Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash & Hydrating Toner

The Body Shop Vitamin E skin care range is formulated for all skin types and it's the only line from The Body Shop that I've tried extensively. I have combination skin but I prefer products that are meant for normal skin. I believe that skin care products with oil controlling properties have the potential to dry out my skin and cause an overproduction of sebum so I tend to steer clear of them.

I've been using the Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash and Hydrating Toner for quite some time now and I've lost count of the number of bottles of the two products that I've gone through. The Body Shop has recently made changes to the packaging for the Gentle Facial Wash and the product pictured is in the old packaging. The tube is now slightly shorter and the base is a little wider.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash is a cream cleanser that is very moisturizing. I use a seperate makeup remover so I'm not able to advise if it removes makeup thoroughly but it does get rid of all the residue from my makeup remover as well as all the dirt and excess oils on my face on days I don't use makeup. I feel that the facial wash cleanses very well but it doesn't strip my skin off it's natural oils. I absolutely hate the squeaky clean feeling and this cleanser doesn't leave me with that. Instead, my skin feels cleaned and nicely hydrated after using it. It does have a weird chemical scent but it doesn't linger.

I've also tried the Vitamin E Cream Cleanser but it's not suitable for my needs because I wash my face in the shower and I need something that rinses off well. The Vitamin E Cream Cleanser is also a very moisturizing but I rinsed it off instead of wiping it off with a cotton pad as instructed so it always left me feeling like I had so much cleanser residue on my face. Well, it was nothing the toner couldn't fix but I switched back to the Gentle Facial Wash after one bottle of the Cream Cleanser because I'm better off with a face wash that is meant to be used in the shower.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is simply amazing. From my experience, toners can be pretty drying and they remove any natural oils that the cleanser failed to do so. This results in the squeaky clean feeling that makes me believe that the product is too drying for me. The Vitamin E Hydrating Toner is much more moisturizing than the other toners that I've tried and I like how it's so gentle to the skin. The toner is great at removing any gunk that the cleanser failed to remove. I use The Body Shop Organic Cotton Pads with the toner and apply the product all over my face in a wiping motion and it leaves me feeling really clean and hydrated.

I've actually read some comments that the toner leaves behind a film on the face and yes, it can feel that way because the product is so moisturizing. However, the residue of the toner either gets absorbed by my skin or evaporates really quickly and it doesn't bother me at all. The toner smells really clean and fresh and I love that!

The Body Shop Vitamin E Gentle Facial Wash and Hydrating Toner works really well for me and I really enjoy their moisturizing properties. I will continue to use them until my skin has other needs!