Mentholatum Acnes Creamy Wash

Mentholatum

I tried Mentholatum Acnes Creamy Wash, after a colleague introduced me. It is a relatively affordable product (about $6.90) which can be bought easily in Watsons, Guardian and supermarkets, etc. There are a few types of products which Mentholatum offers, of which the creamy wash is the most popular. Mentholatum Company is founded in 1889 by Albert Alexander Hyde, an American who developed non-prescription health care products. The company was then acquired by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co, a Japanese health care company in 1988.

One will not missed this on the shelves. There is usually some marketing material that indicates the product as "#1 in Japan for daily pimple prevention". There is a little maid logo which is very representative of the brand. On its packaging, it states that it prevents pimples by the following properties:

1. Anti-bacterial: Contains isopropyl methylphenol (o-cymen-5-ol) which penetrates deep into pores to fight against bacteria and prevent pimples.

2. Soothing: Helps sooth redness and skin irritation. Prevents aggravation of pimples.

3. Deep Cleansing: Helps unclogs pores and reduce blemishes by deeply cleansing to remove dirt, oil, impurities and excess sebum.

4. Moisture retention: Contains Vitamin C with moisture retention benefits

5. Anti-oxidation: Contains Vitamin E, an effective anti-oxidant to keep the elasticity of skin

This product is quite good in cleansing. It is able to provide lots of foam by squeezing just a small amount and mixing with water. It is able to remove oil effectively and the face will feel a little tightened after the wash. There may be a stingy feeling when you start to apply any lotion on top of the face after the wash. It may not be suitable for very sensitive dry skin. Lots of moisturizer must be applied after the use of this wash. This is to prevent the skin from becoming too dry. When the skin is too dry, the skin will tend to secrete more oil which will eventually clog the pores again. 

After a few washes (one week), I could feel my pimples are more in controlled and some milder pimples started to dry up and disappear. However, the nodules and cysts remained. Although the creamy wash was not able to remove the nodules and cysts, they did not grow bigger. They are somewhat under control. 

I would recommend this product to those who have slight oily skin. Personally, I think it is very value for money. However, one should not use this product everyday. It tends to dry the skin and will require moisturizer immediately after every wash. Without moisturizer, my skin starts to tighten and will feel uncomfortable, as if it will crack open.

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Follow-up on the above posting:
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I have used it once in a while for a couple of weeks and due to the dryness effect, I have stopped using it for my face. It is a quick cheap product for an immediate effect. However, it is not a long term solution for consumers suffering rosacea.