OSEA Ocean Cleanser Purifying Face Wash

Most Helpful Positive Review

Manna from heaven

First off, let me give you some background on my skin. I'm 33 and have been dealing with acne for TWENTY YEARS. It started in my early teens, got progressively worse through middle and high school, cleared up a bit in college (thanks, birth control!), but then stayed at a pretty solid 'meh' level th...ereafter. I finally went to a dermatologist a few years ago and have been using two prescriptions, one oral and one topical, since then. The prescriptions have really helped to clear my big, painful, cystic, deep, hormonal acne, but I have still been dealing with lots of clogged pores / blackheads, medium-sized breakouts here and there, and even the occasional mega-zit. Added to all of this is the fact that I'm starting to see signs of aging in my skin, and all those years of acne have left me with enlarged pores, uneven color / texture, and areas of deep hyperpigmentation. About a month ago I received my regular shipment of Ritual vitamins (yes, I am a millennial) and found a coupon code for OSEA inside. I had never heard of them before but had been wanting to find a nicer face wash. I had been using CeraVe Facial Cleanser on my dermatologist's instructions, but even after trying the 'Hydrating' version I always came away feeling like my skin was both too dry and also not deeply cleansed. When I saw the OSEA coupon, I figured I'd take the skin quiz and give their products a try. I ordered the Ocean Cleanser and White Algae mask and the box arrived at a perfect time: I had just returned from a backpacking trip in a very dry, dusty, windy area. My skin was filthy, lightly sunburned, and parched with patchy areas of flaky dryness. That night I used the Ocean Cleanser for the first time and noticed right away that it was not irritating my skin AT ALL. Not my eye area, not the sunburn, not the raw and flaky spots. That in and of itself blew me away. The fact that the cleanser also smells like lime lollipops was an unexpected perk. After cleansing I could definitely tell that my skin was really, truly, actually clean. Not stripped, not any drier than it had been before ... just CLEAN. I decided to try the White Algae mask, too, and left it on overnight. When I woke up the next morning I could hardly believe my eyes: my skin looked as if it had been healing from the hiking damage for a week, not one night. The dry patches were already more balanced, the sunburn hadn't even had a chance to get dry and flaky, and the little crops of almost-zits that looked like they were ready to pop up were soothed and quieted. It's been about a week and a half since I got back from that trip and I've been using the cleanser twice a day, and the mask as an overnight treatment every other day. Every morning when I wake up my mind is blown by how soft, balanced, and glowing my skin looks and feels. I really put the products to the test a few nights ago when I went on an anxiety-fueled squeeze and pick session. It's a horrible compulsion that I've tried hard to break, but when life is as weird as it is right now I can't help myself! And I'm truly the worst about it: I could spend hours in the mirror squeezing gunk out of my skin if it weren't for my husband (who knows what I'm up to) knocking insistently on the bathroom door after about 45 minutes. So anyway, I really did a number on my face the other night and it looked terrible ... red, blotchy, just really, really angry (anyone who picks will know what I'm talking about). Per usual I was completely ashamed afterwards and did the hastiest version of my nighttime routine just so I could go to bed and not think about it anymore. I literally used just the cleanser and the mask, and none of my other usual products. I fully expected to wake up the next morning with a horrible face of redness and new zits. It's what happens every time I pick, after all. The next day I wiped the mask off my face to see that all the areas I had been squeezing and picking at were ... mostly fine. Of course there was SOME irritation, but nothing at all like what I had every right to expect after the torment I put my skin through the night before. Two days after the fact, and it's almost like I never picked at all. That heap of horrible, scabby, disgusting zits I should have gotten? They never showed up. Long story short; I am completely in love with both the Ocean Cleanser and White Algae mask. Even though these products are very much outside of my usual price range, I know that I'll be reordering both of them (and hopefully trying some new OSEA products, too) because I cannot get over the difference they have made in my skin in less than TWO WEEKS. I'm so excited to see what my face looks like once I've used a full round of these products. Thank you, OSEA! And please never change the Ocean Cleanser scent! ;)