I’m a trans nonbinary person in my 30s and have sensitive combination skin. After a couple of years on testosterone, I started experiencing a resurgence in hormonal acne and extremely oily skin. My skin is very finicky and tends to react poorly to most drugstore face/acne products from brands like Clearasil, Neutrogena, and Noxzema, so I started looking for an alternative on Amazon. I came across beplain’s mung bean gentle face cleanser and saw that it had good reviews from other folks with sensitive skin. At the time, the product was around $10 — affordable enough that I could give it a shot without worrying about wasting a lot of money if it didn’t work out.That ended up being irrelevant though, because I immediately loved it. The texture was slightly grainy - kind of like a soft grit - and a pea-sized amount lathered enough to wash my whole face. It left my skin feeling clean without the tight, dry feeling I got from other washes.I’ve reordered this product multiple times since my initial order in mid-2022, and when I placed my last order in November, I noticed the packaging had changed and the price had increased. Since the formula I was accustomed to up to that point was very effective, I wasn’t too bothered by the price increase. But after receiving the item and using it a few times, I realized something about the formula has changed. It’s lost most of its grainy texture and is now much smoother, and it takes more product to wash the same amount of skin. It also doesn’t work as well. I’ve started getting a few bumps on my face and neck again, and my face now becomes noticeably oily within just a few hours of showering.I’m super disappointed. I felt like I’d hit the secret jackpot with this product: $12 for 3 months of the perfect formulation. Now, it’s $20 for 1.5 months of a mediocre product. I guess I should’ve known better; companies always have to mess with perfection. Whether it’s manufacturers trying to pad their profits by switching to cheaper materials, or vendors pushing arbitrary price hikes, great deals on great products rarely last, especially on Amazon.My hunt for the perfect face wash continues. At least now I know what ingredients to look for in my next wash - and to stock up once I find it!

Good

This is a fantastic foaming cleanser for a gentle double cleanse routine. Removed a star because there are several relatively large, jagged pieces in the mix. This isn’t meant to be a scrub and definitely makes a smooth, creamy foam, so I’m not sure why they are in there, but it’s irritating to get scraped occasionally while doing skincare.