It’s been a hot minute since I did a review on Yves Rocher products, because I didn’t use them for a while as I tried to use only cruelty free products. I have to say, I changed my opinion on cruelty free products now, because I don’t think it’s the brand’s fault that their products are tested in China. They do their best to be cruelty free, vegan and/or eco-friendly only to have their efforts being diminished by the fact that they sell their stuff in China. I just don’t see how boycotting the brands will help convince the Chinese authorities to not have this cruel practice in place.

However, this is just my opinion and I’m entitled to have it, just like each person is entitled to their own opinions and to stand by their own believes. So now that I got this disclaimer out of the way, I went recently on the Yves Rocher website to buy a gift for my mom because she loves one of their perfumes and I noticed that there were quite a few new things there and I decided to try some of them. Plus, they make my all time favorite eye makeup remover, so I ordered that too.

For oily and combination skin, they have this new line of products that is called Pure Menthe because it contains natural peppermint extract that is grown in their own plantations in Brittany, France. It looked interesting, so I ordered a few of their products. They had only cleansers, toners and masks, so for a moisturizer, I ordered one that I remembered I used to like back in the day. Now, it’s been about two weeks since I’m using the products and all that I can say is that there are some good qualities to this products and some less than good, like with most drugstore products.

Yves Rocher Pure Menthe Purifying Cleansing Gel

This cleansing gel comes in a bottle with a pump and it contains 390 ml. The bottle has a light green color but the gel is clear and it has a subtle peppermint scent, the kind of natural one, not that sweet mint scent that some products have.

The ingredients are:

AQUA/WATER/EAU GLYCERIN DECYL GLUCOSIDE XANTHAN GUM MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) LEAF WATER COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATESODIUM BENZOATEPARFUM/FRAGRANCE CITRIC ACID FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES INULIN POTASSIUM SORBATE 1,2-HEXANEDIOL CAPRYLYL GLYCOL 10500v0

98% of the ingredients are of natural origin, it’s sulfate free, the natural extracts come from sustainable sourcing because they grow their own peppermint and the bottle is 100% recyclable. There are no pore-clogging ingredients in here and it’s safe to use for acne-prone skin.

I like it because it’s a gentle cleansing gel, it doesn’t make my skin feel dry and it doesn’t feel like it strips my skin from its natural oils. It doesn’t lather up much, but now I know that you don’t want that in your skin care, because it means that the product is too harsh if it acts like a body wash.

It’s sold on the website for 49 lei, which is like around 10 euros, which is really not bad, especially considering that the bottle is quite big for a facial cleanser. I paid for this a little more than 8 euros, because you always get discounts if you order more from their website.

Yves Rocher Pure Menthe Mattifying Powder Lotion

This toning lotion comes in a green bottle and it contains 150 ml. The lotion itself is clear and it also have a subtle peppermint scent.

The ingredients list is the following:

AQUA/WATER/EAU ALCOHOL KAOLIN GLYCERIN POLYGLYCERYL-4 CAPRATEP ROPYLENE GLYCOL GLYCOLIC ACID MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) LEAF WATER PENTYLENE GLYCOLSODIUM HYDROXIDE PARFUM/FRAGRANCE FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES INULIN1,2-HEXANEDIOL CAPRYLYL GLYCOL CITRIC ACID 10512v0

The ingredients list doesn’t contain pore-clogging ingredients but I’m not too happy about alcohol being the second ingredient on the list. The kaolin absorbs excess sebum and the key ingredient in this one is again peppermint leaf water.

98% of the ingredients are of natural origin, it’s sulfate free, the natural extracts come from sustainable sourcing because they grow their own peppermint and the bottle is 100% recyclable.

The lotion needs to be shaken well because there is a white residue in the half bottom which I’m assuming is the kaolin and then I apply it with a cotton pad on my skin. it does feel nice, but I do think that there should be less alcohol in this. I use it only at night, because it’s recommended not to use it before sun exposure.

The lotion is sold for 32 lei on their website, which is about 6.5 euros, but I got it for about 5 euros. Again, it’s an affordable price, but it’s not one of the better toning lotions that I used so far.

Yves Rocher Pure Menthe Pore Clearing Charcoal Mask

The mask comes in a tube that contains 75 ml, which is a generous amount for a facemask. It’s black because of the charcoal and it looks and feels like a clay mask when applied on the skin because it has that skin tightening effect before you wash it up.

I use this twice a week and I leave it on for at least 10 minutes and I wash it off when it feels like it’s completely dry.

The ingredients list:

AQUA/WATER/EAU KAOLIN BEHENYL ALCOHOL CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE PROPYLENE GLYCOL BENTONITE GLYCERIN MENTHA PIPERITA (PEPPERMINT) LEAF WATER GLYCERYL STEARATE CITRATE PENTYLENE GLYCOLSIM MONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL CETEARYL ALCOHOL CHARCOAL POWDER HYDROXYACETOPHENONE PARFUM/FRAGRANCE GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE XANTHAN GUM CETEARYL GLUCOSIDE FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES INULIN TOCOPHERYL ACETATE LACTIC ACID 1,2-HEXANEDIOLCAPRYLYL GLYCOLCITRIC ACID 10514v0

I like that it contains kaolin, the same peppermint leaf water as the other two products, charcoal powder, jojoba seed oil and lactic acid. There are no pore-clogging ingredients in the formula.

98% of the ingredients are of natural origin, it’s sulfate free, the natural extracts come from sustainable sourcing because they grow their own peppermint.

Overall, I would say this is a decent drugstore face mask for oily and combination skin. It’s sold on their website for 45 lei, which is about 9 euros, but I got it for about 6.5 euros.

Yves Rocher Sebo Vegetal Zero Blemish Moisturizing Gel Cream

This one is an oldie but a goldie when it comes to face cream from Yves Rocher for oily skin. It comes in a glass jar and it contains 50 ml. I love the bright green lid. The texture is that of a sorbet and it melts into the skin having a mattifying effect. I use it in the morning because I use something else in the evening as I have another face cream that I want to finish up.

The ingredients list is the following:

AQUA/WATER/EAU GLYCERIN ALCOHOL COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE METHYLPROPANEDIOL POLYGLYCERYL-3 DICITRATE/STEARATE ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH DIMETHICONE GLYCERYL STEARA TEA PHLOIA THEIFORMIS LEAF EXTRACT ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER SALICYLIC ACID ZINC GLUCONATE PARFUM/FRAGRANCE SODIUM HYDROXIDE XANTHAN GUM TOCOPHERYL ACETATE LEDUM GROENLANDICUM EXTRACT BENZYL ALCOHOL ACACIA SENEGAL GUM SCUTELLARIA BAICALENSIS ROOT EXTRACT 10179v0

The formula doesn’t contain any pore-clogging ingredients. I can’t say that I’m happy about the alcohol being so high on the list, but it really doesn’t feel like it’s drying the skin at all. There is also salicylic acid in this and zinc gluconate (the zinc salt of gluconic acid produced from glucose that functions as a preservative).

For natural ingredients, there is the boreal tea, that rebalances and refines the skin texture, bog labrador tea extract and Baikal skullcap root extract. 91% of the ingredients are of natural origin, that come from sustainable sourcing and the jar and the cardboard used for packaging are recyclable.

I just love how this moisturizer feels on the skin and I do have to say that I missed it.

The gel cream is sold on their website for 59 lei, which is about 12 euros, but I got it for about 7.5 euros because it was some kind of sale or promotion.

I must say that I did enjoy my return to Yves Rocher products because I like the cleansing gel, the face mask and I love the moisturizer. The toning lotion has a little too much alcohol in it for my liking, as far as I can tell from how it feels, on my skin, but it was still nice to try out their products again.

I do think that sometimes Yves Rocher products are overpriced, but there is always a deal or sale that you can benefit from when you order online and I have an account with them, so I always can cut some of the costs due to the membership benefits.

Does this mean that I will buy more from them? Yes. I love the eye makeup remover that I ordered and I also got a couple of liquid hand soaps that smell amazing, so what can I say? I like the brand, despite their misses when it comes to some of their products, because a lot of their stuff I like and I thing there is a good ratio when it comes to what you get for what you pay for.