Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser

My old favorite cleanser was Floral Cleansing Jelly, part of L'Occitane's honey line. Unfortunately for me, they discontinued the honey products, so I was forced to search for a new facial cleanser for my dry, sensitive, aging skin (ladies, your skin starts aging the day you're born, and it doesn't stop until you die). Eventually I found my perfect cleanser: Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser.

There are a few things I look for in skin care products. They need to have as many natural ingredients as possible (bearing in mind that "natural" doesn't always mean "good"); they can't have alcohol, because it dries my skin; they can't have been tested on animals or contain anything from animals; and they need to actually do what they say they'll do. That's not always easy, but, lacking a good department store, I often turn to Sephora.com to find the right fit.

Sephora gives some of the many, many products they sell their own Natural Seal; the products that get it must meet Sephora's internal "natural" standards. They should contain botanicals, essential oils, antioxidants, fruit extracts, marine bioactives, and minerals (but not all of those things!), and they shouldn't contain, or shouldn't have much, GMO (genetically modified organisms), parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, or triclosan (a nasty chemical). This makes it easier to find what I want, and all of Caudalie's products have that Sephora Natural Seal.

If you've never heard of Caudalie (and I hadn't until I went shopping on Sephora.com), it's a French company that started in the summer of 1993 when the founders, Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas were working in her family's vineyards. There they met Dr. Vercauteron, a leading expert on grape polyphenols. (natural plant compounds that act as antioxidants and have health benefits). With his help, the Thomases started the first vinotherapy skincare line. Dr. Vercauteron and Caudalie patented stabilized grapeseed polyphenols (polyphenols must be stabilized to be combined with other ingredients) and the rest is history. The company remains on the cutting edge of natural and antioxidant skincare. The name, Caudalie, is a French wine-making word that measures the length of time the many flavors in a sip of wine linger on your tastebuds; more caudalies means a better wine.

Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser is a liquid that foams when you pump it onto your hand. Just wet your face, put one pump of foam on your hand, apply it to your skin, and rinse it off. Your skin will feel clean and fresh, but not dry or tight. The antioxidants help fight off the signs of aging, and the botanicals in the product (grape fruit water, sage leaf extract, Citronellol are just a few) restore your skin's radiance and keep it hydrated. The 5 oz. size costs $26 (and lasts at least two months, used twice daily), and the 1.6 oz. size is $12. Spendy? Yes, compared to drugstore brands. But I only have one skin, and I want to keep it healthy. Caudalie does that for me.

(Sources: http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml;jsessionid=MBRRNMPJECFQOCV0KQLRHOQ?brandId=Caudalie , http://www.sephora.com/browse/brand_hierarchy.jhtml?brandId=Caudalie&contentId=C11476 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P12978&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=4171 , http://www.sephora.com/browse/templates/popNatural.jhtml)