Sylveco is a small, Polish brand producing ‘natural’ skincare based on plants without all those nasties. You would call it an indie brand, I suppose. Though, it’s a relatively affordable one. You would suspect that their products are full of fragrance and essential oils, in amounts that can cause irritation. However, it’s not the case here, Sylveco use plant extracts and ingredients that help the skin rather than irritate it. Most of the products are gentle such as Sylveco Chamomile Face Wash. It’s my favourite product from the company, and my most preferred salicylic acid wash for several reasons.

First of all, it doesn’t contain harsh surfactants such as SLS, etc. The base of the cleanser is really mild: water and glycerine. The cleanser doesn’t foam up; it just creates a lather that allows you to wash your face delicately. It’s very unlikely that this cleanser will leave your skin stripped of moisture. It contains 2% salicylic acid (SA) to fight breakouts and reduce oil production. Salicylic acid is a great ingredient, as it goes through oil down to your pores and cleanses your skin. I like salicylic acid in a toner form; I think that leaving SA on the skin makes it work better. However, sometimes I need a good acid cleanser, and this is my choice. I like it especially before shaving, as I don’t like using acids afterwards. It’s great both for your face and body if you’ve got a problem with bacne (back acne) use the cleanser while showering, and it will help a lot. It also contains panthenol and chamomile extra which both soothe the skin and help to reduce facial redness. According to the brand, chamomile supposedly fights acne. Well, it has anti-inflammatory properties coming from the azulene present in the plant, but I wouldn’t say it can fight acne per se. By the way, chamomile is a cousin of tansy, which in recent years has become increasingly popular. So if you can’t afford blue tansy products, go for good, old chamomile.

Without a doubt, this product can be used by everyone. It’s excellent for acne-prone skin; and if you want to introduce acids into your routine, this cleanser is a good choice. Use the product as your morning or second cleanse, please don’t try removing sunscreen or makeup with it – especially around the eyes, you don’t want acids in your eyes.

Ingredients: Water, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Panthenol, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Benzoate, Chamomilla Recutita Oil. (sylveco.pl)

As you can see the ingredients are simple and cut down to the minimum, yet the product is quite powerful.

This product retails for roughly €5 (150ml), in Poland. Where it’s available at various chemists’ shops, more information is on the brand’s website. In the rest of Europe, you can get this cleanser on Notino for about €8. The chamomile cleanser is sold for $12 from alinacosmetics.com, in the United States. Given the size of the company, the disparity of the prices is not that bad, I would say. It’s normal for products to cost more outside the country of origin. Unless it’s a big brand, usually the longer the distance, the higher the price difference becomes.