S asks…Shu Uemura. What makes their products work so well?
The Right Brain responds:
It’s tough to answer a question like this about an entire brand because the answer will vary from product to product. In the Forum thread where you posted your question Ally mentioned Shu’s cleansing oils, so we took a look at those products. Here’s what we found out about one of Shu’s cleansers:
Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil
First of all, here are the ingredients:
Ethylhexyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, capryl/capric triglyceride, polyglyceryl-10 trilaurate, polyglyceryl-6 tricaprylate, octyldodecanol, dicaprylyl carbonate, undecane, tridecane, phenoxyethanol, tocopherol, sqalane, maris aqua, simmondsia chinensis oil, carthamus tinctorius oil, capryloyl salicylic acid, propylene glycol, prunus cerasus extract, prunus yedoensis leaf extract, parfum.
You’ll notice that the product is anhydrous, meaning that it contains no water. As the name implies, the primary cleansing ingredients are all oils (or more accurately, esters.) That means the product is free from surfactants that can potentially dry your skin. So, for this particular product, I guess that’s what makes Shu “work so well.” But it also means that you’ll pay a lot more for this product because esters are more expensive than water and they’re used at relatively high concentrations. Hence the $31 price tag for 5 ounces. If you shop around and read ingredient lists you might be able to save a few dollars by finding another cleansing oil with the same first two ingredients. This seems like the perfect product for a “drugstore dupe.”
One thing to watch out for: You should also know that this product may not be for you if your skin is acne prone. The second ingredient, isopropyl myristate, is rated high on the comedogenicity scale which means it’s likely to cause black heads.
Image credit: seemsartless.com
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
According to Shu Uemura, the oil isn’t comedogenic:
http://media4.onsugar.com/files/2011/09/39/1/334/3346219/5312e1e4bfca3b83_1.JPG
The first ingredient, Ethylhexyl palmitate, is high on the comedogenic scale also.
These ingredients are comedogenic if they stay on the skin, but Shu Uemura’s oils are totally rinsed off because they contain a lot of emulsifiers.
I don’t know what’s in their cleansing oils that my skin hates. It doesn’t cause pimples, just irritation.
I appreciate you helping sort all this out. I wasn’t sure what the difference was between this and olive oil, frankly. It’s a little more clear now. Let us know if you find a good affordable dupe !
Talking of dupes…there are a huge variety of cleansing oils available in Japan/Asia ranging from the cheap to the expensive. Kose Softymo cleansing oils are popular for cheap, fancl mild cleansing oil for more mid range. And shu uemura would be one of the more expensive ones. These are just the ones off the top of my head, but most asian brands have at least one oil in their range.