Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser Review

I was so happy for this trial as large pores around my nose area has really been a constant and embarrassing struggle for me. The day I received this cleanser I was going through a major acne attack, and I was really scared to use it. My face does not do well with new products so I wasnt expecting good results.

First impression: The tube is a jumbo size compared to my normal cleansers and for $15 it is definitely good value for money. My usual cleansers of about 100ml last me 1 month so for 198ml you would be in the running for a 2 month usage. I smelt the cleanser and I hated it. It reminded of the smell of hair dye and I was concerned that if the smell was strong, what was it going to do to my sensitive skin?

Usage: I used it twice a day as directed eventhough I wasnt too comfortable because over exfoliating turns my face oily. I used the amount almost the size of a cashew nut and massaged it into my face for about a minute. I would rinse the cleanser off my face and then apply a pea size amount just on my nose and inner cheek area and concentrate massaging for another minute because this is the area I struggle with the most.

I loved the feel of those microbeads on my skin and I could feel it pulling out the dirt from my skin as I massaged my face. The cleanser is thick and creamy and feels luxurious during use.This cleanser doesnt lather but it distributes itself evenly across your face. I absolutely hated the fact the cleanser was burning my eyes during washing. When drying my face, my skin was so soft and supple and very hydrated. I was very surprised because I thought the strong Hydroxy formula would strip my skin leaving it dry, tight and taunt but I was very happy this was not the case.

Effects on my skin: I've been doing this washing routine for 8 days in the trial period and my acne is so much better which means the strong smell was nothing to be concerned about. I have noticed that my face is no longer oily which is great for me when using a new cleanser. This cleanser definitely helps keep oiliness at bay. I've also noticed a slight difference in the pores on my nose and inner cheek area but nothing drastic I must admit.

I think someone with really bad and big pores should see a small difference because this cleanser seems to work slowly. I have only noticed some differences in day 7 and 8.

Does it live up to its promises? "Penetrates deep into the pores to visibly reduce their appearance" Well after 8 days I would say I think so. My pores werent visibly reduced by I do see some potential for this happening with constant usage.

I'm definitely going to keep using this cleanser in my routine eventhough there are two negatives of burning eyes and strong smell but the rewards my skin have reaped, especially healing my acne far outweighs these negatives. My expectations were definitely wrong in the beginning I the results have been good.

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

Now while I really hadn't expected great things from neutrogena, I had heard rave reviews so figured I'd give it a shot after seeing it in the beauty vault. After using it, I now see the rave reviews were most likely from people who had never used ahas or bhas, and were used to using really harsh physical exfoliants. This isn't a bad product, but it certainly doesn't live up to the hype. While I like that this isn't scratchy, the aha and bha percentage is too low for this to really be a well exfoliating product, also, from a beauty therapy point of view, I don't see how a cleanser containing salicylic acid in a non encapsulated state can refine your pores (some more high end products encapsulate the acid so it stays on the skin), but if the product is rinsed straight off, it's not going to achieve all that much, clearly I didn't see a reduction of my pore size. If you really want to reduce your pores and decongest your skin, you need a leave on salicylic acid gel. I was happy though, that this was sls free, as well as not heavily fragranced or coloured. This didn't sensitise my skin or irritate, so I was happy in that respect. My skin felt fine afterwards, smoother, but nothing to write home about. Also, I don't like that it says for daily use. As a b.t I learnt it's never good to use an exfoliating wash every day, regardless of how gentle. If it's a serum, that's different as they're designed that way, but you can irritate or dry your skin by overuse of exfoliating cleansers. Lastly, as much as this is a generous size, I think $15 for this is a bit steep. Spend your money on a decent aha/bha gel if you really want to refine your pores.

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 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.

The Neutrogena pore refining exfoliating cleanser certainly did surprise me. The first surprise was the size. When it arrived on my doorstep I noticed that it was a much more generous size than my previous cleansers. This makes it great value for money. The second surprise was the similarity between the exfoliating properties in the Neutrogena cleanser and my Clarins One Step exfoliating cleanser ($59). With a drastic price difference, that is a pretty awesome aspect for a drug store cleanser to pull off. I typically use my Clarins One Step 3 times a week as an exfoliator so the Neutrogena cleanser is a little too harsh for twice daily use. For a St Ives Apricot scrub lover, this would be a gentle option. My final surprise was when I used it in place of my Clarins foaming cleanser in conjunction with my Olay Regenerist. The cleanser was immediately flicked into my eye, and oh my, it hurt. I haven't encountered this with my foaming cleanser. It is great to grab in the shower, but I won't be using it at night as it just doesn't work with the regenerist.

The Neutrogena pore refining exfoliating cleanser has an easy to open cap and typical Neutrogena soap smell. It's not fresh, but not unpleasant.

And lastly, the pore refining claim. I haven't noticed any reduction in the size of my pores BUT my pores are not overly large, they were already clear and exfoliated prior to using this cleanser, and I have only been using it for a week.

I have come to the conclusion that this isn't my match made in heaven, perfect cleanser. However I will continue to use it in the mornings, every second or third day. I see it as a cheap alternative that doesn't break me out and gently exfoliates, but it doesn't do anything amazing.

I was lucky enough to be picked for the trial team on this product.

While I'm hesitant about products that say it'll 'reduce' anything - whether that be fine lines or pores and everything in between, I was genuinely surprised.

When I received the package, I was very, very surprised at the size of the bottle. It's huge! And good value for money for $16.

I used it that first night, after I'd removed my makeup. The texture is creamy and the exfoliating beads are superfine. So there was no irritation whatsoever unlike other exfoliants I've used where the grains are so chunky they literally scratch your skin.

Because there's no soap, it doesn't foam like other cleansers and exfoliants. So you may need to use a little more product to get around your face. There's also hardly any smell which is great. I find products that have a strong scent probably have a lot of perfume, which means a lot of alcohol, which means drying up your skin. And my skin is dry enough as it is!

Now, my head is ginormous (not kidding - it's actually huge) so I used product about the size of a 50c piece, which was plenty.

After washing it off, my skin felt baby smooth, even the next day it felt great.

I didn't notice any effects straight away. I used it every second or third day - as advised on the bottle. I only ever used it at night, as part of a consistent routine. And after about 8 days, I've noticed that my pores have actually reduced in size.

Not a huge reduction, but to me, it was noticeable. I had enlarged pores around my nose, and the area that they cover has noticeably reduced so it doesn't go an inch sideways anymore. I'd say it's reduce about 1/4" in size.

I doubt this would completely reduce them altogether, but for a product that's easily affordable and readily available, I'd recommend giving this a go.

The things I like about it: The size of the bottle | the price | the smell | the fine grain exfoliating beads | no soap | the feel of my skin after | it actually works - to a degree.

Apart from the scent, everything about this is really lovely. The exfoliating beads are small and gentle, but effective. It leaves skin feeling really soft and smooth- non drying nor that feeling of tightness. And it does seem to reduce pore size- pretty awesome considering that I haven't been using this cleanser for more than a week! The scent however will be a big deterrent for me to repurchase. It doesn't smell bad per se, more chemically than anything. The closest scent I can compare it to is that sort of cheap $2, kids' (blowing) bubble solution.

I've been trying out the Neutrogena Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser for just over a week now and love that it's a cleanser and exfoliator in one. I have combination skin with very large pores on my nose and chin so I was really interested in trying this out. I found the exfoliator to be very mild and it was great at removing my makeup and cleaning out my pores. As I've only being it for a week I haven't noticed my pores shrinking yet but will continue to use as it leaves my skin feeling very clean and smooth. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who doesn't like a course exfoliation and has large pores. I like that you get quite q lot of product so it will last a long time . I do think I would purchase this product again.

I got this from the recent beauty vault as it sounded like an interesting product that would be worth a try. I have sensitive dry skin, visible pores around my nose and inner cheek area and get breakouts mostly around my nose, chin, forehead and temples.

First of all this cleanser is surprisingly large compared to similar products and comes in a squeezable opaque tube. It is a creamy colour and consistency with tiny 'exfoliating beads'. At first I didn't think there was any issue with the scent but once I started rubbing it on my face I noticed a strong chemical smell...not what you want products you are cleansing your delicate face skin with and rubbing near your eye area! Even if this product was miraculous (which I did not find it) I would be totally put off using it due to this horrible scent! I found it also stung my eyes a lot! Even when I had them tightly shut and tried my best to thoroughly rinse the product of the aroma or product in the air just irritated my eyes. Not a pleasant experience at all.

Although this is marketed as 'dermatologically tested' it is not a product for sensitive skin in my opinion. Although the physical exfoliants in this product (the beads) are not particularly harsh the chemical part of it I found too harsh for everyday use and it has severely irritated my lips.

I have been using this for a few weeks now and I am not very impressed with the results. It has not done anything for my breakouts, has not visibly minimised my pores much at all (maybe ever so slightly but not in a way that would counteract the negatives I have experienced with this product.) and I do not feel it sufficiently cleanses or exfoliates my face.

This is a mid price range cleanser and although it makes some lovely claims I do not think it stands up to these and is definitely not worth the money.