ibteachnu asks…I can no longer afford Arbonne. What drugstore brands are comparable to their hydrating wash, balancing toner, facial serum, and day creme? I’ve already replaced their RE-9 foaming body wash with Olay’s age defying body wash. What are your thoughts on that product?
Right Brain responds
After that big battle about Arbonne, we no longer let Left Brain answer questions about Arbonne, so this one is mine.
Arbonne Hydrating Wash
At almost $40 for a 3 ounce bottle of the Arbonne Hydrating Wash, it’s no wonder you can’t afford Arbonne anymore. No cleanser is worth that expense. Cleansers are put on and then rinsed away. Unless the skin is specially prepared before-hand, cleansers have limited ability to deliver anything to the skin. They simply remove things.
Arbonne does make it challenging to find ingredient lists, but with enough Google searching you can usually find them. The basic ingredient list for the Hydrating wash is as follows.
Sodium Cocoyl Sulfate, PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate, Stearic Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Disodium Lauroamphoacetate
This isn’t a complete list but it’s enough to get the general gist of the product. Basically, they are using standard but more gentle surfactants.
Olay alternative?
Oil of Olay is always a good choice. It is made by P&G and is one of the most thoroughly tested skin care lines available. It also has the most cosmetic chemists and scientists behind its development.
The ingredients in this particular product are different than the ones found in Arbonne. Here’s the ingredient list.
Water, Petrolatum, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Lauric Acid, Fragrance, Trihydroxystearin, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Butyrospermum (Shea Butter) Extract (Shea Butter), Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, PEG 14M
ALES & ALS are typically harsh detergents but the harshness is more than off-set by the fact that a moisturizing ingredient (Petrolatum) is the second ingredient. The Petrolatum will protect skin from the harshness of the detergents so overall, the Olay product should be more gentle than the Arbonne product.
Closer Drugstore Alternative
The Olay product and Arbonne products should behave similarly but if you are looking for something even closer, consider trying some of the following.
Johnsons Soothing Naturals Hair and Body Wash – hair and body wash. Contains PEG-80 Sorbitan Laurate as the primary surfactant.
Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash – Contains three of the primary surfactants found in Arbonne
Beauty Brains bottom line
Everyone has different skin and you need to experiment to figure out which type of cleansing product works best for you. However, there is no need to spend a lot on a cleansing wash. Go to your local drugstore and find a product that will work for you. It will be good for your skin and wallet too.
How much do you spend on skin cleansing products? Do you think it is worth it? Leave a comment below.