Pai Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser: Review

I was lucky enough to win the Pai Camellia and Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser in a giveaway over on the fantastic Product Pixie, and thank goodness I did, as with a £25 pricetag, it was not something I was likely to be popping into my shopping bag of my own accord, especially since at the time I knew very little about the brand. I was perfectly happy with my Liz Earle Cleanse and polish, and if it wasn't for my little win then I probably would have stuck with it.

Now, first things first. Pai formulates all their products with sensitive and allergy prone skin in mind (not my case, but anyway) and everything they sell is certified organic by the soil association. It was also the first brand to list all its products' ingredients in plain English, so, in their words, "you don't need a chemistry degree to understand them". Now, personally, with this information in mind, I was already pretty sold on them as a brand, as I am a huge fan of organic skincare and do like to know what exactly I'm dealing with.

This is a cream cleanser, and what immediately struck me about it was that actually, it's quite similar to Cleanse and Polish in terms of how it's designed to be used. I usually use a couple of pumps on this and massage it onto a dry face (although the instructions suggest damp skin), before removing with the muslin cloth provided, soaked in hot water, using a circular motion. You can use this cleanser on a full face of makeup, and it'll get the lot off, as well as gently exfoliating and sloughing away any dry skin and dead cells (nice!) and you can also use it as an eye make-up remover - just pop a bit onto a couple of cotton pads and wipe gently over your eyes.

 What I love about this product is that it's so gentle (it's designed for all skin types, sensitive included) and yet really effective, and as an added bonus it is comprised of lots of natural ingredients such as camellia (which is packed with Omega 3 and vitamins A, B, C and E) and rose (obviously)  essential oils. It's also free from alcohol and parabens, which means that you can use it without having to worry about the effects of those sorts of chemical nasties.

Now, for any of you fragrance-phobics out there, this cleanser is lightly scented. For me, it smells like a mixture of chamomile and rose, but given that I'm unsure of the scent of Camellia, it's probably that.

So, what's my overall verdict?

I'm sold. I've hugely enjoyed using this cleanser, and have found that it has left my skin feeling really clean and fresh. It gets all of my make-up off without irritating my eyes and has kept my skin clear of breakouts (bar the odd hormonal spot which can't be helped). I really love the ritual of using a hot cloth cleanser, and can really notice the difference in my skin when I do, and I don't find that I need to use an exfoliator very often as this keeps my skin looking bright and glowing. The only thing that I don't like about it is the hefty price tag - at over £10 more than the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish for the same volume, I'm afraid to say that I can't bring myself to repurchase. However, for any of you who don't mind splashing out that bit more, I highly recommend this cleanser, and Pai as a brand.

Do you enjoy using organic skincare? If so, what are your favourite brands?

xx