For spring/summer 2012, RMK has released Cream Soap (S) (to replace Creamy Soap (N)) and Foamed Soap (M) to add to the brand’s skincare lineup. (They were released on April 6th in Japan and at around the same time in the UK.) Today I am reviewing Foamed Soap (M).
Foamed Soap (M) (160g, ¥3150 in Japan, £28 in the UK), like Cream Soap (S), is used as a face wash (not a makeup remover). (Currently, the three makeup removers from RMK are Cleansing Milk (C), Cleansing Oil (S), and Cleansing Balm (M).) It comes in a pressure pump bottle. The bottle is shaken and then held vertically before the pump is pressed to release the product, which is dispensed as mousse-like foam. The recommended amount per use is 4cm in diameter.
It contains sodium methyl stearoyl glutamate and potassium hydroxide as surfactants.
I have two major issues with this product. Firstly, with the recommended amount, the dense foam collapsed very quickly on the skin. I had to use about twice the recommended amount to (just about) maneuver the product around my face. With most self-foaming face washes, the foam generated by a foaming pump will continue to develop into a creamy lather as it is massaged on the skin, but this is far from the case with this product.
Secondly, the product left a very noticeable residue on the skin. It was not a slippery soapy residue that I come across from time to time. It is a slightly thick and rough (with a bit of resistance) filmy/waxy residue that was very difficult to be rinsed off. I had to use another face wash to wash off the residue, which defeats the purpose of the product.
Looking at the ingredient list, I suspect that the reason for the foam not maintaining its form on the skin is that the product mainly relies on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas, third on the ingredient list) in the pressure can to whip the product into foam. The surfactants are not major ingredients in this product.
Also, I suspect that the reason for the residue is that almost all of the major ingredients in this product are humectants/emollients (such as sorbitol (second on the ingredient list), stearic acid (forth), and myristic acid (fifth)). (Beeswax is also in the first half of the ingredient list.) Emollients can certainly dissolve impurities (just like how well-formulated cleansing oils work), but they have to be housed in a suitable formulation so that they can be rinsed off thoroughly along with the impurities.
The product also contains lavender extract, which can be irritating for the skin.
Overall, I do not feel that Foamed Soap (M) is a competent product, as it does not cleanse efficiently and it is not rinsed off thoroughly. (I believe that RMK’s intention is to create a product that is gentle and conditioning for the skin (with its emollient-based and relatively low-surfactant formulation), but unfortunately it simply does not work well as a face wash.) As a self-foaming face wash, Simple’s Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser is a better choice.
(The product featured in this article is provided by RMK.)
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RMK Fall 2012 Makeup Collection
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