Review: Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Cleansing Cloths
Product Name:
Dickinson's Daily Refreshing Clean Cleansing Cloths, Original Witch Hazel
Description:
A makeup-removing, skin cleansing cloth. Meant to use for cleansing, and is supposed to help remove oil, tone pores, soothe and refresh, and depuff skin. (Depuff—such a technical term.)
Ingredients List:
All natural witch hazel (containing natural grain alcohol 14% and witch hazel extract), benzethonium chloride, sodium benzoate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice.
Notes:
Interestingly, the Dickinson’s website only lists witch hazel, aloe juice, and sodium benzoate. Why don’t they list the benzethonium chloride? They compare themselves to other cleansing wipes, focusing on how their wipes are fragrance free, soap free, acid free, paraben free, with simple ingredients.
Fragrance free: this would be great… except that the wipes STINK.
Soap free: perfect.
Acid free: well, witch hazel extract is acidic (pH 3.31). In fact, I tend to hear about people using Dickinson’s main product, the witch hazel toner, as a pH-adjusting toner—an acid to get skin pH level back to normal. So I’m not sure what they’re trying to argue for. “Acid free” sounds good in theory if you think about hydrochloric acid burning a hole through the floor… but in skincare, acids are generally gentle enough to not cause irritation, and they have serious skin benefits. I DEPEND on acids to keep my skin under control. So: in conclusion? It’s not true, and it doesn’t matter anyway.
Paraben free: not an issue for me.
Simple ingredients: Again, this sounds good in theory, but ultimately I want effective ingredients. Are the simple ingredients non-toxic, effective, and usable? Great. If not? Not so great. This is one beef I have with “natural deodorants”: I want something non-toxic, effective, and usable, and they usually fail one of those three tests. (I’ve got two that work, though… more on that in a later post!)
Ultimately, I don’t have an issue with anything in this ingredients list—even the hidden benzethonium chloride preservative doesn’t go above mid-range toxicity (thanks CosDNA).
Awkward smelling wipe + Awkward looking face.
Usage:
Remove wipe from package. Wipe face. Avoid eyes. Toss wipe into trash. To start off: this isn’t a product type I like to use. I’ve had various makeup-removing wipes and such, and I end up using them more to clean my brushes than to clean my face. For testing purposes I used this to clean my face on days I needed to get going quickly, and I used them after my facial acids to wipe off dissolved skin cells and oils. I also have used these before applying deodorant and as hand/foot wipes, which worked well.
Experience:
They cleansed my face. They felt nice and refreshing. I’m not sure about the pore-refining claims (which sound like the kind of thing a facial acid would do…) but I don’t put much stock in them. Like most cleansing cloths, they are huge—I’d probably cut them in half or quarters if I was using these daily. I feel like I’m wasting product otherwise.
Huge wipe. Sunglasses for comparison.
Texture:
The actual cloth part is really soft—and the liquid is light. It doesn’t leave a sticky feeling or anything.
Scent:
The package describes the product’s smell as its “signature botanical scent”… and while that’s not inaccurate… it also doesn’t tell you much ABOUT that scent, which stinks. It’s not horrible, but it’s noticeable and annoying. I really don’t like smells that make me feel weird about my skin, and this is definitely one. With regular usage I’d probably get used to it—it’s acidic, but not sickening. But it’s…. an acquired scent.
Skin reaction:
The product evaporated quickly, leaving my skin feeling tight. I had no noticeable reactions. It’s not a product I’d use on its own, because it’s too drying, despite the “not overdrying” claims. I followed it up with my regular moisturizers. If my skin was sensitized, the product was a bit irritating—probably due to the alcohol content. But 90% of my usage had no irritation.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Summed up in a word: herbal.
It does what it says, but it’s not a very sophisticated product—it’s not super enjoyable to use. The most memorable thing about this product is the smell. The cleansing action is effective but not remarkable. I might grab these if I slept through my alarm, but since washing my face normally takes the same amount of time as washing my hands… the wipes aren’t much more convenient. But if you want a makeup wipe, don’t care about the scent, and want simple ingredients… this could work for you.
Where to purchase: Walgreens, Walmart, Drugstore.com, Amazon.
Disclaimer: I received this product free through Influenster for testing purposes.
