree with them.

Although the cleanser didn't impress me too much, I'm still pleased with this kit. I think I will reserve this product for when my skin is particularly dry as my usual foaming cleansers can be too harsh at times. The cloth is something that I will use everyday. I love how gentle it is whilst still exfoliating my skin and I can also use it to steam my face and open my pores.

Tropic Skin Care is a brand that I will definitely be keeping and eye on and I would love to try more of their products in the future.

Thanks for reading.

Bye guys!