Face Wash: Philosophy vs. Alaffia

I have loved my Philosophy Purity made Simple cleanser.  I have used it for 5 years, and have found it superior to every other facial cleanser I have tried.  Most other facial cleansers I tried were not able to remove all of my eye makeup in one go (especially not waterproof makeup), and Philosophy has been able to do it gently every time.

My skin is symptomatically dry, and not sensitive at all.  I will have occasional pimples in the T-zone area, and I believe them to be hormonal (eg. around that time of the month). Every few weeks my skin becomes desperately dry and flaky, with angry red patchy parts around my nose and chin, and huge flakes on my nose and cheeks that are hard to exfoliate or put makeup on to disguise.

Within one single day of using Alaffia's Authentic Black Soap, my skin looked completely transformed. I took the redness around my nose and chin for granted, thinking that it just was that way. Within a day the angry redness turned light pink, and after a week, I have no visible redness (or pink) at all when I am not wearing makeup! To me - this is a miracle, and a surprise - considering the amount of money I have been spending on skincare over the years. I did not know I could/should expect such radical changes from products. I also experience milia around my eyes (slightly raised white bumps) and all the little bumps except 1 (on my eyelid) have magically disappeared! My skin which usually was slightly tight after washing with Purity, and could not go without moisturizer after washing, is soft and supple after Alaffia's African Black Soap. I have found myself going without moisturizer on some nights, because my skin feels like it has been rebalanced somehow. I feel like my skin is now in an equilibrium, able to take care of itself. This may in part also be due to a new moisturizer I have implemented in my skincare regime, and I will cover that in a future post.

On top of producing a really outstanding, all natural product that treats and soothes my skin, I have found Alaffia to be an amazing company dedicated to Fair Trade. They partner with women in West Africa who produce Shea Butter, etc for their products, AND they donate over 10% of their proceeds to community building in Africa - their Bicycles program benefits children who want to get an education and would be walking 10-15 miles away. On top of being so much more cost effective than Philosophy, you know that your money is sustaining a community of women and children in Africa - AND your skin will thank you!

I still have about half of my 32 oz. bottle of Purity left, and I have put it under my bathroom sink for now until I decide what I will do with all of my "toxic" products.

I am completely in love with Alaffia's Authentic Black Soap and highly recommend you to make the switch. In this case, you are saving over $35, and your skin texture may improve like mine! I know with other natural products (eg. foundation/ mascara) you may find yourself sacrificing on the results, but here you aren't! Make the change!

I have provided you an in-depth analysis of the cost per oz., the ingredients, the toxicity, and a summary of each product after the break. Please click below to read on.

--Marina

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PRODUCT PROFILES:

Original Product: Philosophy Purity Made Simple, 32 fl. oz, $49.50.

• Cost per oz. = $1.54/oz
• Length of time used: since 2007 (5 years)
• Uses: Face Wash, Makeup Remover, and in conjunction with my Clarisonic as an exfoliator
• Ingredients: water (aqua), sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium trideceth sulfate, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, coco-glucoside, cocos nucifera (coconut) alcohol, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) wood oil, geranium maculatum oil, guaiac (guaiacum officinale) extract, cymbopogon martini oil, rosa damascena extract, amyris balsamifera bark oil, santalum album (sandalwood) oil, salvia officinalis (sage) oil, cinnamomum cassia leaf oil, anthemis nobilis flower oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) seed oil, piper nigrum (pepper) seed extract, polysorbate 20, glycerin, carbomer, triethanolamine, methylparaben, propylparaben, citric acid, imidazolidinyl urea, yellow 5 (ci 19140).
• Total # of Ingredients: 28
• Scent: Chemical-y, lemon
• Fair Trade: No
• Organic : No
• Vegan: No
• Skin Deep Database: Rating of 3, Data: Limited
• Ingredients you want to avoid: Sulfates, Polysorbate 20, Parabens, Urea, and synthetic food color (Yellow 5). 
• Sulfates are a known irritant, and can damage the hair follicles and skin when it comes into contact. Some studies classify sulfates as a carcinogenic, and sulfates are often used as a pesticide in non-organic farming. 
• “Polysorbate starts out as harmless sorbitol, but then it’s treated with carcinogenic ethylene oxide. It's called Polysorbate 20 because it's treated with 20 "parts" of ethylene oxide.  The higher the number, the more ethylene oxide it has been treated with.  This substance is then combined with various fatty acids.  The Skin Deep Database rates it as only a "one," and doesn't pick up on the risk that it could be contaminated with ethylene oxide, and subsequently, 1,4 dioxane.  In addition, it can be laced with heavy metals.”
• Parabens mimic estrogen, and have been shown to be present in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer. 
• Urea is a component of animal and human urine, and is categorized as an irritant. And - ew!
• Yellow 5 is a member of a handful of synthetic food colors that are associated with hyperactivity and ADD in children. Back in 2008/2009 the European Unionbanned these from food and pharmaceutical production.
• Quick Summary: If in doubt, avoid the hot button ingredients “sulfate”, “paraben”, “urea” and most chemicals that include numbers until you can double check. Even the Skin Deep Database cannot catch all ingredients, hence the necessity to double check.  For example, I believe the rating would be higher than a 3 if Polysorbate 20 was categorized with a toxicity number.

Upfor Review: Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap, Tangerine Citrus, 32 fl. oz, $13.99.

• Cost per oz. = $0.44/oz
• Length of time used: 3 weeks
• Uses: Face Wash, Makeup Remover, with Clarisonic as an exfoliator, Body Wash, shaving gel, and Shampoo
• Ingredients: African mint (ocimum canum) extract (aqueous), African black soap (saponified shea butter* [butyrospermum parkii] and palm kernel oil [elaeis guineensis]), lauryl glucoside, tangerine essential oil, orange essential oil, lemongrass essential oil, litsea essential oil. *Certified Fair for Life - Social and Fair Trade by IMO.
• Total # of Ingredients: 8
• Scent: Pleasant woodsy, citrus orange-y scent.
• Fair Trade: Yes
• Organic: No
• Vegan: Yes
• Skin Deep Database: No Rating Available
• Ingredients you want to avoid: None
• Quick Summary: Completely non-toxic and mild. Safe for babies and pregnant women (as all non-toxic products are).

Disclaimer: All products have been purchased with my own money, and this review is my own. What works well for my skin may not work the same for yours. Prices vary by store and region. All information listed is a result of my own research, and may have errors (I am not an expert). Please conduct your own research to confirm. If you use portions of my research in your own blog/vlog/review, please give credit to this blog. Thank you for reading.