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I rarely use bar soap anymore (except for hand washing), but the category has changed a lot in recent years. The drying, harsh soaps of the past have been replaced by gentle formulations. Plus, these often use less water and packaging than their liquid equivalents.
I’m currently enjoying (and almost out of) SOME BY MI Pure Vitamin C V10 Cleansing Bar, available on YesStyle (reward code KBHOBBIT), Amazon, Stylevana (code INF10KBH), and StyleKorean. Watch the unboxing video here.
This cleansing bar promises to gently remove impurities, brighten the skin, and even moisturize (in my opinion, moisturizing is a separate step and shouldn’t be expected from a cleanser). It uses grapeseed and rosehip oils, 15,000ppm vitamin C, and naturally derived surfactants.
How to use:
Lather in hands
Gently massage over the face and rinse
The bar can be used on the face and the body, and the brand even recommends breaking off small pieces and adding them to the bath to benefit the whole body. I tried that (if you try this - use a metal spoon to ladle off a small chunk) and it didn’t work really well - the pieces don’t dissolve easily and end up mostly sinking to the bottom. There may be a better way to do this, but I haven’t tried again.
Some By Mi cleansing bars are fairly soft and can be split into two parts. Use the first half and store the second one away from water to avoid wasting the product / having it dissolve too quickly. I was able to break the bar in two with just hands - it’s much softer than traditional soaps.
The bubbles are plentiful but not very thick. It’s a gentle foaming experience. I notice a light scent that doesn’t linger.
My impressions
I like this cleanser. I don’t want to refer to it as “soap”, because it’s very gentle and unlike any traditional soaps that I’ve tried. I have used it on the face with no issues, but I still prefer liquid formulas for that. However, it’s a wonderful body bar. Body cleansers are often a bit harsh, but Some By Mi does a great job washing off all the post-workout sweat without drying out the skin.
I am not sure that vitamin C is doing anything here - it’s on the skin for such a short time. I prefer to rely on leave-on products for antioxidant action, but it also doesn’t hurt to have it in the ingredients. I haven’t noticed any brightening effects or anything else beyond gentle cleansing (which is enough for me, that’s all I expect from a cleanser). It would have been cool if it worked to make a bubble bath, but it just didn’t for me. I would happily use this again - it’s a lovely product and can do double duty of face and body cleanser if you are a skincare minimalist.
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SOME BY MI Pure Vitamin C V10 Cleansing Bar ingredients: Glycerin, Water, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Coco-Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sucrose, Sorbitol, Decyl Glucoside, Ascorbic Acid (15,000ppm), Niacinamide (9,000ppm), Stearic Acid, Fragrance, Ilex Paraguariensis (Mate) Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract, Schisandra Chinensis (Schizandra Berry) Fruit Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Tocopherol (2,000ppm), Tocopheryl Acetate (2,000ppm), Capsicum Annuum Fruit Powder, Rosa Canina (Dog Rose) Fruit Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Fruit Powder, Riboflavin (500ppm), Calcium Pantothenate (500ppm), Inositol (500ppm), Folic Acid (200pm), Disodium EDTA, Biotin (50ppm), Cyanocobalamin (50ppm), Limonene, Linalool