Like Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher Jane Tennison (sexier)… I’m taking on a cryptic challenge to uncover the secret behind The BIG Skincare Mystery. Unlike my Prime Suspect role model, they’ll be no dead bodies (only dead skin), and hopefully no issues with institutionalised sexism.
A suspect package containing an unbranded, unmarked bottle of lotion dropped through my letter box* yesterday morning with the curious label you see above attached. I shall call it… Exhibit A. A milky, pale green hue with a creamy formula that smells fresh and a little bit like cucumber(?). Curiouser and curiouser!
Let’s look at the evidence.
All I know about it (thanks to a purposefully vague press release) is that it’s a new multi-purpose daily cleanser which promises to tackle common skin issues like oiliness without leaving skin feeling tight or dehydrated. Well, it’s picked a tough tester here because my skin tightens at the mere sight of anything targeted toward oilier skins thanks to my typical combination/unbalanced skin type.
Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Betonite, Kaolin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Salicylic Acid, Xantham Gum, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Salicylate, Persea Gratissima Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, CI 77891, CI 42090, CI 19140
In my non-expert opinion, the ingredients suggest that it’s something we’ll find on the high street *strokes chin thoughtfully* and I see clay and salicylic acid to help degunk those pores. I’m told that it’s multi-use and as well as a daily face wash, it can be employed as a face mask up to 3x weekly, leaving on for up to three minutes before rinsing clear.
Dermatologist Susan Mayou from the Cadogan Clinic, London says: “When it comes to facial cleansing, many products, especialy thouse designed for problem skin, can cause drying if used every day. The impressive thing about this mystery new range is that each product has been specially balanced with ingredients that clear blemishes effectively but are also gentle enough to be used as part of an everyday cleansing regime”.
So.
Who wants to be Watson to my Sherlock? (I know, the comparisons are getting bolder)
If you want to join in with the fun, head over to the facebook page for The Big Skincare Mystery and request a mystery sample to try for yourself – by doing so, you also stand the chance at winning your share of £1000 in Topshop vouchers. The BIG reveal will take place on March 1st 2012. The game is afoot!
* press sample
Sounds like that Garnier Pure 3 in 1 wash/scrub/mask to me. Hope it’s good, I’ve been thinking about trying that one for a while now!
How intriguing! I’ve signed up for a sample… will be very interesting to see what it is!
Sorry if this appears twice, IE froze up.
Based on the image on the tag, I’d say it’s the new clearasil dailyclear vit and extracts wash. There is an image on the superdrug homepage for that has the same kind of raspberry, cranberry pic http://www.superdrug.com/
On the facebook page if you go to the terms and conditions it lists a company who’s employees are exempt from taking part – only skincare company I can see listed by that company is E45
Emmm am I taking this Sherlock stuff too seriously?? LOL
Irrespective of the product and how well it performs this is a masterstroke in PR terms, someone, somewhere deserves a very big bonus, I love it!
Ohhh curious!
It’s being run by Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare who make E45 and Clearasil. Interesting PR campaign, I’ve requested a sample via their FB page!
I didn’t realise there was institutionalised sexism in miss marple and murder she wrote. Please expand 🙂
Your post has intrigued me a lot and I want to know all about it now
love the simple packaging as it is, the colours, the ribbon everything.
*prays it’s not too expensive and goes to like the page on fbook*
liloo/@tsunimee xx
Sounds intriguing. I would stroke my chin, but I don’t want to know if there are any stray hairs a-lurking. I’ve requested a sample too x
What fun! I hope they do something like this in Australia! I love a bit of mystery. 🙂
Ooooooh, thanks for the heads-up. I’ve requested a sample. Love mystery trials.
I think I know what it is. I think it might be a clearasil product I tested for glamour a while back. I have requested a sample because I want to see if I am right or not without having to wait until March as I am an incredibly impatient person.
I wish I could request a sample but I’m in New Zealand at the moment and they seem to have blocked the facebook page link for viewers outside of the UK. My guess is Clearasil something or other and I’d be likely to try it based on a couple of blog posts I’ve read about it. The first being the one on Makeup Savvy. Please do mention when you find out what brand it is. I don’t suppose you want to tell me who the PR agency is handling this? I’d love to write and ask for a sample to try it myself. I’ll be back in the UK in early March.
Cheers,
[…] this post? The mystery brand conducted a huge facebook-driven campaign involving over 500,000 secret […]