Are you currently using a facial cotton pad? I’ve been using a few brands and have tested some in the past. I find that the ones that work very well are the ones that are made for sensitive skin. The soft and gentle type that doesn’t scratch the face and are perfect for toners or liquid makeup removers.

I’m not a big fan of the regular cotton rounds or cotton squares. The ones that have raised textures or are too small to use all over the face. Those types are scratchy and those require some rubbing on the skin upon application which isn’t so good, and those also absorb and waste way too much products. I like the ones that are plush, highly-absorbent, and easy to find like the ones below.

Shiseido Facial Cotton (40 – 165 sheets: 5 – 12 USD) – This is a well-loved facial cotton that is made in Japan and this is soft, compact, and totally gentle on the face. This is perfect for any toner application and even for any oil or liquid makeup remover. I like this a lot and this doesn’t break or disintegrate easily as you use this all over the face and neck.

CVS Beauty 360 Extra Thick Premium Cotton Squares (150 sheets: 3.79 USD) – This super soft and affordable cotton pad is so fluffy and this absorbs enough products especially toners, which means I don’t get to waste a lot of it. Even though this doesn’t feel as compact as the other cotton pads mentioned in this review, I find this pad to be still on par with the high-end ones and this is so affordable. There was another version of this that comes in somewhat green packaging, but I’m not sure if CVS still carries that one. I like that one a lot because that’s even softer than this extra thick version and though that pad tends to disintegrate easily, it’s way more fluffy so it absorbs just enough toner to cover the whole face. Then there’s also the current larger version of this facial cotton, but it’s definitely not soft on the face, in my opinion. I find it to be ideal for removing nail polish because it has more texture and is quite exfoliating.

Muji Soft Cut Cotton Unbleached (180 sheets: 6.19 USD) – This pad retains the natural specks of seed pods and husks that you’d normally see in most unbleached cotton products, which could potentially feel scratchy. However, I’ve only felt a slight scratchiness once or twice all throughout my usage of this particular facial cotton. Even though this doesn’t look white at all, don’t let the color and the texture fool you. This very natural cotton is so soft and so fluffy, which absorbs enough toner to apply all over your face. On top of that, this doesn’t disintegrate easily.

Chanel  Le Coton (100 pads: 20 USD) – A very luxurious cotton pad embossed with the Chanel logo that is delicately packed inside a beautiful Chanel box. The size of this is about 0.5 inches and 0.3 inches (lxh) larger than most facial cotton pads and is ideal not only for the face but also for the neck. Cutting this into two would make this cotton pad quite too small for the face, but it’s very doable and definitely economical. The texture and the overall quality of this are pretty much like Shiseido’s, which is soft, compact, highly-absorbent, and lint-free. Also, this is made in Japan.

If I have to rank the facial cotton pads I reviewed above, well, my top pick will definitely be the CVS cotton pad because it’s the cheapest and it works just as great as the designer ones. In fact, it pretty much looks like Shiseido’s and it seems even softer. If my local CVS is out of stock of their cotton pads, which happens a lot all the time, then I’d definitely opt for Muji because it’s so fluffy and so soft. Third would be Shiseido, and lastly, it will be Chanel.

I have yet to investigate the Koh Gen Do Pure Cotton and the Clé de Peau Beauté Cottons, have you tried them before? What did you think about them? Any facial cotton pad recs?

SHOP THIS POST