[Review] NIOD SS Sanskrit Saponins for Dilated Pores – Before/After Photos
I already have a cleanser I’m in love with (the blue one from Rosette) but the reviews on Niod Sanskrit Saponins are so impressive that, weak as I am, I gave in and bought the 90ml version.
On Lookfantastic, they have promos all the time, so I got it for €19 with the code OCTOBER20, compared to €27 on the official site.
If you’re not familiar with the brand NIOD, I wrote a super long article about the brand’s philosophy and bestsellers here.
What’s it for?
Fans of double cleansing or Asian layering know: first you remove makeup, then you use a cleanser.
Niod Sanskrit Saponins falls into the second category.
Also, it’s clearly stated everywhere that this cleanser does not remove makeup.
It’s meant to deeply cleanse the pores.
How to use it?
This is where things get complicated, and Niod makes things more complicated than they need to be.
Use NIOD Sanskrit Saponins once every two days, in the morning or evening. Sanskrit saponins can be used more often if needed. Sanskrit saponins are not designed to remove makeup. If makeup is applied, remove it first with the low-viscosity cleansing ester or an appropriate makeup remover before using the saponins. Wet your face thoroughly. Place the saponins in your palms for a few seconds to form a balm-like foam. Gently spread over your entire face, avoiding the eye area. Rinse thoroughly with eyes closed. Pat dry with a towel.
The brand recommends using it once every two days, but says it can be used more often if desired. What does that even mean? Do you use it twice a day or once every two days? Why recommend cautious use when you can use it more often??? Plus, it says to avoid the eye contour and keep your eyes closed when rinsing.
Moreover, the pH of this product is between 7.0 and 7.5. Honestly, if it weren’t for the great reviews, I would never have bought it.
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Sapindus Mukurossi Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Arginine, Polysorbate 60, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Balanites Aegyptiaca (Desert Date) Fruit Extract, Gypsophila Paniculata Root Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Acacia Senegal Gum, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Melanin, Sorbic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
SS is a pH-neutral cleansing balm containing the amino acid lysine, found in the saponins of the Ayurvedic plants shikakai and sapindus mukorossi. Plant saponins have traditionally been used to cleanse the skin. They deeply clean the pores. By using Ayurvedic plant saponins with frequent use, SS visibly targets all forms of buildup, congestion, and impurities, and can be used for all skin types.
Texture & Scent
It’s clearly not a balm but more of an emulsion (or yogurt lol) that doesn’t smell very good. I’m torn between a smell of earth, beer, or some stinky fermented thing.
The amino acid is suspended, hence the little soft seeds in the “yogurt,” which melt when you spread it on the skin. Once applied to the face, it doesn’t stink at all.
The first time, I applied it to my face, cleansed the whole face, then rinsed it off after 30 seconds.
But the second time, I left it on for 5 minutes, and the experience is completely different. When I rinse the product off, there’s a film left on the skin, which I don’t find unpleasant, and the texture of the cleanser is also a bit different. I don’t know exactly what happened because I feel absolutely nothing on my skin (no tightness, no tingling), but there’s a real difference between “rinsing quickly” vs. “leaving it on for 5 minutes”.
Results
Surprise surprise, this cleanser is more effective than its description and pH would suggest.
The skin doesn’t feel tight at all, and after just a few uses, some pores have gone missing, fewer issues with enlarged pores (they’re too clean, so you can’t see them anymore).
The before/after photo is only after 4 uses (2 rinsed off in a few seconds and 2 left on as a 5-minute mask). I zoomed in like crazy, my pores aren’t actually that big lol
The idea of this cleanser is to do a drain for the skin, like an oil change for your car
because no one dares to remove sebum and oil from the skin anymore.
NIOD thinks the opposite: if you don’t remove it, new sebum can’t form, so the skin gets congested and stays with that “old” gross sebum for years.
I kind of agree, because I’ve seen with treatments like Hydrafacial, which involves removing all the sebum from my face… that on the contrary, the skin handles it very well and quickly produces new sebum without drying out completely (as long as you slather on plenty of hydrating products afterward, of course).
Also, it doesn’t dehydrate the skin. The little dehydration line I had under my eye disappeared in the “after” photo (thanks to other products, sure).
Where to buy it?
At Lookfantastic (link), use code OCTOBER20 for 20% off => the product will cost you €19
Or directly from DECIEM for €27 (link). The advantage is that if you don’t like the product, you can return it (even if it’s half used) within 365 days of purchase (more info). Remember to pay via PayPal to get a refund for return shipping. I’ll show you here how to order from them
