Caudalie is one of those brands that sounds “French fancy” (I mean, it is French) that is also a bit overpriced because it sounds so fancy and not because the products are really worth the higher price tag. It’s also not as expensive as not being able to splurge a little bit now and then, so I don’t think that it’s that much of an inconvenience to pick up some of their products now and then.

The Vinopure line contains all kinds of grape extracts which are part of mostly of the Caudalie products, as this was a winery at the core and it started to develop into a spa and a beauty line over the decades. So yes, Caudalie products are making me feel fancy when I use them. Plus, I just love the name.

Packaging:

The product comes in a green plastic tube, although I would have loved something with a pump, it would have been more convenient. I had only the travel size (30 ml), but the full size (150 ml) has the exact same packaging.

Texture:

The gel is green and it has a fresh scent, but again it’s not something that bothered me. It’s delicate enough to be used daily and even twice a day. Personally, I only used it in the evening and I think it did a good job to remove my makeup and cleanse the skin (except for the eyes, I used a micellar water for the eye makeup).

Ingredients:

AQUA/WATER/EAU, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) FRUIT WATER*, DECYL GLUCOSIDE*, GLYCERIN*, SODIUM COCOYL GLUTAMATE*, SUCROSE COCOATE*, ACACIA SENEGAL GUM*, XANTHAN GUM, PROPANEDIOL*, SODIUM GLUTAMATE*, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, COCONUT ACID*, SALICYLIC ACID, VITIS VINIFERA (GRAPE) JUICE*, CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS LEAF OIL*, LAVANDULA HYBRIDA OIL*, MELISSA OFFICINALIS LEAF OIL*, MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) OIL*, PELARGONIUM GRAVEOLENS FLOWER OIL*, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF OIL*, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, CITRAL*, CITRONELLOL*, GERANIOL*, LINALOOL*. (226/004)
* Plant origin

On their website it states that 98% of the ingredients are of natural origin, it’s a non-comedogenic product and it doesn’t contain synthetic fragrance, sulphate, soap, alcohol, parabens, phenoxyethanol, phtalates, mineral oils or ingredients of animal origin. Unfortunately, Caudalie is not cruelty free as far as I know because they are sold in China. Also, the coconut acid may be a pore-clogging ingredient, so this may be an issue.

Of course, we don’t know the percentage of the ingredients used in the formula, but I think it’s safe to say that the top 5 ingredients have the highest percentage and the rest are present only in smaller quantities. So, the first ingredients are water, grape fruit water, decyl glucoside which is a mild surfactant used in products for sensitive skin (and that’s great), glycerin and sodium cocoyl glutamate, also a mild surfactant derived from natural sources such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil and fermented sugar.

There’s also salicylic acid, grape juice, but also some oils that may be potentially irritating (depending on the concentration) like lavender and peppermint.

The claim is that the gel purifies, reduces blemishes, minimizes pores and reduces excess sebum. The grape water is used in cosmetics generally for its soothing properties, being recommended to calm irritations. Maybe it has the role of balancing those essential oils that can be irritating for sensitive skin. Grape water is also good at retaining water hence moisture so it doesn’t dry out the skin and it improves microcirculation, reducing redness.

Price and accessibility:

Caudalie products can be found in Romania in some pharmacies and also in several online beauty shops. The price for this cleanser is 17 euros, which is not exactly affordable, but it’s also not overly expensive. For me, it’s a product somewhere in the middle.

My overall opinion:

The Vinopure gel cleanser is recommended for combination skin and it can be used daily in the morning and/or on the evening. I think that it does a good job at cleansing the face without making it feel dry (that squeaky-clean skin is not what you want because it means the skin is stripped of its natural oils), it has some calming properties and it didn’t irritate my skin at all.

I like this gel cleanser because I prefer to use gels to cleanse my face, but not as much as to go out of my way to purchase it because there are plenty of drugstore gel cleanser that get the job done. But if you want to feel fancy and you love French beauty product, then this Caudalie gel cleanser is a good choice.