It's sold million of bottles, it has rave reviews.....I had to try this! It really is the definition of a 'Deep Clean' face wash (step 1 of the 9 step Japanese skin care regime)! I purchased DHC Deep Cleansing Oil from Amazon, for 1700 yen, and gave it a good run for its money by using it when I had on 2 day old super waterproof mascara (don't judge......it was part of a makeup experiment;)....more on that in a forthcoming post).
I applied it to my dry face and massaged it into the skin, and then I rinsed it with water which makes it emulsify into a cleansing milk.
My skin felt impeccably clean! So much so, I swear all my pores had been thoroughly cleaned out and were therefore that much more visible after (I can see why a lotion/toner would be appropriate at this stage of the process). My skin wasn't overly dry after, but definitely in need of some moisturizer.
Did it completely all of my waterproof mascara? - No. But it did a damn side better than my current face wash could do. Considering that it's paraben and phthalates free, and the main ingredient of olive oil is an antioxidant - it's a winner for sure. I'm not sure if I would use it everyday but for a skin 'spring clean' type of cleanser it's more than perfect. With that said, I have visions of a melting, muggy and monsterously hot day in August in Japan and definitely needing to wash my face with this daily both morning and night - I know my expat crew will know what I mean......!