Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser Review

I LOVE this product and used it for years up until recently when I had to go for something a little more hard core (oh the joys of sunbathing in my youth and the effect it's had on my skin in my not-so-youth!). Now back then my skin was more combination, even more prone to break outs and I was holding a pore party every day of the week. And I was starting to see pigmentation from sunbathing. I used NPREC twice a day, morning and night and I definitely noticed a reduction in breakouts, it dealt to some of the lesser pigmentation and my skin just looked less gunky. I didn't see a reduction in pore size by half, but they definitely looked smaller. For the price this product is simply amazing. Can't recommend it highly enough.

I suffer from large pores on my nose and my nose can get very oily during the day which I try to hide by applying translucent powder every couple of hours. So when I saw this appear and chances were I wouldn’t make the trial team I just went out and brought it myself (like the independent lady I am).

I’m currently using this product about every three days. Not daily as suggested as my skin was starting to dry out. After using this product my face is oh so clean and feels smooth to touch. I do notice a difference in my pore size (not life changing) but a defiant improvement, and for the price of only $15 I can’t complain. I will defiantly be buying this again once it runs out which won’t be for awhile as you don’t even have to use that much.

This product actually did reduce the size and visibility of my pores. I tend to get large pores on my cheeks (on either side of my nose), and this definitely made a difference. The alpha and beta hydroxy formula leaves my skin feeling clean and toned, without feeling dry. A very nice product.

This cleanser's microbeads are very hard, but create a good exfoliating effect. There aren't a lot of beads so it doesn't exfoliate much, which is good as it's recommended as a daily cleanser. My skin feels smoother, and uneven skin is a little more even now. The only problem i have with this is that the smell reminds me of the mini bottles of soapy stuff for blowing bubbles I bought as a kid-not the most enjoyable facial cleanser smell.

The Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser is a very gentle cleanser that has very very fine beads to exfoliate the skin. The beads were not harsh at all on my skin so people will not feel concerned that it was like sandpaper. For this reason I can understand why it says you can use it daily. However, I did feel that my skin did feel a lot drier and I am a (nearly) 50yr old that still has oily skin and to be honest, I didn't like the feel of my skin after using it for several day. I have used stronger exfoliating creams that don't make my skin feel like this.

As to my pores being reduced, I think they have reduced a little and would probably reduce more after longer use but I will continue to use it but not on a daily basis.

I will also get my daughter to use it to see how she gets on.

I was very excited to receive my cleanser and jump on the less visible pores bandwagon so rushed to the bathroom to try as soon as it arrived. On first glance I was pleasantly surprised with the size on the tube defiantly good value for money. The packaging is basic nothing fancy but this isn't unusual for a cleanser.

First time using it was a at home no makeup day for me so using a small amount I used to manufactures instructions. The product has a slight gritty texture nothing too harsh I actually prefer a tad more grit to my exfoliator just to get that extra clean feeling but this actually did a good job my face felt soft and smooth for the rest of the day and I defiantly saw a difference in my pores they were smaller and more closed. I checked every couple of hours or so to see if the appearance of my pores changed at all but they seemed to stay refined all day so far so good.

The next day was a makeup day so cleansed my face in the morning popped my make up on and off I went. I knew I wouldn't really know if it had made a difference until later in the day when my pores decide to make an appearance through my makeup like usual so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best but alas I saw pores by the end of the day maybe slightly less but not by much.

I am although going to keep using it is a great cleanser/exfoliator the pore refining part just might not be super awesome but never know some things work better long term so I've still got a little hope.

So far i have really enjoyed this product, the formula is creamy, it foams well and you don't need a large amount for it to be effective. Taking into consideration the size of the bottle i imagine this would last quite a long time. The scent is not unpleasant but does have a slight chemical smell, nothing too major to be off-putting.

It has a small amount of exfoliators in it making it perfect for every day use, i didn't find it to be too rough on my skin but it definitely worked as my face was left feeling soft and smooth and it didn't completely strip my face of oils.

Pore size wise, i have maybe noticed a slight difference in the size of my pores, nothing groundbreaking but then again i have only been using this product for a week so am excited to see what happens with continued use. What i did notice was when i followed up with a mud face mask i saw more oil being dragged out of my skin than i usually notice, i also found that i had less blackheads than i did a week ago so perhaps i am still in the pore cleansing stage and once all the debris are out my pores they will be able to shrink a little more.

To compare i had been using the Garnier Pure scrub and the consistency and amount of exfoliators in the product is similar but i much prefer the Neutrogena as it just leaves my skin feeling nicer and healthier after cleansing, i also find that the exfoliators in the Neutrogena cleanser are more effective.

Overall for the price it's a steal, it is a good sized product and so far it's doing what it said it would!

I have combination skin: oily in the t-zone, slightly dry and acne-prone on my chin (the dryness may be due to the products I use to treat this area), and normal-ish everywhere else. My most noticeable pores are on and around my nose, and some on my forehead.

Prior to trying this cleanser out I was using a gentle non-foaming cleanser in the mornings, followed by a moisturiser (with SPF) for oily skin (which I only purchased a month ago but really like), then makeup if I'm wearing it for the day. My evening routine consists of makeup removal, then cleansing with either the same cleanser or a cream cleanser followed by a washcloth. Then a few times a week I would follow that up with a chemical exfoliating wipe. I end things with a serum containing retinol, niacinamide, and vitamin C, then moisturiser. In order to give this product a fair trial, I swapped it in for my second evening cleanse, but kept everything else the same.

This is of a light gel consistency with exfoliating (plastic) microbeads. It doesn't lather, which I prefer as usually that means the surfactants used are of the milder kind.

I'm generally of the opinion that any active ingredients (in this case, chemical exfoliants like AHAs and BHA) should be in products that are left on the skin rather than in a wash-off product. I would also prefer if the exfoliating beads were made from jojoba microbeads rather than plastic for environmental reasons, plus it's thought to be less harsh when scrubbing the skin.

The first few days I had some peeling on my nose, although that could be due to my extraction of sebaceous filaments (the sebum inside pores) with a face cloth.

Now I'm five days in, and my impression is that it's left my skin evenly but not harshly cleansed -- there isn't that squeaky feeling, which is a good thing! I also like that it doesn't contain sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, which are comedogenic ingredients sometimes used in products targeted to people who get blocked pores -- for example the other cleanser in this range; not ideal!

From googling I've found that the toner in the same range has a decent concentration of AHAs and BHA, and is at the right pH for it to work. Based on this trial, and online reviews of the toner, I'd be really interested in trying it out. It's rare that a supermarket product contains effective levels of AHAs, so definitely worth a go. The cleanser and toner would probably make a good combination.

I suspect this wouldn't suit sensitive skins -- it is fairly highly fragranced and that's never good. I don't think dry skins will have an issue with it, as the lack of the harsher surfactants, and the inclusion of humectant ingredients like cetyl alcohol and glycolic acid should help avoid dehydration.

I'll update this at the end of the ten day BR trial, plus put some photos up on my blog :D

This cleanser is amazing!! I haven't bothered buying face wash for a long time, and was amazed by how soft and smooth my face was straight away.

It's a very gentle cleanser, the first time I used it the exfoliating beads were so gentle I wasn't sure if it was doing anything, till i dried my face and felt how smooth it was. So nice at the end of the day, a gentle face massage and beautiful soft skin afterwards :)

I believe it does as it says, my pores have definitely reduced in size. I noticed the difference within a few days, as my pores were quite large. My skin is quite oily, but I've noticed a huge difference. My face isn't as oily by the end of the day, and in the mornings, my makeup goes on smoothly, and looks so flawless, as the fash wash even smooths out rough, uneven patches of your skin.

Absolutely amazing in my eyes!! A must have in everyone's bathroom.

I bought the product recently after watching a review by the lovely Sharon on You Tube.

Firstly the product is very good value for money! The tube is actually quite large and full to the brim of product (you also only need a little bit).

The cleanser comes out as a cream formula and really just onto the skin. I have to admit, I wish it was slightly more grainy in texture as it seems to feel very smooth for an exfoliator. Despite that it feels lush when you rub it in and feels quite expensive.

In terms of what it has done for my skin, I definitely feel that it deep cleanses and gets every last bit of makeup off. It has also cleared up a break out I was having and did not irritate the area. My pores are also a little bit smaller which is good.

I would highly recommend this product if you are wanting value for money.