Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish

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Hello everyone!

I too have been ‘lurking’ on this site for quite a while now and have been very amused by all of your postings. The reason I have decided to post something myself now is that I have been reading with interest the various threads regarding the reformulation of Cleanse & Polish over the last few months.

I have been using C&P for around 8 years and, about two years ago, I also noticed that the consistency of C&P had changed; I also found it was thinner and that it seemed to sink into my skin more quickly than before. Through this site I discovered that this change was likely due to the removal of almond milk from the formulation. The removal of this ingredient has since been acknowledged by various LE representatives on their Facebook page and also by the woman herself on-screen upon her recent return to QVC.

Although I must admit that I did prefer the previous consistency, I cannot say that I have noticed a change in how the product makes my skin feel or how effective I consider it to be and I happily continue to purchase, use and recommend it. On occasion I have used an ‘extra’ half a pump but only if I especially want to spend time massaging it on my skin.

A few postings I have read over the months (I know I should get out more!) have stated that almond milk was the first ingredient in the old formulation and that it has been replaced with cocoa butter. I wanted to check this out and managed to find an old ingredient listing here:

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-beauty-list/2009/01/plastic-pump-travel-skin-dry

Cleanse & Polish - Old Formulation Listing:

1. Aqua
2. Caprylic / capric triglyceride
3. Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter
4. Cetearyl alcohol
5. Cettyl esters
6. Sorbitan stearate
7. Polysorbate 60
8. Glycerine
9. Cera alba (beeswax)
10. Propylene glycol
11. Humulus lupulus(hops) extract
12. Panthenol
13. Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract
14. Anthemis nobilis (chamomile) extract
15. Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) extract
16. Eucalyptus globules (eucalyptus) oil
17. Limonene
18. Citric acid
19. Sodium hydroxide
20. Phenoxyethanol
21. Benzoic acid
22. Ethylhexylglycerin
23. Dehydroacetic acid
24. Polyaminopropyl biguanide

As you can see (according to this ingredient listing) almond milk (well, sweet almond extract to be precise!) was in fact the fifteenth ingredient in the old formulation. I have checked my current pump (purchased when it was on the anniversary offer for £9.50, so very recent) and the ingredient listing is exactly the same – except for the almond milk. Cocoa butter has not been added to the formulation, it was always the third ingredient.

I think the confusion regarding the prominence of the ingredients comes from the front of the packaging which used to have ‘Almond Milk’ listed first, followed by Rosemary, Chamomile and Eucalyptus (you can see this on some of the stock photographs used on the Liz ebay outlet). The new packaging lists Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa Butter and Eucalyptus.

Therefore, although I do consider Liz’s ‘explanation’ as to temperature etc. altering the consistency of C&P recently to be slightly disingenuous, she – and the rest of the LE team – are correct when they say that the formulation essentially hasn’t changed and that no ingredients have been substituted. The only change is the removal of the almond milk. I do think that their rhetoric of “every ingredient has to earn its place in a product” is on shaky ground here and I don’t think that their explanation is necessarily completely truthful. The removal could very well be for ingredient cost reasons, however I personally think it may be because, if they (or more accurately Avon) are intending to move more aggressively into the US market with LE/C&P specifically, they may need to be more careful regarding allergies due to the potentially more litigious nature of the country (sorry for the broad generalisation!) Therefore the reason for removal being ‘allergies’ could be sort-of legitimate.

Sorry for the incredibly long rant about this but, as you have probably guessed, this has been something that has been bugging me for quite some time! I hope you’ve not died of boredom reading it ;-)

xx
 
backstreetgirl said:
Thanks Twinkle, I think I could easily become an A'kin convert if the rest of their products are like the rosehip oil and radiance serum![/QUOTE

you are welcome BSG I haven't tried the radiance serum. I use the rosehip oil and rosehip & shea butter moisuriser. The hair products are good too although, I alternate with Samy s&c as I love those. I had a sample of Green People Organic Day solution and that was the really good. I'm going to get that when my A'Kin runs out.
Click to expand...
 
I switched from the C&P too as it is not as good now. I use the Boots No7 Hot cloth cleanser - costs £8.75 for 200 ml - also you can get it sometimes with the £5 vouchers or on 3 for 2 so makes it even cheaper and it comes with a muslin cloth:

http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Radiance-Boosting-Hot-Cloth-Cleanser-200ml_953890/
It has 31 reviews on the website and nearly all 5* also most of them say that they switched from LE too!!!!!
 
I now use the Boots one, which I find is excellent - it doesn't cause me to get any breakouts or dryness and has a nice smell, not too overpowering or anything. The muslin cloth isn't maybe quite as good as the LE ones, (they are lovely and big) but that's the only gripe I have lol.

I will probably get the Elemis one in the next TSV as I had this one on the TSV they had with it in. The Sanctuary one is also very good - there are so many out there now!
 
I used to love Cleanse & Polish then I tried Elemis's Pro-Radiance which is brilliant and a million times better than C & P.
 
Last edited:
Decleor are introducing a new cleanser-with-muslin-cloth and it will be aired this Saturday on their TSV day. I don't think it's part of the TSV though.

There's a little more info on it on Fiona's Facebook page as she's been offering free samples to anyone who emails her. The first batch have already been claimed but she's recently posted that she's got some more in.
 
tellyshopper said:
Hello everyone!

I too have been ‘lurking’ on this site for quite a while now and have been very amused by all of your postings. The reason I have decided to post something myself now is that I have been reading with interest the various threads regarding the reformulation of Cleanse & Polish over the last few months.

I have been using C&P for around 8 years and, about two years ago, I also noticed that the consistency of C&P had changed; I also found it was thinner and that it seemed to sink into my skin more quickly than before. Through this site I discovered that this change was likely due to the removal of almond milk from the formulation. The removal of this ingredient has since been acknowledged by various LE representatives on their Facebook page and also by the woman herself on-screen upon her recent return to QVC.

Although I must admit that I did prefer the previous consistency, I cannot say that I have noticed a change in how the product makes my skin feel or how effective I consider it to be and I happily continue to purchase, use and recommend it. On occasion I have used an ‘extra’ half a pump but only if I especially want to spend time massaging it on my skin.

A few postings I have read over the months (I know I should get out more!) have stated that almond milk was the first ingredient in the old formulation and that it has been replaced with cocoa butter. I wanted to check this out and managed to find an old ingredient listing here:

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-beauty-list/2009/01/plastic-pump-travel-skin-dry

Cleanse & Polish - Old Formulation Listing:

1. Aqua
2. Caprylic / capric triglyceride
3. Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter
4. Cetearyl alcohol
5. Cettyl esters
6. Sorbitan stearate
7. Polysorbate 60
8. Glycerine
9. Cera alba (beeswax)
10. Propylene glycol
11. Humulus lupulus(hops) extract
12. Panthenol
13. Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract
14. Anthemis nobilis (chamomile) extract
15. Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) extract
16. Eucalyptus globules (eucalyptus) oil
17. Limonene
18. Citric acid
19. Sodium hydroxide
20. Phenoxyethanol
21. Benzoic acid
22. Ethylhexylglycerin
23. Dehydroacetic acid
24. Polyaminopropyl biguanide

As you can see (according to this ingredient listing) almond milk (well, sweet almond extract to be precise!) was in fact the fifteenth ingredient in the old formulation. I have checked my current pump (purchased when it was on the anniversary offer for £9.50, so very recent) and the ingredient listing is exactly the same – except for the almond milk. Cocoa butter has not been added to the formulation, it was always the third ingredient.

I think the confusion regarding the prominence of the ingredients comes from the front of the packaging which used to have ‘Almond Milk’ listed first, followed by Rosemary, Chamomile and Eucalyptus (you can see this on some of the stock photographs used on the Liz ebay outlet). The new packaging lists Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa Butter and Eucalyptus.

Therefore, although I do consider Liz’s ‘explanation’ as to temperature etc. altering the consistency of C&P recently to be slightly disingenuous, she – and the rest of the LE team – are correct when they say that the formulation essentially hasn’t changed and that no ingredients have been substituted. The only change is the removal of the almond milk. I do think that their rhetoric of “every ingredient has to earn its place in a product” is on shaky ground here and I don’t think that their explanation is necessarily completely truthful. The removal could very well be for ingredient cost reasons, however I personally think it may be because, if they (or more accurately Avon) are intending to move more aggressively into the US market with LE/C&P specifically, they may need to be more careful regarding allergies due to the potentially more litigious nature of the country (sorry for the broad generalisation!) Therefore the reason for removal being ‘allergies’ could be sort-of legitimate.

Sorry for the incredibly long rant about this but, as you have probably guessed, this has been something that has been bugging me for quite some time! I hope you’ve not died of boredom reading it ;-)

xx
Click to expand...


Hi

Welcome and what a fab post, I just love the thoroughness a man/woman after my own heart :sun:

Well I couldn't use some things from the LE range a few years ago and after using cleanse, tone and moisturise for a couple of months had the most horrendous reaction, I steer clear of skin repair, like skin tonic but feel that makes my skin a bit irritated but i now seem fine with cleanse and polish, I prefer the texture of it now and quite like it these days.

I do wonder if the almond milk caused me problems before as I can't use Weleda's range for supposedly super sensitive skin which is the almond range.

Anyhoo, I think those who loved the previous formulation aren't very happy about the change if they find the new formula less effective, some don't seem to care either way and some like me found it unsuitable before but like it now :) so I'm pleased.

Thanks for dashing the myth too that almond milk wasn't ingredient number one - some people have been really quite angry about it.
 
Last edited:
I don't think it really matters if the almond milk is the first or 20th ingredient. The fact remains that it's removal (or removal/addition of something else LE isn't admitting to) has altered the formula and for many people, efficacy of the product. Saying it's so far down the list somewhat implies that the change in the product wasn't significant. I noticed the difference (as did many people) before I knew anything about the change in formula and came on here to see if anyone else noticed.

Luckily there's A'kin and No7, both of which are easily as good if not better than the old formula CnP and far better value and more accessible. Result!
 
Thanks for the info. I thought the C&P was sinking in a bit quicker than before. I think I'll try A'Kin.
 
Lots of people were really annoyed about the formulation change and part of that seemed to be horror that the main ingredient had been altered. Its fair to set the reocrd straight on that as it isn't true.

As you say though the fact of the mater is that some people who loved it before don't like it now and so don't use it but result for me as I prefer Cleanse and polish now and couldn't use it before for any period of time without having skin issues.

Clearly the change in that ingredient as you say whereever on the list has had an impact on how poeple feel about C+P positive or otherwise.

It was interesting that on one of the Liz Earle shows over the past couple of days Ms Earle emphasised that cocoa butter had always been the base of C+P from day one and the ethno-botanist lady Jennifer talked about how people tihnk its a cheep ingredient but its actually really expensive when they get the quality they use. Mmmmmmmm :)

Interesting, they've been reasding here, facebook or both lol.
 
LadyM said:
Thanks for the info. I thought the C&P was sinking in a bit quicker than before. I think I'll try A'Kin.
Click to expand...

Exactly my problem LadyM, you need more of it now to do the job it did before. I will still use up my Cleanse & Polish but probably just with the Brightening Treatment. Meanwhile my A'kin Creamy Cleanser was dispatched today, can't wait to try it! :happy:
 
The other week I bought some Neutrogena cleansing gel at the supermarket and today I've got the Boots cleanser using my advantage points. It really feels quite liberating buying items that are in single figures of £s instead of spending a fortune!
 
I’ve also been intrigued by the number of C&P-a-likes (or perhaps that should be Eve Lom-a-likes) storming the market and, although I haven’t taken the plunge and purchased any yet, the one that I am most tempted by is Soap & Glory’s The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. Having looked at the ingredient listings for the Sanctuary, No7 versions etc. the S&G one seems to me to be one of the closest to C&P and also has quite a few ‘naturally active’ odds and ends in it, including the elusive almond milk:

http://www.soapandglory.com/products/skincare/the-fab-pore-hot-cloth-cleanser?fromSearch=

I’d be very interested to see if it is the almond milk that makes the textural difference.

However I have to say there is something stopping me from trying it… Perhaps it’s just a well-lit, brainwashed pang of brand loyalty but somehow I can’t help but feel that LE (I know: Avon) has a level of integrity regarding ingredient quality and sourcing that I may not find on ‘the High Street’ or with other brands (synthetic beeswax being a case in point).

I can’t honestly say that I know if rosemary, chamomile and eucalyptus will be any better for my skin than lavender, bitter orange and clary but for some reason I believe they will!

The Sanctuary’s version seems to be changing from ‘Perfectly Polished Hot Cloth Cleanser’ to just ‘Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser’ which I’m not sure bodes well… anyway if the formula isn’t changing it also contains several natural bit and pieces and looks pretty good, including an ingredient called ‘Gold of pleasure oil’ (http://www.thesanctuary.co.uk/polishing-hot-cloth-cleanser-details.htm and http://www.beautyscribbler.com/2010/05/sanctuary-perfectly-polished-hot-cloth.html for the full listing), which sounds a bit like something from an adult Harry Potter book to me but apparently is a cold pressed oil from the seeds of the cruciferous annual plant Camelina Sativa (http://www.biochemica.com/data_sheets/spec_sheets/Exotic_Oils/camelina_oil_specs.pdf). Now you know.

The No7 one doesn’t seem to contain much of anything interesting apart from cocoa butter and various emulsifier/filler type ingredients (see http://cosmetic-candy.com/boots-no7-radiance-boosting-hot-cloth-cleanser-review - there’s a photograph of the ingredient listing there which I can’t cut and paste) but it does seem to have plenty of fans and is also cheap.

Anyway, I guess the proof of the cleanser is in the tube/pump/measured-dose dispensing system so I should just give S&G a try and see!

Also I just have to say that the customer service and general attention to detail from LE is second to none and I don’t know if I’d get the same retail ‘hit’ chucking a tube of something into my basket in Boots as I do from getting a lovely, hand-wrapped product arrive in the post with a little freebie included. Then again I am paying an extra £7 for that privilege.

xx
 
Tried the Boots No7 one and came out in a ton of spots round my chin, got 3 of the things sitting there doing nowt! grrrrrr


Have moved onto A'kin and LOVE it!! also the rosehip oil and the moisturiser are lush :)
 
boring as boring is i use alpha-h balancing and the wash off cleansers. they have no smell or essential oils but what lovely clean hydrated skin i have and no break outs...

its interesting to see a backlash on the prestigious brands and back to the high street where garnier/oil/lof ulay/boots/lancome and the rest cant afford for people to be reacting in their droves from unnecesary ingredients cos they smell nice!:down:
 
Its really interesting that a lot of peeps (not necessarily peeps on here) who say they don't like C+P now and that cocoa butter is a cheap pore clogging ingredient go to other products that for them are superior in results but also contain the offending cocoa butter and some a whole host of other unwanted fillers.

The soap and glory cleanser is similar in price and contains synthetic beeswax - personally I wouldn't use it due to the reviews and ingredient listing but then again I'm a more natural ingredient fan. Don't do it tellyshopper :)

Its horses for courses but I do feel that the Liz Earle company was given a bit of a hard time around changing the formula.

Possibly that's because they should have been more open when it happened and I think the approach in itself is was caused concern with loyal customers.

Hey ho, as I say I'm a fan now and so far I'm pleased and prefer the change to the formula, I might not say the same thing in a few weeks but I'm sticking with it for now. Someone also posted some really useful info on facebook around the Avon company and animal testing which I know had caused some worry when the sell out happened.
 

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