Review: HadaLabo TamagoHada Daily Foam Wash (cleanser)

I got this awhile ago when my face was exploding in acne. This one has two versions, a cleansing cream and a cleansing foam. I chose the cleansing foam mainly because I had oily/combination skin so I thought I would buy a foaming cleanser rather than a cream cleanser.

Description (taken from sasa.com):

• HadaLabo TAMAGOHADA Daily Foaming Wash is infused with some keratin softening agents like AHA and BHA, which help to remove blackheads and impurities inside pores. 
• It also improves dull skin tone and rough texture. 
• Weak acid, low irritation, no fragrance, oil and alcohol.
• Apply 2-3 pumps on face. Gently massage in circular motion. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

My impression:

HadaLabo is known for their inexpensive yet effective, low irritation products. I have much praise for their Shirojyun Arbutin Whitening line, especially the Hadalabo Shirojyun Arbutin Whitening Essence and Mask, which were highly effective at whitening my skin (I've tried Shiseido White Lucent which turned out to be a waste of money).

Unfortunately, this cleanser didn't do much for me. It was a very mild cleanser and it did not cause any irritation on my face, but I think it was a bit mild for me. One push gives you quite a bit of foam, and I don't think I even push all the way down. I pump until I get enough to spread all over my face. After washing, I didn't feel like my face got cleansed. I felt like I just splashed my face with water. I tried putting on more foam on my face, but there was only so much I could put on until it starts foaming over my nostrils and eye lids and I can't see or breathe. But even then, still, I didn't feel like my face was being cleansed very well.

I also didn't find that it cleansed my pores that well. Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam, which I'm using everyday in the morning, was much better in this regard. When I used Etude House Baking Powder Cleansing Foam Moist, I could see that my pores were smaller and they looked like "empty" little holes cleared of impurities if I put my face really close to the mirror. I didn't get the same visible results with this cleanser even though it said it's supposed to remove impurities inside pores.

I didn't see it improving my unhealthy yellow and dull skin tone nor my rough texture. This isn't surprising since it doesn't even have any exfoliating beads. Even if it contained a chemical peel component inside, the foam was so diluted, it wouldn't be very concentrated. In contrast, Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub Foam, which I have been using everyday since I first stumbled upon it, definitely improves my dull skin tone and rough texture.

It also didn't help with my blackheads. On a similar note, Skinfood Black Sugar Scrub Foam was a lot better at removing blackheads

So yeah.. as much as I love Hadalabo's whitening line, looks like this cleanser is a dud for me.

Summary:

Mild, diluted foamy cleanser
Didn't really leave my face feeling clean
Didn't improve my dull and rough skin tone
Didn't clean my pores or help my blackheads
$13 for 160ml on Sasa

Grade: 1/5 because it didn't do anything it promised to do...except the low irritation part

Value: 1/5 because you can get a decent cleanser like Etude House Baking Powder Cleansing Foam Moist for around the same price

Repurchase? No