Baking soda isn’t just something that you stash in your fridge to keep it smelling fresh or that you use when you are baking. It is also an ingredient that can be incorporated into your beauty routine. A quick Pinterest search will reveal that it is featured in many DIY hacks from homemade dry shampoos to masks. If you are curious about trying out the baking soda, but are skeptical about the majority of “life-changing DIYs” you find on Pinterest, you can give it a try because Biore has launched a Baking Soda Pore Cleanser, $5.64.
The Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser is formulated with natural baking soda. It is hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested, so there is less chance it will irritate your sensitive skin compared to if you start mixing random things in your kitchen and applying them to your face. The cleanser is formulated to deep clean and remove impurities and dead skin cells from your pores while gently exfoliating. The description on the Biore website also describes it as an everyday liquid cleanser for combination skin that is oil-free and pH balanced.
If you have combination skin, it can be a struggle to find skincare products that hydrate your face but don’t make it feel greasy. If something restores the moisture in your cheeks, it can make your T-zone feel like you bathed in a greasy bath, and vice versa. I have combination skin that can get dry in the winter, so I was interested in trying out the cleanser. Plus, I wanted to see what kind of hero ingredient baking soda is in a derm-tested product.
The cleanser isn’t opaque white like baking soda. It is translucent with very tiny white flecks in it. While baking soda doesn’t have a smell, the Biore Baking Soda Cleanser is scented with a faint fruity smell that I found uplifting on dark, cold mornings.
You apply the cleanser just like your average face wash with a pump applicator. You use the pump to squeeze out one or two pumps then work into your hands into a lather. You then apply it all over your face.
I found that one pump was sufficient to cover my entire face and neck. The texture of the cleanser was thick but not heavy, and it felt refreshing on my skin. It had the right consistency I look for in a winter cleanser. It foamed into a nice lather and washed away easily without leaving a greasy residue.
Some cleansers can leave my face feeling tight, but this one did not leave my face with that familiar feeling. Furthermore, it didn’t feel greasy. I initially used the cleanser only in the mornings in case it irritated my face, but it never did ao I increased it to using it in the AM and PM. I still did not experience any redness or breakouts.
As for the exfoliation, you cannot feel any large, gritty particles in the cleanser but it still gets rid of dead skin. I sometimes get dry patches on my cheeks in winter and the cleanser helped greatly rid of them. (If you want more exfoliation, Biore also launched a Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub too.) Furthermore, I found that I did not have to use my regular scrub once or twice a week when I was using the face wash. I found that it did enough.
Verdict:
If a cleanser doesn’t leave my face feeling like I need moisturizer as soon as I wash my face, it earns high marks and this one kept my sensitive, combination skin balanced without upsetting it. The Biore Baking Soda Cleanser covered a lot of bases including exfoliating and cleansing. Plus, it is a great price for a pH-balanced face wash. If you have sensitive and/or combination skin and you are curious about baking soda, I would recommend trying it out.