Facial Cleanser Face-Off: Fresh vs Faran

What are the chances of discovering two new products in the same category and loving both of them??? Very rare, isn’t it? Recently, however, I got samples of two facial cleansers, both of which I absolutely loved! So, I thought, rather than reviewing them both individually, I would do a face-off. Which cleansers are these that I’m so impressed with? They are Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and Faran Face Cleansing Gel. Last March, I had won a set of Tarte Eye Pencils and along with that, a sample of the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. I loved the cleanser so much that I ordered it from strawberrynet.com recently (haul post here). The Faran Face Cleansing Gel was part of the Glam Guru beauty box. Alors, let’s get started with the face-off….

Fresh Soy face cleanser and Faran face cleansing gel

Lineage

Fresh: is an American brand started in 1991 by Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg as an Apothecary store in Boston bringing natural, upscale personal care products from around the world to Bostonites. In their own words, “Fresh is pure beauty. Dedicated to natural ingredients, rich textures and addictive scents, Fresh offers a sensorial experience like no other.”
 
Faran: is an Israeli brand started by Itay Kienan and Adi Gilon in 2010 when they merged and re-branded their existing brands “Nature Scent” and “Mineraz Cosmetics”. Their products “are hand made in natural environmental-friendly process and according to European Certification and licences (ECOCERT).
 

Packaging

Fresh soy face cleanser and Faran face cleansing gel packaging
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser comes in a travel-friendly white tube with a flip-top cap.
Faran Face Cleansing Gel seems to come in a pump bottle. I had got a sample so I had to check their website for the actual packaging of the full-sized product.

Ingredients

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Fresh Soy face cleanser ingredients
As you can see, it is a sulfate-free cleanser with a lot of skin-friendly ingredients like, rose, cornflower, soyabean, cucumber, mallow etc. However, there is one drawback, the parabens that you can see right at the end of the ingredient list. How I wish this would have been a paraben-free product along with being sulfate-free.
Faran Face Cleansing Gel (the sample tube had no ingredients listed so I got them from Faran’s website)
 
Aloe Babadensis Leaf Juice*, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Coco Glucoside (and) Glyceryl Oleate, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) seed Oil*, Citric Acid, Lvandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, D-Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol, Eugenol, Citral. *ingredient from organic farming.
100% of the Total Ingredients are from Natural Origin
64% of the Total Ingredients are from Organic Farming.

Texture and Fragrance

Fresh and Faran face cleansers texture
The cleanser on the left is the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser. It is a watery gel, not totally translucent but with a slight whitish tint. On the right, is the Faran Face Cleansing Gel, a lightweight watery gel. Both of these glide on the skin easily, even on dry skin. In fact, I have been using these on dry skin using damp fingertips to massage it in followed by a damp Konjac sponge.
The Fresh cleanser doesn’t have any added fragrance, just the fragrance from the ingredients, which is why it smells a bit like cucumbers to me. Not a very pleasant fragrance but tolerable especially since it doesn’t last. On the other hand, the Faran cleanser smells amazing with a floral+citrusy fragrance that for some reason reminds me of a posh salon. Don’t ask me why though. Fragrances evoke different reactions in different people. It also feels a bit zingy and tingly and makes me feel awake and fresh, probably because of the citric acid??

Cleansing Efficacy

Both cleansers are EXCELLENT when it comes to removing makeup. I didn’t need to double cleanse when I used either of these cleansers and they make makeup / sunscreen glide off the face. The Fresh cleanser claims to remove mascara too, but I haven’t tried it on mascara. They do remove kajal and gel liners but you need to gently rub the area to remove that. Eye makeup removers are gentler for that.
After I rinsed my face, my skin felt totally, incredibly clean and fresh and soft. There was no stretchy, tight feeling even in winter. Both work brilliantly, whether used on their own or with the Konjac.

Price

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser is priced at $38 for 150ml. It is available at strawberrynet from where I bought it. Though the price on strawberrynet is a whopping Rs. 4000+, I had got it when it was on their daily specials and priced at Rs. 2400 which comes to approximately the same as the $ rate.
The price of Faran Face Cleansing Gel isn’t mentioned on their website but I checked it on the Glam Guru website where it is mentioned as ILS (Israeli Shekel) 99. Which is approximately Rs. 1750.

Animal Testing

Fresh is a certified cruelty-free brand.
Faran’s website doesn’t mention their animal testing policy but seeing as they use natural and organic ingredients, recyclable packaging and lay a stress on environment-friendly processes, I have a feeling they will be cruelty-free. I have emailed them to ask them about this but haven’t received a reply yet.

Verdict

While I love both these cleansers and the effective and gentle way in which they remove makeup and cleanse my face, I think the winner here is Faran Face Cleansing Gel for two reasons:
* There are no parabens.
* The price, while on the higher side, is much lower.
I’m sure this big 150ml tube of Fresh Soy Face Cleanser is going to last me quite a few months since I just got it, but once that’s  over, I’m getting the Faran Face Cleansing Gel for sure.
Which one of these cleansers would you like to try? Do you enjoy these Face Off series posts?

25 Replies to “Facial Cleanser Face-Off: Fresh vs Faran”

  1. Dr_philamazan says: Reply

    the brand is totally new to me

  2. Porshia Mitra says: Reply

    Both the brands are new to me.. But I love reading about new brands! Great that both work so well!

  3. I’m new to both the brands and the post was very informative! Great comparison!

  4. Thank you….makes me so happy to hear that 😀

  5. Thanks Iswarya 🙂

  6. Yes, they are. Do try them

  7. I’ve used the Clinique one earlier and it is nice but doesnt remove makeup. These do.

  8. Both products are lovely 🙂

  9. Thanks…. They both are great.

  10. Meghamadhulika says: Reply

    nice review, and a nice new template …love your creativity

  11. iswarya laxmi says: Reply

    Both these are new for me….would love to try the soya cleanser…..Thumbs up for your review..

  12. Anubhooti Khanna says: Reply

    Sounds great!would love to try it 🙂

  13. Esha Gupta says: Reply

    Wow Dollie, this sounds great!!

  14. Rayconnect says: Reply

    the review sounds great!

  15. Sounds great.. would love to try it

  16. If it’s soya, then I am already sold out. Great review.

  17. I’m definitely getting the full sized Faran once the Soy one is over.

  18. Both are very gentle and effective. Wish the soy didn’t have parabens.

  19. Thanks Charu…yes the Faran one is really nice.

  20. Priyanjana Roy says: Reply

    Nice review. But soy is something i gotta think about

  21. Wow loved the review so well written!! I think faran is worth trying 🙂

  22. Hope you like it as much as I do 🙂

  23. Revathy HealthnBeauty says: Reply

    such a lovely detailed review…. i too shall try faran soon then 🙂

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