Review: Ren Clearcalm 3 Clay Cleanser

Ren is a brand that had my vote from the off. With a wide range of skincare products catering for all skin-types, they sum up their 'clean' philosophy in three words: Performance, Purity and Pleasure.

You will never stumble across a Ren product that has parabens, sulphates, mineral oil or synthetic fragrances on its' ingredients list, and being someone who tries their very best to avoid such chemical nasties, this suits me jussst fine.

The Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay Cleanser (everyone likes a bit of alliteration, no?) is designed for blemish prone skin - something which mine now unfortunately seems to be - and aims to combat the three key causes of breakouts and blemishes: excess sebum, build-up of dead skin cells and blemish causing bacteria. Sounds quite grimey when you put it like that, but we all know that it happens, no matter how well we look after our skin.

This cleanser is really quite unusual, in that it does indeed have the consistency or a slightly smoother and easier to work with clay mask. It's thick and creamy, with a herbal clay scent, and massages easily into the skin. Personally, I find that one large pump is plenty for me, though I do tend to use this only as my morning cleanser as it doesn't remove makeup. I generally work it into my skin for a good couple of minutes, really taking the time to massage any congested areas extra-well, before adding warm water and removing a muslin cloth. 

Like a clay mask, this gets right down into the pores for a deep-down cleanse, purifying and gently exfoliating the skin as it goes. As an added bonus, it does tend to leave pores looking a little bit more refined, and after use my skin feels comfortable and soft - not at all dry, as you might expect from a clay-based product.

So, which ingredients do what? Well, the Clearcalm Cleanser boasts French clay, known for it's oil-absorbing properties, and zinc gluconate to reduce the production of sebum. Antibacterial salicilin mildly exfoliates the skin, while Mayblosson tones enlarged pores. All of that is topped off with a bit of Manuka extract to soothe and nourish.

I find this a pleasant cleanser to use in the mornings, and it does leave my skin looking and feeling matte, creating a great canvas for applying my makeup. I can't say that it has eliminated my hormonal breakouts completely, but I have noticed that I have been getting far fewer big, angry blemishes. I'm now interested to try some of the other products in the Clearcalm range, such as the Clarity Restoring Mask and the Replenishing Night Serum, as with most skincare ranges, I expect they would do their best job when used in conjunction with one another.

I love the fact that I can always rely on this cleanser to start my skin off on the right path in the mornings, and for that reason I think I will always keep a tube of it on hand.

The Clearcalm 3 range is available direct from the Ren Skincare website.

Have you tried anything from the Clearcalm 3 range?

What are your favourite Ren products?

xx