Although Mentholatum was originally founded in the USA, the brand is often associated more commonly with its many brands of drugstore skincare and cosmetic items that are popular in Asia, including popular brands LipIce, Sunplay, and Oxy. Within Asia, it often markets its products as originating from Japan, particularly following its acquisition by Japanese company Rohto in 1988. As such, to the casual consumer, its products tend to be associated with Asian markets rather than Western ones, despite its strong roots in the West.
As such, it's no surprise that Mentholatum's Acnes line also bears the cutesy hallmark of Asian brands. Just look at this Acnes set, comprising their Creamy Cleanser and Sealing Jell!
Mentholatum Acnes is, as the name suggests, a range of skincare product targeting acne-prone skin. The line up of products range from standard items such as cleansers, toners and moisturizers, to more Asian-centric products such as nose pore strips. The set below contains the Creamy Wash, a cleanser for oily skin, as well as a Sealing Jell, which is a pimple cream.
At first, I was a bit dubious of the quality of the product. After all, what on earth is a Sealing Jell? Is that a typo, a fail-attempt to make a product name sound cute, or something else entirely?
So, I thought the only way to know whether the set was any good or not was to try it out myself! The first product in the set was the Creamy Wash, which came in a sensible plastic tube with a flip top packaging.
The Creamy Wash is a off-white gel that is tinged with some off-white gel that had a green tinge. It foamed well, and washed off cleanly. However, although the Creamy Wash is billed as non-drying, I still found it a bit too dry for my liking - when I had washed my face, my skin felt squeaky and tight. Definitely a sign that the cleanser was too harsh for my skin.
The second item was the Sealing Jell, which is a pimple gel that just has a funny name. The gel comes in a sensible tube with a screw top.
Like the Creamy Wash, the Sealing Jell is an off-white gel-like cream that has a green tinge. And also like the Creamy Wash, the Sealing Jell also is very drying on my skin. This feels slightly sticky when applied on the skin, but turns clear and dries fast. I did feel like it helped my pimples, simply by drying them out so they didn't evolve into those huge cystic boils I'm so prone to getting.
One last thing I noticed about the two Mentholatum Acnes products was the smell. Both products had this lemon-lime smell, that honestly, smelled exactly like the scent you'd find in dishwashing liquid or hand soap! I'd much rather they tweak the smell or lose it altogether - I don't want to feel like I'm putting dish soap on my face!
Although I felt that these products, particularly the Creamy Wash, were too harsh for my skin, I think these might be useful for someone with very oily, thick skin that's not sensitive. Between the two products, though, I felt that the Sealing Jell was the better product for my skin. I'd probably use these products, but I'd alternate them with other skincare products that weren't so drying. If you're interested, you can redeem some free Acnes samples at http://www.facebook.com/acnes.sg?sk=app_213564948660624 or http://www.facebook.com/acnes.sg.
(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)
