I went through a phase where I was testing a ton of luxury cleansers a while back – I know, I know… tough life. But as I was working through the group to select my favorites, I noticed that my skin was missing a deep clean. Many of these luxury cleansers are designed for more mature skin. And while my complexion is on the dry side, I still needed a deep clean to keep those pesky blackheads at bay.

Enter a little trio from Neutrogena. All three #PoreNoMore products use alpha and beta hydroxy acids to deep clean skin, rejuvenate and minimize the appearance of pores. Read: younger looking skin. The cleansers both had my beloved foaming action. Because they are soap-free, I did achieve that deep clean without any tightness. I will say there was an ever so slight chemical smell, but I chalk that up to drugstore goods – great price point and something has got to give somewhere, right? See note below

First up is the Pore Refining Exfoliating Cleanser which I’ve found I like using just once or twice a week. Those who are slightly oilier or who have very problematic pores might be able to indulge in this a little more often. My skin is relatively soft and this cleanser really shines with rough and uneven skin. The granules are fairly small and would work on even acne-prone skin. Don’t expect a huge foam here, but it was enough to get my juices flowing.

Something that suits my drier skin everyday: Pore Refining Daily Cleanser. While this is the formula that I get most of the chemical smell (see note), I did love to foaming action and refined finish of my skin. My skin was exfoliated without being red whatsoever. And all my makeup was removed.

And last but not least comes my biggest surprise. I absolutely fell so hard for the Pore Refining Toner. This totally shocked me as I expected this toner to leave my skin tight and dry. But the topical application of the alpha and beta hydroxy acids really retexturized my skin and left it feeling really clean. I loved the refreshing scent and “wipe the day away” effect. And the active ingredients really penetrated my pores but didn’t dry out or anger my skin.

Leave it to Neutrogena to come up with something that can shore up my pores without leaving my redness prone skin irritated. If you are going for a deeper clean this fall, don’t hesitate to check out the #PoresNoMore collection.

Note: this chemical smell is likely attributed to sulphates. I know many people feel strongly about the use of this ingredient. While I am still researching myself, I generally try to stay away for long term use out of an abundance of caution. But I also know many readers rely on drugstore brands that I love like Neutrogena who frequently includes sulphates in their products. If you are trying to avoid sulphates – either short or long-term – please be aware.

AN EDITORIAL SAMPLE MAY HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE COMPANY AND EVALUATED TO DETERMINE OUR OPINION OF THE PRODUCT IN THIS POST. PLEASE SEE THE DISCLOSURES PAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING OUR POLICIES FOR USING EDITORIAL SAMPLES.