REVIEW: BY WISHTREND Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash + comparison with other enzyme powders

Disclaimer: PR sample from Wishtrend, but all thoughts and opinions provided in this review are my own.

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If you aren’t familiar with Wishtrend, they are an online store with curated beauty brands that are less mainstream, and have been tried and tested for quality and efficacy, before they are brought to us the consumers. You can see through their Youtube channel (WISHTrendTV), the passion and knowledge they have for their products and how much they stand behind them.

Of course, most people probably know Wishtrend as their source for Klairs or Cosrx products, but they also have products under their own brand ‘By Wishtrend’. One of these which I will review today is the By Wishtrend Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash.

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WHAT IS IT?

This is basically a facial cleanser with gentle exfoliating properties, that comes in the form of a powder and is mixed with water to create a lather to apply on your skin.

Product claims:

• pH balanced so it does not compromise your skin barrier and prevents dryness
• Low-irritation suitable for sensitive skin types
• Cleans & purifies pores/blackheads
• Gently exfoliates away dead skin cells
• Has antioxidant effects which improves/clears skin troubles
• Keeps the skin hydrated

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INGREDIENTS:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Lysine HCL, Proline, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Acetyl Methionine, Theanine, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Sorbitol, Papain, Betaine, Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate

Green tea powder (Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder): I love drinking green tea for the health benefits but I also love having this ingredient in my skincare such as with one of my favourites: Innisfree Green Tea Sleeping Mask. Green tea is full of antioxidants, vitamins A, C & E, which help calm and relieve redness and skin irritation, slows down the ageing process and protects against UV damage.

Papain enzymes: papain is an enzyme found in fruit, and is increasingly popular in Asian skincare products because it provides mild, chemical exfoliation to clear away dead flaky skin and improve skin texture and clarity, without the harsh scrubbing effects of manual exfoliation. This makes it more suitable for all skin types from sensitive, troubled to dry.  Enzymes can also stimulate the blood flow in skin which activates collagen production, which in turn is an anti-ageing benefit.

Baking powder (Sodium bicarbonate): this is usually lauded in skincare for exfoliating, penetrating and deeply cleansing your pores and removing blackheads. It also has antibacterial properties which makes it good for acne-prone people.

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PACKAGING: 

I love the packaging for this product because it makes it very easy to use. It comes in a green lightweight plastic bottle which makes it so travel friendly and easy to carry around or travel with. (A bonus with having a powder cleanser is that it doesn’t count as part of your liquid travel restriction).

One thing I really appreciate about the bottle is the tightly sealed flip cap and the small hole for dispensing the powder so you can really control how much you need. With other enzyme powders I’ve used, it can get messy when the dispenser is too big and you end up pouring too much. Also, I’ve had trouble with the IOPE Enzyme Powder, where even though I’ve tried to be careful not to get water in the bottle, some has eventually got in and it makes the powder clump together and solidify. This one has remained dry and fresh because the hole is small enough to keep moisture out, yet doesn’t take forever to pour out your desired quantity.

Note: this bottle contains 70g of product, but the packaging is clearly a lot bigger than necessary so don’t worry if you receive this brand new and you find you only have half a bottle of powder. That is normal and you do have 70g of product.

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HOW/WHEN TO USE:

Pour an adequate amount into palm of your hand and add a couple drops of water and mix together to lather it up. It doesn’t get particularly foamy or dense but is a thin, watery lather. I typically massage the mixture between my palms for 5-10 seconds, to activate the enzymes and then massage over my face for about 30-60 seconds.

Regardless of your skin type, I wouldn’t recommend using this more than once a day otherwise you run the risk of overexfoliating and causing skin irritation (no matter how gentle it is, you don’t need that much exfoliation on a daily basis). I personally only use this in the evening as a second step cleanser after I have removed my makeup with an oil-based cleanser, which allows the enzyme powder wash to be as effective as it can when in direct contact with my bare skin. (You could also use this as your exfoliator after your 1st and 2nd step cleansing).

Depending on your skin type, this will determine how often you should/may want to use it. If you have normal / oily skin you could use it daily. If your skin is on the sensitive side, I would start with once or twice a week and maybe increase that if you wish, depending on how much your skin can handle. I currently have normal to dry/dehydrated skin at the moment since it’s winter in the UK and I prefer to use it 2/3x a week, although I have tried it everyday for 1 week straight.

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THOUGHTS:

I really enjoy using enzyme powders and this one is no exception. Firstly, it smells amazing. If you like the smell of Japanese matcha tea then you’ll enjoy this as it smells exactly of that. It doesn’t smell artificial or fake which I really appreciate; just natural and earthy and fresh.

I’ve been using this for the past couple months so I have a really good feel of this product and everytime I use it, I love how super soft it leaves my skin. I think it lives up to its claims because it does feel hydrating without leaving my skin dry and tight. My skin always feels clean and purified after use, it doesn’t cause any irritation and it does improve areas of flakiness when I’ve experienced patches of dry skin around my forehead/nose area.

I can’t comment on the effectiveness with blackheads as I don’t really have any, but I am prone to an oily t-zone and sometimes when my skin feels clogged and gunked up, this has been such a great exfoliator to eliminate the oil build up but doesn’t leave me too squeaky clean and dry in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do have two slight negatives about this product though. Firstly, what puts me off using this Enzyme Powder Wash on some lazy days is that it can be messy to work with. I’m not sure why since I haven’t had this problem with other enzyme powders I’ve used but this one never fails to run down my arms and and is really runny when I’m massaging it over my face. I’ve tried reducing the drops of water I add to the lather which helps a little, but it still is messier compared to a normal facial cleanser.

Also, this can be a little more abrasive than I’d like sometimes, especially if using it frequently. (Compared to the IOPE  Enzyme Powder  – which is much more gentle and the grains are finer). This is only initially for the first few seconds when I apply it onto my skin but as you work it in more, the grains do start to dissolve and feel smoother against your skin. It wasn’t really a problem for me until I started using it daily for a week and then started to feel it was just too much for my skin – which I don’t classify as sensitive. Once I dialled it back to a couple times a week it didn’t become much of a problem since I obviously relished the exfoliating effect more; but for an everyday cleanser, it was just a bit too exfoliating for my liking. (Then again, I’ve been using this in Winter and it might be a completely different story when my skin changes in the Summer and I may prefer using it more frequently).

Overall, the pros do outweight the small cons and I would repurchase this product in future because it smells great, has gentle exfoliating properties which makes my skin feel refreshed, soft and smooth and is pH balanced so my skin doesn’t feel stripped of moisture.

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Comparison with 3 other enzyme powders:

 

• Tatcha Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder – unlike the By Wishtrend Enzyme Powder, this one definitely shouldn’t be used everyday. It is the harshest out of all 4 and I would recommend using it 1/2x a week like you would any other exfoliator. This is my least favourite and I would not repurchase because it doesn’t make my skin feel particularly softer or smoother, was too drying and left me with that squeaky clean feeling I hate. It is however, the least scented as it contains no added fragrance. If your face is super oily, then you may appreciate it, but there are better options on the market without the high price point.
• IOPE Enzyme Treatment Wash – this is my favourite one to use daily because it is the most gentle/least abrasive on the skin and makes your skin feel clean and soft. The powder is very fine and smooth which makes it great for even sensitive skin but of course does not match the exfoliating benefits of the other three. It is suitable if you are just maintaining good skin and want to keep the build up of dead skin cells and flakiness at bay, but if you DO have flaky skin then the other 3 would do a better job. I also wish they would change the dispenser of the bottle because it’s hard to keep moisture out with the hole being so big, which is key to preserving enzyme powders.
• Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel – this one has the most expensive price point which means I generally avoid using it everyday because I don’t want to run out that quickly, but the powder is gentle and fine enough like the IOPE one that you can use it daily if you wish. However it also has the most long lasting benefits in terms of keeping my skin soft, smooth and hydrated so I don’t feel the need to use it more than once a week. The fragrance may be a big factor for you if you are sensitive to fragrance because this has the most overpowering perfumed fragrance out the bunch. I enjoy it and I’m used to the fact that most high-end brands do this to add to the luxurious experience, but not everyone will be able to tolerate this.

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To purchase the By Wishtrend Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash, you can find it on the Wishtrends website HERE.

Or alternatively, find special bundle deals on Wishtrend bestseller items here with FREE shipping.

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