Review: Bambu Face Reusable Cotton Rounds

Sustainability has taken the world by storm over the past few years, and rightly so, however, the word has this accompanying connotation that implies these alternates are usually of lesser quality, are fussier, or are incredibly expensive. However, in the case of these eco-friendly cotton rounds, the clever cookies at Bambu have shown that sometimes the environmentally conscious version can in fact be even better than the original.

Cotton has been used for thousands of years, but the cotton rounds that we are familiar with in a cosmetics context only came into commercial production in the 1930s. By the 1950s they were widely advertised and touted as the best way to remove makeup and nail varnish. Fast forward a little, and they have remained largely unchanged for 90 years – and why would they? They work great.

Cotton rounds might seem like an earth-friendly choice already, they’re a plant product, right? Correct. But unfortunately, neither used nor unused cotton rounds are recyclable, meaning these single use products that are used for about 20 seconds then go straight into landfill. That’s where Bambu Face come in…

What Makes It Special:
Reusable cotton rounds might sound like a bit of work, they certainly did to me before making the switch, but I promise you they aren’t. A quick rinse under warm water and then throw them straight in a laundry bag with your regular wash, and they are good to go again, and again, and again (each pad can be used and washed approximately 200 times).

Like most sustainable options, it’s having ‘a moment’ which means there are hundreds of companies out there making variations of basically the same thing. However, there are a few features that I think set Bambu Face apart. Each bundle (either 10 or 16 cotton rounds) is split into pink and green rounds. Pink tags denote the ones made from bamboo velour fabric and are ideal for gently removing eye makeup and the green tagged version is made from bamboo terry cotton and are a little more ‘textured’, making them perfect for the face; removing cleanser, applying toner and even removing nail polish if you want to use them for that.

Having said that, both types are incredibly soft and I genuinely have used them both for removing eye makeup and applying toner and can confirm they are perfectly interchangeable.

Why I Like It:
I’m a numbers kind of girl so let’s talk cost. A bundle of 16 reusable cotton rounds cost $49.99 – meaning that each pad works out at $3.124. Pricey right? That is until you remember that each one can be used 200 times (more or less, they won’t instantly fall apart at the seams after wash number 199). That takes the cost of each cotton round to $0.0156 per use. In case decimal places throw you off, that’s a smidge over one and a half cents per use. Now let’s compare to my favourite single-use cotton brand Swisspers, a twin pack of cotton rounds will set you back $6.95 for 2 x 80pks which means each cotton round is setting you back $0.0434. That’s a whopping (not really, but comparatively it kinda is) four and a bit cents each, making the single-use option almost 3 times the cost. So there goes the ‘environmentally friendly is expensive’ argument. Plus, they work just as well, if not better, *and* you get the warm fuzzies everytime you use them knowing that you’re doing something good for the planet. Literally wins all around!

What I Don’t Like About It:
There’s obviously more ‘work’ involved with these than the quick disposal of just throwing the single-use version in the bin. First, I give them a quick rinse with warm water (and some inexpensive face cleanser if they have makeup on them) and then they go in a laundry bag and get washed with the rest of the day’s load. It literally takes about an extra thirty seconds, and that’s time I think is well spent. When it comes to drying, they come with a little mesh bag you can hang them in but I just rest them on my products in the bathroom overnight and by morning they are ready to use.

Application:
You use these exactly as you would traditional cotton rounds. They can be doused in micellar water to remove eye makeup, you can apply cleanser to your face and use a damp Bambu cotton round to remove it, you can apply toner or essences to them and then swipe across your face. Basically, if you do it with a cotton round, you can do it with these. Even remove nail polish! But if you’re going to it’s recommended that you set one aside solely for this purpose.

Product Claims:
Each pad can be machine washed over 200 times – I’ve been using mine for four months now and they still look as good as new.

Ingredients:
Each Bambu cotton round is made from bamboo rayon fabric.

Available From:
Bambu Face

Details:
10 pack – $39.99
16 pack – $49.99

Repurchase:
Absolutely. I’ve been using these since March 2021 and I love them, there’s a little more involved in washing them but I don’t mind. It makes me feel like I’m doing something good for the environment, plus I’m not constantly buying and running out of cotton rounds!