This time around, I am going to do a review on Cyleina Organic Soaps. I had been reading lots of raving comments about Cyleina Organic Soaps on the internet. Cyleina is a company based in the Philippines that produces organic soaps and selling them at a very reasonable price. There are quite a number of soaps to choose from and these soaps are hand made using organic and natural ingredients.
I purchased a few samples of soaps from a forumner in Lowyat Forum. The soaps that I tried were:
- Rice Bran : skin whitening and helps in treating skin problems
- Black Pearl : whitens skin, prevents appearance of wrinkles, blackheads and whiteheads
- Tomato : for oily skin with big pores and pimple-prone skin
- Strawberry : whitening, blemished & sun-burnt skin
- Chocolate milk : moisturizes skin, anti-aging
- Seaweed peppermint: nourishes dull skin and
improves oily skin, treats cellulite and minor skin imperfections
I received a free sample from the nice lady who sold me these soap samples which was:
- Glutamaxx : moisturizes and whitens skin, anti-aging
So here's my take on these soaps:
Black Pearl is one of the best selling soaps from Cyleina. It is made from the finest high grade quality of arbutin, collagen oil, and Vitamins C & E.The soap is said to performs best when used continually and is highly recommended for oily and acne prone skin.
Here's what the sample of the soap looked like:
A quarter of the original soap.
The texture of the soap is quite full and thick. The block of the sample soap weighed a little heavier than the other samples indicating the solidness of the soap. It lathered very well and the suds were easily rinsed off with water.
What I love most about this soap is the smell. It smelled so sweet and fresh with a little hint of licorice. The sweet scent is not overpowering but very relaxing. It also left a slight minty feeling on my skin after cleansing (I love it!). The effect of using the soap is that my skin felt fresh and very clean. The soap did not leave any sticky or tight feeling like some normal drug store cleanser do.
My verdict: Love the soap especially the smell and the minty & clean feeling it gave me but unfortunately it was not suitable for my face. I tried it a few times whilst having a large pimple but
it didn't shrink.. a few small pimple did appear though. I wasn't sure whether from the soap or
my hormones kicking its ugly head. I ended up using the soap for showering instead. Would I repurchase? Yes for the lovely smell and minty feeling it brings. :)
Chocolate Milk Soap
Chocolate Milk Soap is a luscious, creamy combination of dark chocolate, milk and subtle hint of vanilla. It is soft and nourishing to the skin.
I didn't get the chance to take a picture of the sample I received (so sorry guys) but here's what the soap looks like (picture taken from Cyleina official website):
Picture taken from Cyleina official website.
I didn't try to use this on my face because I intended to use it for showering upon purchase. The texure of the soap was not as thick and solid as Black Pearl. The chocolate and milk parts were separated into two sections. The soap lathered well and felt creamy on my skin. The soap can actually lathers up until the last tiniest sliver of it. Rinsing off the lather is a breeze just like the Black Pearl soap.
The soap had a nice blend of chocolatey scent with a little hint of vanilla. It gave a nice aromatic effect while showering (great for chocolate lovers!). I did notice a hint of an herbal smell (just a hint, not that strong) but couldn't place my finger on what it was. The downside is that the smell dissipated quite fast and didn't linger long after the skin had been toweled dry. The effect of using this soap is that my skin felt clean and there was no sticky residue.
My verdict: This is a nice soap for bathing especially if you are in the mood for something chocolatey and fun once in a while for a change.
Peppermint Seaweed
Peppermint Seaweed Soap is said to have deep penetrating and fat emulsifying properties which is great to treat cellulite and minor skin imperfections. Ding! Ding! Ding! The bells are ringing in my head asking, 'Is it great for slimming as well?'. Hehehe.. The soap is also said to be the easiest way to a softer, firmer and healthier looking body. It also nourishes dull skin and improves oily skin. The soap contains peppermint oil which contains menthol which has a cooling effect (my weakness.. minty stuff!)
Here's what sample of Peppermint Seaweed Soap looked like:
Unopened package of Peppermint Seaweed Soap sample.
The soap sample . Please make me slimmer!
The soap was thicker in texture and felt more solid if compared to the Chocolate Milk soap. This soap also lathered very well and could easily be rinsed of without leaving any sticky residue behind.
Lathering the soap gave me a minty and sweet aroma. There was also a whiff of peppermint scent which is relaxing and calming. Hmmm... love those minty smell! The herbal scent I detected in Chocolate Milk soap was here as well. I guess it is the base scent of all Cyleina Organic Soaps. There was a slight minty feeling whilst using the soap but it is so slight, you can barely notice it. The minty and sweet scent lingered a little bit longer on skin after showering.
My verdict: The soap gave me a nice minty feeling while bathing and I enjoyed it! It also doesn't leave any sticky feeling and it rinses off very well just like the Chocolate Milk soap. I didn't notice any slimming effect because the soap was just in a sample size but my skin felt fresh and clean afterwards. Love it just for the mintiness.
Glutamaxxx Soap
Glutamaxxx Soap is said to be the ultimate skin whitening soap because of the powerful triple blend of Glutathione, Alpha Arbutin and Claire Blanche which provides intense skin whitening action. The soap is great for moisturizing and whitening especially for underarms and dark spots. It also contains Grapeseed Extract which acts as and anti-oxidant making the soap safe and gentle to the skin.
Here's what the soap sample looked like:
An unopened package of Glutamaxxx Soap sample.
The soap sample. Yes, it was cut into a very generous size. Thanks to mamaumar!
The texture of the soap was somewhere in between Chocolate Milk and Peppermint Seaweed soaps. The feel of the texture is a little bit similar to Chocolate Vanilla. It lathered very well but the suds were slightly harder (not too hard, just slightly) to rinse off when compared to Peppermint Seaweed.
This soap was also used for showering by me. The soap smelled of mild powdery floral scent with a hint of the subtle herb (just like the other Cyleina soaps I've tried). It smelled nicer and more softer after the suds had been rinsed off and a nice soft smell lingered on my skin for some time. The herbal smell didn't register after showering. I guess it just kicks off while the soap is being used. Even though it was quite harder (but not that hard) to rinse off, my skin is left feeling moisturized and clean without the feeling of stickiness.
My verdict: This soap is great for those wanting a skin moisturizing soap. I didn't notice the whitening effect though because it was in sample size (but a few people did comment on my fair skin at that time.. hehe). Same like Chocolate Milk, the soap can be used to the last sliver (very economical, I tell you). Would I purchase again? Maybe not because I tend to stay away from powdery and floral smell. But it is a good bar of soap, no kidding.
Tomato Soap
The Tomato Soap is said to be great in countering oily skin. It deeply cleanses and tightens pores. The soap is made from red and ripe organically grown tomatoes. It contains Alpha-Hydroxy Acids derived from tomatoes which helps get rid of pimples and acne through its gentle exfoliating action. The soap also contains lycopene (found in tomatoes) which helps counter aging skin effects. Continuous usage of this soap will result in getting your cheeks a rosy hue and your body a fair glow.
Here's what the soap sample looked like:
An unopened package of Tomato soap sample.
The cubic soap sample ready to be tested.
Since the soap's main purpose it to combat oily skin, I couldn't wait to test it with my face. The texture of the soap was thick. It felt very block-ish and sturdy in my hands. The soap lathered easily and the foam was rich and creamy giving a hint of a pinkish tint. Very cute! The suds was a little bit harder to rinse off my face if compared to the Black Pearl soap.
The slight pinkish hue is not that visible in this pic but trust me, it's there and it's very cute!
The Tomato soap smelled slightly sweet, very subtle and was not overpowering at all. The subtle sweet aroma was nice while I was massaging the lather on my face. My skin felt very clean and there was no tight feeling after cleansing. There was also no sticky or soapy feeling left on skin after the suds had been rinsed off. My skin did stay matted for a longer period after cleansing.
My verdict: With all the natural goodness and the great effects the soap has to offer, I really wanted this soap to be suitable for me but alas! After a few tries, I found that small pimples did appear and I was afraid that the soap wasn't suitable for my skin. There is indeed a little bit of micro peeling but not too obvious so I concluded that the gentle exfoliating properties in the soap works. I ended up using this soap for bathing which gave me a nice clean feeling. Maybe I'll try again using the soap for my face in another round of sample sprees.
Rice Bran Soap
The Rice Bran soap is said to be great in dissolving dead skin cells and fight blemishes while retaining moisture in our skin. Rice Bran is a great source of vitamin E complex, antioxidants and other micro-nutrients which can help fight free radicals and combat the effects of aging. Many beauty buffs reviewed this soap to be a good facial scrubbing soap and is great for treating problematic skin.
Here's what the soap sample looked like:
An unopened Rice Bran soap sample.
A block of Rice Bran soap sample.
The texture of the soap was the same as Peppermint Seaweed soap. It lathers very well and the suds are thick and creamy. It was also easy to rinse off and left a nice clean feeling to the skin without being sticky. My skin felt a little tight after cleansing but not too much. There was a subtle shine after skin had dried and it reminded me of the same effect of Mior soap (which led to my problematic skin! noooo!). Maybe the shine was from the scrubbing effect of the soap. I had a couple of blemishes developing and I'll see what the soap can do to it. The suds had the same thickness and the amount of effort needed for rinsing off is also the same like the Tomato soap.
The soap had this nice and sweet smell which was very pleasant. Unfortunately, unlike the other soaps, when lathered up, I couldn't smell anything at all. It really came out scentless. The same goes as I rubbed my face with the suds. So I concluded that the soap really just smelled a little bit sweet by itself but when used, it was more unscented than being a scented soap.
My verdict: For my seasonally problematic skin, I really wanted this soap to suit me but unfortunately it didn't. It made a great showering soap though.
Strawberry Soap
The
Strawberry soap is a scrub bar made from Baguio strawberries which are
packed with vitamin C. It contains anthocyanins which is a powerful
antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. Strawberries is
also great in staving off wrinkles and helping us keeping our skin plump
and healthy. The soap is sprinkled with poppy seeds for added
exfoliation. It is said to be great for sloughing sun burnt skin and for
fast skin whitening.
Here's what the soap sample looked like:
An unopened Strawberry soap sample.
The texture of the soap was the same as the Rice Bran soap. It has the cutest pink colour to the soap and there was some black dots embedded inside of it. I am told that those black dots are the poppy seeds which atcs as the exfoliator.
The small black dots are the poppy seeds.
The soap smelled very faintly of strawberries. I do mean very faintly
because I had to put the block of soap to my nose to get the smell. The
soap lathered very well giving out a rich and creamy foam just like the
other Cyleina soaps but there was no pinkish hue to the suds like the
Tomato soap. When lathered up, the strawberry scent was still very
faint, almost hard to be detected. Washing off the foam was very easy
too and it didn't leave any sticky or tight feeling on my skin.
My verdict: I liked the clean feeling the soap left on my skin after cleansing my face with it. Unfortunately for me, I found that it wasn't suitable for my face (again!) because small rashes began sprouting on my forehead. I did try again a couple of times and I found the beginnings of acne started developing so I had to stop using the soap on my face. I guess the soap is going to join the others in becoming a showering soap as well.
My total verdict on all soaps: It's official! None of these soaps are suitable for me to use as a facial cleanser. Some of them even gave me blemishes. Huhu.. In my opinion, Cyleina Organic Soaps are great and they are highly affordable (around RM15-20 per bar depending on the seller). It could save a bundle if compared to buying tubed-form of drugstore brands cleansers because a bar of soap can be last for a long time. Sadly, in my case, these soaps were more suitable for showering purposes. These soaps are made from organic ingredients so they don't have that shape staying power like usual soaps do. Most of them turned very soft if not dried properly after each use. A soap dish with draining properties is a great investment to keep these type of soaps dry to prolong the soaps' lifespan. Cutting the soaps into the sample sizes also can help. All in all, I might repurchase some of the soaps just for fun in using them in the shower.
