Mary&May Gluconolactone + Betula Alba Juice Cleansing Pad - One-Step, PHA Low-Acidic Exfoliating Makeup Remover Pad for Clear, Hydrated Skin, 70 Sheets

New to the Mary&May brand, I wanted to give it a try. Over all, I am impressed, although I do find several of the products not to be as hydrating as I'd like. When I ordered this, I didn't realize it was actually a cleanser. One side is slightly textured, which means it's a light exfoliater. The other side is smooth. It delivers a light bit of suds and your face DOES need to be rinsed off after. This is going to be a great morning cleanser. I usually use micellar water in the AM, but will use these pads instead.

This sticky feel of this generous jar of cleansing pads is what I don't love. The lotion of this brand is also quite generous, and sticky but better. The moisture cream with blackberry is ultra-luxurious and the balance of sticky yet intensely moisturizing is a better balance. That one is worth it to me. The others mentioned here, including these cleansing pads have that texture that can be distracting, but firmness for sure, and good for an outing with full makeup, and finished by the blackberry cream, a good idea. The texture stays for hours. I have woken up in the morning and still moist, still somewhat tacky to feel. This speaks for the longevity of the results which in my opinion is rarely paralleled by other brands that I have tried (and I try a lot of expensive products). If you are medium to dry skin you might appreciate this more because te product doesn't soak in and leave you dry and dull. Also, the fine lines and wrinkles are not nearly as noticable while this product is on my face. There are lovely ingredients on this one as well, and there isn't a drying problem with oil being leeched out of my skin as I am still discouraging breakouts from acne (so it says on this large jar).The pads are soaked with this solution, and the irritation is not a problem; but I suppose if I have broken skin this might happen. I just do not see it at this point. This will rinse off but I might leasve it on; especially days when I put very little on my face. I say this because I would not layer three of these products on my face at once. I might add a moisturizer over this one, acting as though the residue form this one can be seen as a serum prior to moisture and makeup. Your makeup application might last longer with this product left on your face all day. So I will not wash off unless I want to use another product with these qualities.Overall this brand is a good value, keeing in mind that firmness is not a given with many other products. that claim to be. This one excels in my opinion, in that regard.This is a great gift idea. A person with combinaiton skin might really love these pads. Pair it with a moisture cream if you like.Enjoy!

Review of [Mary&May] Gluconolactone (PHA)+Betula Alba Juice Cleansing Pad 70EAI have slightly dry skin. These are very saturated large pads. They were fine at first, but after using a few days, they dried my face out. My niece lives with me, she has acne prone skin, and she likes these. I don't.

I love the size of the pad, not too thick but absolutely sufficient. Large container. No pad tongs, but I have so many already it's redundant. For reference from here: I have combo-sensitive skin, constantly struggle with my pores and dry patches. I can get irritated redness around my temples down to the sides of my cheeks near my ears, with patches on my cheeks. It's not severe or something others have noticed, but I know.Since using this product my pores are looking clearer, the dry sides of my face along my jawline feel hydrated. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin, or break me out.As a first-step makeup remover (as it seems touted here): Works pretty well for some makeup. Some foundations are easily removed, others (like MAC Face & Body) require more effort/pads. It helps to break up the product for the second step.As a mask: It's super hydrating, feels calming to my skin. Leaving it in the fridge and using over my nose it helped minimize my pores. Rinsing before other skincare steps before makeup was advantageous here, it didn't play well with other products and then throwing makeup into the mix.As an after-cleansing secondary cleaning step: It's great for the evening. Hydrating. Stays tacky. I don't like it under makeup used this way, so definitely part of a nighttime routine as AFTER cleanser cleanser. There are a lot of days where I don't wear makeup and using this before a cleanser seems like it might negate some of the skincare benefits of several of these ingredients.The listing shows fragrance, though the fragrance seems very light and natural. Not beauty product cloying. Hasn’t irritated my skin, but I’m not sure what the fragrance components are so your mileage may differ.I think in particular the Betula Alba (Birch) may be helping my dry spots. From Paula's Choice: "It is a good source of trace minerals like manganese as well as various amino acids, all of which make it a good natural hydrator for skin." Other resources cite it's anti-inflammatory, promotes circulation and can help against psoriasis. The product also contains allantoin, a soothing ingredient and a ton of humectants. This particular combo isn't something I would've normally gone for, but it's super hydrating, exfoliating and works well with my sensitive skin. I'll gladly keep this on hand for the fall/winter months.

My biggest issue with this product is the scent. Normally, I don't mind scented skincare products but, I did have issues this time because the scent was too powerful and not a pleasant smell. Also, I think this product was causing me breakouts because shortly after using it my skin started breaking out. Honestly, I don't recommend this product to people that have sensitive or acne-prone skin because it may cause breakouts.