This year Lush have just opened their first UK packaging free store which is rather impressive. They have also released a rather large packaging free skincare range which feature cleansers, facial oils and even an eye mask. In this release there was one product which really sparked my interest, The 7 to 3 cleaning wipe. This face wipe is designed to be reusable, biodegradable and of course packaging free. As this product sounded very impressive and if it worked as well as I hoped it would, it could see a reduce in the amount of face wipes and cotton wool that I used on a daily basis.

The one thing that concerned me a little was the lack of packaging. Although the concept is extremely clever in practise I so far have found a huge amount of the packaging free items a little impractical especially when it comes to travelling and wanting to take a product with me.

The 7-3 cleansing wipe is roughly the size of a cotton wool pad and has a very gentle natural scent. The wipe contains the much loved 9-5 cleansing cream which was one of the first every skincare products that I tried from Lush many years ago. The cleanser is very gentle and suitable for both cleansing your skin and removing your make up.

To use 7-3 cleansing wipe the website says splash your face with water, wet one side of the wipe and glide over your face. When I first used the wipe I was quite weary about how wet I made the product as I didn’t want it falling apart on me. I however soon found that it did require a reasonable amount of water in order to active the cleaning cream. I then found that the wipe quickly turned quite slimey and it was rather difficult to use without it slipping everywhere. Once I had mastered holding onto the wipe it was reasonably easy to use.

I used my 7-3 cleansing wipe on a day I had a small amount of make up on. It did remove my make up but this residue was then left of the wipe. The Lush website states after use to rinse the wipe and then leave to dry and to use within a week. but I’m not sure how hygienic this actually is?? With a face wipe or cotton wool it is only used once meaning no spread of bacteria also if I use a facial cloth I would also wash this after each day again to stop bacteria. So I’m not sure how hygienic this product is even if it is rinsed out! I have seen a few lushies mention that the product could be cut up into quarters which could be a much more hygienic way to use the product.

Having a product that is designed to be within a week does then make this product less cost effective than say a packet of face wipes. The cleansing wipe does only cost £2 but I can pick up a packet of wipes for £1 which would last a lot longer than a week.

After using the product my face did feel very clean and very soft. I love the 7-3 cleansing wipe as a cleaning product. I was also very impressed at how well it did remove my make up. I love the gentle scent which is very natural and not at all overpowering.

Overall although the 7-3 cleaning wipe does work as a product, I do have a few issues and concerns about the product such as hygiene and price that would stop me from buying it again. I also do feel that it is a little bit gimmicky and although brilliant in theory I don’t feel it is the greatest product once in use. I do feel that it would be just as easy to use a cleanser and a reusable face cloth in place of face wipes or cotton wool. It would brilliant if Lush could release a range of face cloths and reusable muslin cloths which could then be used with their solid cleansers.

RATING: 2/5

PRICE: £2.00 (2019 price)

INGREDIENTS: fresh dove orchid infusion, talc, glycerine, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, propylene glycol, Ground Cannellini Beans, carrageenan extract, Everlasting Flower Absolute, ylang ylang oil, alpha-isomethyl ionone, amyl cinnamal, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, butylphenyl methylpropional, cinnamyl alchol, citronellol, geraniol, hydroxycitronellal, linalool, perfume

Please contact lush for a full, accurate and upto date ingredients list.

www.lush.com