For my trip to Europe this summer, I decided to save some of my toiletry packing headache and pack cleansing cloths instead of my normal cleanser. Target offered two brands in travel sizes: Dove Essential Nutrients Cleansing Cloths and Ponds Clean Sweep Clean Wet Cleaning Towelettes. I brought both on my trip, below is my review of each.
Dove Essential Nutrients Cleansing Cloths
These Dove cloths are different in one important way. Unlike most cleansing clothes they come dry, NOT pre-moistened. This is nice because you don't have to worry about them drying out, so if you use cleansing cloths infrequently, these are handy.
Lather: Add a bit of water and the Dove cloths will work up a really nice thick lather as you clean. I found this particularly nice on very hot sticky days when I just felt gross. Having this lather means you have to rinse your face after use, unlike many other cloths. So for camping and limited water situations, these may not be the best choice.
The Cloth: The weave on the cloth is much more open and rough than other cleansing cloths, so you get some exfoliation.
Removing Makeup: I found they could remove very basic makeup, but if I had eye primer (UDPP), liner, mascara and eyeshadow on, I had a hard time getting everything off cleanly. The lather makes it harder to avoid getting it in your eyes.
Dryness: I have combination skin but all cleansers always make my skin tight and dry after use. I've never met a cleanser that didn't; this is no exception.
Contacts: I had no issues using these while wearing contacts.
Overall: I think these are a great option when you want some good lather and don't have a lot of eye makeup on.
Ponds Clean Sweep Wet Cleansing Towelettes
Lather: There is none. This is a more traditional cleansing cloth: pre-moistened, soft weave, no need to rinse skin after use.
The Cloth: There is plenty of moisture in these cloths, so you should have no trouble getting the job done. The weave is tight and the cloths are soft with a nice refreshing scent.
Removing Makeup: These were far superior to the Dove cloths. I could get all my eye makeup and foundation off cleanly each time. That includes UDPP, UD 24-7 Eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, brow powder, etc. I always used these when I had more makeup on.
Dryness: These dried out my skin like every cleanser does. No worse or better.
Contacts: No issue using these with contacts. Using them precisely to remove eyeliner and mascara was no problem. I never got the cleanser in my eyes and it didn't irritate them.
Overall: I think this is a great product when you want a pre-moistened cloth that removes makeup well. They worked very well for me.
The Verdict: Each cleansing cloth works well for different purposes. Sometimes you want a rich, thick lather and exfoliation, so go with Dove. Other times you may just want to get the job done well and cleanly with no fuss, so go with Ponds.


Kanebo
Bric's
DSquared
Excellent review! Thanks for this - I will be taking a long trip this winter, and I think that taking cleansing cloths instead of a bottle of my cleanser is a great idea!
1Good review! I guess I would go with the Ponds just because you got your eye makeup off. Though I do love lather.
2Thanks MartiniLush! I wanted to try other brands, but didn't want to buy 50 cleansing cloths. Other stores may have other travel-sized options, let me know what you find!
3I will - I am going to start looking (and maybe trying some different brands out) this weekend!
4Hi Kiwitwist, I found I used both depending on the day and how I felt. Some days all I had on was mascara because it was hot as hell in Paris and I was on vacation, so who cares? Those days were Dove days. I have some left and find that I still do the same thing. This morning I was lazy but had no makeup on, so I used Dove. Some night when I get home late from going out and feel lazy, I'll probably use Ponds.
5sounds like something I would do too, switch
6This is how all reviews should be!! Fantastic job - thanks.
7I agree with Le Etiana.
8I have tried most all of the packaged facial cleaners and the one that I like the best makes my face feel clean, no residue, moist, and the price is reasonable would be Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes Night Calming
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