Pretty Damn Good: the cold cream cleanser this beauty entrepreneur has been using for 42 years

A collage of the Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser and Carolyn Aronson

Credit: Brand/Carolyn Aronson

Skincare


Pretty Damn Good: the cold cream cleanser this beauty entrepreneur has been using for 42 years

By Hanna Ibraheem

4 years ago

Welcome to Stylist’s Pretty Damn Good, a weekly series in which different women share the one product – across hair care, skincare, make-up, body and fragrance – that remains a forever staple in their beauty routines.

During her 20 years as a hair stylist, Carolyn Aronson grew increasingly frustrated with the sheer amount of products being produced with singular benefits.

In response, Aronson created It’s a 10 Haircare, a collection of hair products – each formulated to deliver a combination of 10 benefits in one bottle.

The brand first launched in 2006 and its Miracle Leave-In, £17.50, skyrocketed to cult status. In fact, it sells 13 million bottles of the hero leave-in conditioner each year.

The brand quickly grew in popularity among hair stylists, becoming a household name across the US. It’s also the first independent haircare brand to feature a commercial during the Super Bowl.

But as the buzz around It’s a 10 Haircare continued, those of us in the UK were unable to easily get our hands on products for a while. Thankfully, the brand finally arrived on our shores in 2019 and we can confirm: the hype around Miracle Leave-In is well-deserved.

So, as somebody running a hugely successful haircare brand, what does Aronson use to unwind after a busy day? Here, she tells us.

Carolyn Aronson

Credit: Carolyn Aronson


“I’ve been using Pond’s Cold Cream Make Up Remover, £5.99 for 42 years. Over that time, I have tried hundreds of other make-up removers, but I always end up coming back t this one. It’s definitely my favourite and I use it daily.

“My mother introduced me to Pond’s Cold Cream when I was 12 years old. She is 89 now and still uses it too!

“The first thing that drew me to it was its ability to deeply remove any type of make-up – even waterproof formulas – from my skin instantly. It just does the job, and it does it well. It deeply penetrates and moisturises the skin.

“It’s safe to use on your eyes, too, which I like because then, I can use it all over and don’t have to swap between two or three different products.

Cleansing my skin is the first thing I do daily out of the shower to deeply remove any make up residue on my eyes and face and has been a consistent part of my skincare routine for as long as I can remember.

“To use it, I take a facial tissue, use it to scoop up a small amount of the cream and spread it over the areas I need cleansed. The packaging is old-school and I don’t love dipping into a jar. Personally, I’d prefer a tube and I think it would also keep the product more protected and clean. Once I’ve worked the formula around my skin, I use another clean tissue to remove it. It’s so easy to use.

“But I’d say, a little goes a long way. You can use a small amount and spread it out into a sheer layer over your skin – there’s no need to put it on in thick or clumpy amounts.”


Main image: Brand/Carolyn Aronson

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