Most beauty regimens prescribe washing your face twice a day, but not the newly-launched Sophyto skin care line. The products in this UK company’s petrochemical and paraben-free line all have instructions for use that don’t involve any water.

I found that weird. Especially because the Sophyto product that would basically take the place of water — Purify & Energise Super Bioactive — costs $35 per 250 ml bottle.

To be fair, you don’t HAVE to buy the Super Bioactive. That product’s description says this: “If the water in your area contains high levels of chlorine, or other impurities, use Super Bioactive in its place. Chlorine plays havoc with our skin because it causes oxidative damage and chemically bonds with the protein in our bodies, which disrupts the skins natural protective barrier.” That seems to imply that just washing your face with water’s fine in most places in the U.S.

Yet the instructions for Sophyto’s cleansers all instruct you to use cotton pads soaked in the Super Bioactive to wipe off the cleanser. The option of simply washing off the cleanser with water isn’t mentioned at all.

Weird, isn’t it?

Still, I tried out Sophyto with an open mind — mainly due to the company’s seeming green heart. The entire line contains an average of 95% certified organic ingredients and really is free of strange petrochemicals — and has the stringent certifications to prove that.

Unfortunately, Sophyto didn’t grown on me.

First of all, this waterless cleansing thing isn’t actually very cleansing, IMHO. I tried to follow the instructions for the beauty regimen as closely as possible, first applying the Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser with a cotton ball to remove my makeup, then taking off the cleanser with the Super Bioactive with more cotton balls. Four cotton balls later, my face felt slightly greasy and just not quite clean. I ended up splashing my face with water to really cleanse it — and found that indeed some of my makeup was still on my face, because it came out in the water.

I tried the waterless thing again that night using a stronger cleanser — Purifying Active Mask — which also was supposed to be removed with the Super Bioactive. Again, my face felt greasy, and I ended up washing my face.

It may simply be that I’m set in my ways. I don’t use those toners that seem so harsh as to strip the skin, but I guess I expect a mild cleanser to take all the makeup and the grit of the day off. But perhaps others like what I’m going to call the cast iron skillet method of skin care. That regimen might be a less rigorous cleanse that leaves a lil extra greasiness behind.

I could see an argument for this method. Some might say it doesn’t make sense to take all facial oils off then reapply some oils via moisturizer each day. But IMHO, this method doesn’t work for those who wear makeup and want to get that stuff off before bed.

And Sophyto certainly doesn’t cut back on the moisturizers for the not-totally de-oiled face. Post-”cleanse,” I was instructed to put on Polyphenol Skin Drops — basically a mild moisturizer — before Skin Energizing High Potency Concentrate — which appears to be another moisturizer — before a Normalising Day Face Moisturizer. Three moisturizers? Seriously?

The High Potency Concentrate wasn’t included in my samples, so I went directly from the Skin Drops to the Moisturizer — to find that because my face was already moisturized enough by the Skin Drops, the Moisturizer wouldn’t absorb. At this point I was afraid all this moisturizing would make me break out, so I wiped off some of the Moisturizer.

So again, my review’s biased. I’m not of the cast-iron skillet school of face cleansing, and I generally use just one v. light moisturizer. If you ARE of the cast-iron skillet school and DO like heavy moisturizing, then Sophyto might be for you.

But what really, really did not work for me with Sophyto is the amount of waste created by its recommended regimen. In addition to the cotton balls, the Polyphenol Skin Drops and Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate both come in “monodose” — or 5 mL — single-use packaging. If you followed the instructions as given, you’d have a small mound of cotton balls and two empty plastic canisters every time you cleansed your face.

And considering the fact that a $95 box of Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate contains just 15 monodoses, I can’t afford it. Especially not on top of $75 for a 15-monodose box of Skin Drops. I’ve actually been buying fairly high-end skin care products lately, but dude — this is just crazy. According to Talking Makeup, Sophyto’s being used by “trend gurus” A-list celeb clientele. They, I’m sure, could afford this — but not I.

Of course, you could just not follow the instructions and make Sophyto better fit both your beauty routine and your budget. You could forgo the cotton balls and use the Cleanser with water, then just pick one moisturizer of your choice. This seems to be what Cybele of CybeleSays did. Her review’s much more positive than mine.

But I guess I’m turned off by the fact that this green company — with honest-to-goodness v. green products — recommends such an over the top regimen that’d make both you and the environment pay so dearly. Plus, the only product I was really impressed with was the Polyphenol Skin Drops, because it was nice and light and had this sweet, honey scent. But I’m not going to buy moisturizer in single-use plastic packs.

Think I’m being too harsh? Try ‘em yourself and lemme know what you think. One lucky reader can win a Sample Kit of the 5 Sophyto products that I tried. To get it, leave a comment or email me by Thursday night and I’ll put you in the Friday drawing.

View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge

[crossposted on BlogHer]

Update, 6/3/08: Here’s reader Judy’s more positive review.

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