Between med school, a part-time job, this blog, my family and friends, and my puppy (see below), I am always looking for shortcuts that don’t sacrifice quality.  That’s why I love new L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Wipes ($6.67, Amazon.com).  Replete with hydrating alcohol (that’s right, a hydrating alcohol!), glycerin, castor oil, dimethicone and a small amount of clarifying BHA, L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Wipes leave my normal-dry skin feeling hydrated and soft — not tacky or dry.

From ingredients alone, L’Oreal Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Wipes are hydrating.  Its inclusion of PEG 60 hydrogenated castor oil is naturally going to be a problem for those with a castor oil allergy (not altogether uncommon), as reported on extensively in the journal Contact Dermatitis.  Still, castor oil has been reported to have healing effects, such as in this 2003 review, in which a castor oil-based skin ointment was found to assist in the healing of skin donor grafts.  The other ingredients are mostly hydrating, like the widely used glycerin and the silicone-based dimethicone, while the BHA salicyclic acid cleanses and exfoliates the skin, and may help with the absorption of other beneficial ingredients applied later.

Who wouldn’t like Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Wipes ?  Judging from responses on my blog to parabens, there are a significant number of you who don’t want to use them, and this product contains more methylparaben than BHA.  In addition, those with dry skin may still require a moisturizer later, whereas those with oily skin may want a product with higher BHA.

I personally have started using Skin Genesis Wet Cleansing Wipes on really late nights, when I’m (gasp) too tired to wash my face.  On those nights, these are a lifesaver – one wipe and it’s lights out!     Is it ideal skin treatment?  No.  But for the busiest of days, these really can do the trick!  Product rating: 7/10.   (High concentration of effective ingredients: 1.5/3.  Unique formulation: 2/3.  Cost effectiveness: 2.5/3.  Sunscreen: 0/1). 

Ingredients:
Aqua/Water, Hexylene Glycol, Glycerin, PEG 60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG 20 Stearate, PEG 8 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Dimethicone, Parfum/Fragrance, Methylparaben, Silica, Poloxamer 184, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium EDTA, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Citric Acid, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Dihydrocholeth 30, Decyl Glucoside, FIL (B30196/1)

My puppy, Emmie:
Vital Stats
D.O.B.:  April 9, 2008 (seven months old)
Breed:  Yorkshire Terrier
Relationship Status:  It’s complicated