beauty

The $2.99 cult cleansing bar the internet is currently obsessed with again.

When it comes to beauty products that have achieved cult status, there are the usual pretty suspects that immediately spring to mind. Nars blush in ‘Orgasm’. Chanel No. 5. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. You get the idea.

A plain, fragrance-free cake of soap? It might sound like the ugly duckling of the beauty world, sure, but Neutrogena’s Hypoallergenic Cleansing Bar has earned its cult status fair and square.

After constantly hearing about this transparent, golden bar of soap’s magical ability to remove even the toughest of makeup from beauty bloggers and in forums and groups across the interwebs, I decided I needed to give it a shot.

After a day wearing a full face of makeup, I skipped my usual first cleanse with micellar water (I’m a double cleanse kind of girl) and just lathered up my face with the soap. Sceptical, I rinsed my mug and looked in the mirror. Aside from a little eye makeup residue, my face felt completely, down-to-my-very-pores clean. Definitely no need for a second cleanse. Not bad.

While my face did feel a little tight and squeaky immediately afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that, despite this, my skin didn’t feel stripped of all its moisture. Its formula (that’s remained the same for decades, FYI) is as simple and effective as its straight-up packaging.

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The hero ingredient? It’s glycerin, a hardworking humectant (AKA, a clever ingredient that restores hydration to your skin).

At a time when the cleanser market is practically bursting at the seams (hello cleansing oils, balms, gels, jellies, creams and liquids), a simple, old-fashioned bar of soap is kind of refreshing.

It doesn’t hurt that Jennifer Aniston has been a fan for decades either. The 48-year-old actor has referred to the little cake that could in numerous interviews over the years, telling Daily Mail in 2010: “I’ve been using it since high school… I wake up and wash my face with Neutrogena face soap.”

And it’s basically free, friends. You can grab it from your trusty Priceline store for $2.99.

Yep, I’m happy to report that a budget-friendly makeup-removing soap that actually works to replenish your skin does exist outside of your wildest beauty fantasies.

If it’s good enough for Jen, right?

Edwina Carr Barraclough is a Sydney-based beauty and lifestyle writer and social media and content strategist. You can see more from her on Instagram or Facebook.

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