The French cleanser you need to try – A Collosol review

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A Collosol review. Is this weird milk cleanser the ultimate French pharmacy essential?

There are a few skincare products that are really synonymous with French pharmacies – cult products like the Bioderma Micellar Water, Biafine ACT and Homeoplasmine are what comes to mind…

If like us, you are also obsessed with French skincare products, you may have heard of the Collosol Eau de Lait Water Milk Velvety Cleanser.

You may also know it as the weird milk that Karl Largerfield bathed in daily. From his interview with Elle, he said he added a whole bottle of Collosol to his baths and is his secret (or not-so-secret anymore) to good skin!

Collosol is a milky no-rinse cleanser that’s made up of a blend of glycerin and hydrating oils (as well as a fair bit of fragrance, which may be an immediate turn-off to some, but it hasn’t irritated my skin).

If you’ve used the Laneige Cream Skin Refiner, you’ll probably find this product pretty similar.

Collosol is a makeup-removing cleanser. However, it definitely won’t take the place of your cleansing balm or oil. It works best as a post-cleansing/toner step that smoothes and moisturises the skin.

If you’re interested in knowing more, keep on reading for my Collosol review so you can decide if this will be the next addition to your skincare routine.

What the Collosol Eau de Lait claims to do

Gently cleanses and removes makeup. Leaves the skin smooth and velvety.

Fluid as clear water and white as milk, Collosol Eau de Lait has a texture like no other. Designed in Paris in the 1950s, this secret has jealously been transmitted from mother to daughters. It’s refreshing and delicate scent and its cleansing character made it a jewel of the French bathroom.

How to use the Collosol Eau de Lait

Collosol is a cleanser but it’s not something that’s going to be able to remove all of your makeup – unless you’re having a really minimal no-makeup day.

We find that it’s perfect to use after cleansing in the morning as it preps the skin for all of the products you’ll be putting on top of it.

To use this, just pour it onto a reusable cotton pad and swipe it across your face. You can also just pour it into your hands and pat it in if you don’t use cotton pads.

This is a no-rinse cleanser too, so you don’t need to worry about washing it off afterwards.

Who’s it targeted towards?

There isn’t really a particular skin type that would love Collosol more than any other. If anything, it’s probably more geared towards dry skin – but you can use it no matter your skin type.

It gives the hydration that dryer skin types would enjoy but also smoothes and tightens – something people with oily skin would also love.

So really, this product is for everyone who wants better-looking skin.

Ingredients

Aqua (Water), Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Olus (Vegetable) Oil, Glycerin, Lauryl Glucoside, Polyglyceryl-2,Dipolyhydroxystearate, Parfum (Fragrance), Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Acrylates/Beheneth-25 ,Methacrylate Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glyceryl Oleate, Colophonium.

Price and availability

This product is quite easily available in French pharmacies, but if you’re based in the US your options are a little more limited.

We’ve found that the best place to purchase Collosol from is C.O Bigelow. It starts at 3.4 fl. oz for 100ml, which won’t last you too long if you are using it frequently — but would be a good way to figure out if you like the product before committing to a larger size.

We’d suggest going straight for the 8.5 fl. oz bottle, which comes in at $22. It’s a good size for keeping your bathroom and will last you for ages.

Texture

Collosol has a really unique texture, it’s really thin and milky but feels creamy and velvety at the same time.

To be specific, Collosol uses a micro-emulsion texture. This is where small oil particles are suspended in oil which allows the texture to be really thin, but really hydrating.

If you have dry skin that craves a bit of additional moisture, we think you’re going to love this product. It gives that extra layer of hydration without feeling heavy and sticky – what more could you want?

Effectiveness

If you are looking for a product to add to your morning skincare routine to make your skin feel smoother, softer, and plumper, you can’t go wrong with this French staple product.

It helps to create a flawless base for makeup and works beautifully with all of our other skincare products. When used frequently, you’ll notice an immediate difference in your skin that improves over time. Skin will look blurred and velvety – doesn’t that sound perfect?

Final thoughts for this Collosol review

To finish off this Collosol review, we’d really recommend this product to everyone, it just makes your skin look so good. Plus, it creates the ultimate priming duo alongside our holy grail, Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre.

The fragrance is quite strong, so be aware of that before purchasing, especially if you know your skin can be sensitive to strong fragrances. If you’re worried, just get the smallest size bottle so that you can try it before getting a larger bottle.