The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
Give it some jelly!
These clever new cleansers guarantee flawlessly fresh skin – and a spotless conscience
I’m a huge fan of the new Ren Perfect Canvas Clean
(£25, spacenk.com) for so many reasons (though not because of its rather laboriously long name). This product leaves me – as in my conscience – feeling as clean as my skin (and this is very clean, by the way).
That’s because Ren is a seriously positive leading light in the beauty packaging world right now, spearheading innovation – and the conversation – and constantly trying to do better.
With this cleanser Ren has gone waste-free and fully recyclable (using your household recycling bin). The cap is made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic and the bottle from 50 per cent
– which is the highest percentage of recycled plastic that can be used to house a product and ensure the safety and preservation of what’s inside.
What’s inside is top-notch, and if you were to force me to relinquish other cleansers I’d be OK (I mean, First World problems and all that). It’s naturally derived with sunflower seed extract (to protect the skin’s moisture barrier), meadowfoam seed oil (to help hydrate) and grape seed oil (anti-inflammatory). I love the texture, too – sometimes I find gels a bit too hospital-ward-like to enjoy using them, but this feels almost silken. Massage it in to dry skin then add a touch of water and watch it emulsify into an oily consistency then a lightweight milk. Finally, rinse it off or wipe away with a warm flannel. Although it’s gentle on the skin, this is a whiz at removing make-up and SPFs, leaving skin glowing and feeling fine. Plus it’s vegan and cruelty-free.
If you’re after a gel cleanser for under a tenner, I recommend Elf Bounce Back Jelly Cleanser (£7.50, elfcosmetics.co.uk). It has a coconut aroma (like so much these days). In fact, I’d liken the smell to a Nice biscuit – rather sweet and with something oddly comforting about it. It is a less complicated product than the Ren one, so it doesn’t emulsify. Apply it to damp skin – and although it isn’t as sumptuous as Ren, it does a good job. It too is vegan and cruelty-free.