[Review] - Hada Labo Gokujyun Foaming Face Wash 2016 and 2010 Version!

Hada Labo Showdown

It’s another comparison post! Been a while since I’ve done one of these. The last was my Mask Sheet Subscription Battle! (Read Here).

A foaming cleanser is one of the most important steps in your routine. There are four products which make up the foundation of a basic skincare routine and the foaming cleanser is one of them! 

Now my favourite is the Hada Labo Gokujyun Foaming Face Wash, and it’s a favourite among many of us Asian Beauty Addicts. So you can imagine the horror when we learnt that they had reformulated!! So many hearts stopped beating, we were taken to the edge of a cliff of trepidation. Would the new formulation maintain that all important low pH? Would it be as gentle and soft??

On my trip to Japan I picked up the newly formulated bottle, and I had enough left of my old one to compare the two. Try to keep your calm as I compare the two.

The Look

Now as you can see they both maintain the pump. Perfect for me and my rushed early mornings.

But the newer formulation is a lot sleeker and thinner. It’s like the old bottle went on one of those make over programmes. They’re both 160ml, and trust me on this, that seems to last forever.

The Ingredients

Old

Water, PEG-8, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, TEA-Cocoyl Alaninate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Methylparaben, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Starch Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Succinic Acid

New
Water, PEG-8, Butylene Glycol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, DEA, Peg-80 Sorbitan Laureate, Glycerin-Sorbitol, Sodium Taurine Cocoyl Methyltaurate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Petrolatum, Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Disodium EDTA, BHT Methylparaben

So there is a difference between the two, I’ve highlighted in bold what the new ingredients are.

The good news is that on CosDNA they both came up with minimal acne and irritant triggers. So on the face of it looks like the new formulation is just as gentle!

The pH

Get out the balloons! The new formulation is just as low as the first! I’ve put both pH sticks side by side so you can compare. Looks like the old formulation is a tad lower, but both are firmly in the low pH threshold.The old one is on the left, and the new one is on the right. Both have an approx. pH of 5.5.

The Scent

Both have a clean soap scent to them. I think the new one is slightly stronger, but that may also be because it’s newer.

The Cloud AKA Product

The below are with two pumps. I thought that was fair given my old bottle is on its last legs.

The old one has slightly more bubbles to it and holds it’s shape for longer.

The new one is smoother and slightly denser in texture.

Ability

Now usually I use this as a second cleanser, as I don’t find foam cleansers to be super effective at removing make up. However for visual effect I used them on make up.

The old one worked well, took about 20 seconds of massaging and a quick rinse of water and most the make up was gone. There was still a faint red from the lip stain.

The new one also did a good job! Completely removed the eyeliner and lipliner. There is, as you can see, some lip stain remaining.

Conclusions

I can breathe a sigh of relief. My all time favourite low pH self foaming cleanser is still up for the job! Even with a new refined packaging and formulation. My skin didn’t feel tight after using and it passed the all important pH test!

Where to Buy

Be careful not to buy the one with green on it. This is the Mentholatum version, and not the one reviewed here. The new formulation is just out in Japan. So you may receive the old formulation for a while.

Amazon - $11 Buy Here

Prices seem to fluctuate, you can find it on Ebay for about £8 but Amazon is reliable.

Amazon UK - £14 Buy Here