Several people have reached out to us to ask about the differences between our cleansers so I decided to summarise them in a blog. If you're not sure of why using a "good" cleanser is important, and how "bad" cleansers can damage your skin, I'd highly I'd recommend that you read this. I’ll start this post with a table that summarises key information about each cleanser and then discuss each one in a little more detail before telling you how to incorporate it into your skincare routine. If you still have questions after reading this, don’t hesitate to reach out.
What is it?
Our Hydrating Gentle Daily Cleanser is a fragrance-free cleanser formulated without any active ingredients at a skin friendly pH of ~5. It’s sulfate-free and uses ultra-gentle, coconut-derived surfactants to dissolve grime and impurities without stripping your skin.These properties make it an excellent daily use option for all skin types and particularly beneficial for sensitive or sensitised skin as this skin type tends to have a compromised skin barrier - where the skin’s barrier is the topmost layer of the skin that functions primarily to keep irritants out and hydration in - and is unable to tolerate most active ingredients.
It has a gel cream texture that’s mildly grainy due to the presence of finely ground oats. Oats are highly beneficial for helping to alleviate conditions such as dry skin and eczema. They are also valuable for sensitive skin as they help improve the skin’s barrier function. It also contains green tea extract, which is a rich source of antioxidants that help fend off skin damaging free radicals, along with allantoin and glycerin, which help soothe and hydrate.
Who is it for?
This product is for anyone and everyone. Simply put, it’s like the best friend you seek comfort from at night after tackling the stresses of the day. Just like you, your skin also deals with environmental stress: air pollution, UV radiation, and cigarette smoke, among other things. Our Hydrating Gentle Daily Cleanser helps your skin deal better with environmental stress by easily removing dirt, grime and pollution without damaging your skin barrier or irritating your skin. Bonus? It also removes light makeup.
In addition to being suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, this product is also fungal acne safe, a condition that sufferers will know is tough to shop for.
Usage directions and pairing
This product will pair well with anything. To use, massage a dime sized amount into wet skin for 30 seconds to a minute and rinse off with cool to lukewarm water. Follow up with a suitable moisturiser while your skin is still damp, to lock hydration in.
What is it?
Our Butter But Better Cleansing Balm is a fragrance-free, rinse-off formula designed to easily but gently remove things like makeup and sunscreen, which don’t come off easily with water or water-based cleansers. It’s also perfect as:
the first step cleanser in a double cleanse
a makeup or eye makeup remover
a stand-alone cleanser for dry or sensitive skin
Rinse-off cleansing balms and oils like this one are our favourite kinds of makeup removers because of how gentle they are. They don’t tend to contain harsh surfactants and even heavy, difficult makeup comes off with a rinse - no pulling or tugging at your skin with cloth and cotton pads required. Our Butter But Better Cleansing Balm easily rinses off without leaving a residue.
Who is it for?
This product is also suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. The only exception is skin prone to fungal acne. If you have fungal acne, don’t use it as anything more than an eye makeup remover. Your best bet is a gentle, fungal-acne safe micellar water instead.
Usage directions and pairing
This product will pair well with anything. To use, scrape it off with the back of your nail and massage it into dry skin till your makeup has loosened - if you’re wearing makeup. Wet your fingers and massage some more till it turns milky. Rinse it off with lukewarm water. If you’re looking to double cleanse, follow up with the Hydrating Gentle Daily Cleanser for a gentle cleansing experience or one of the two exfoliating cleansers below - Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Resurfacing Face Wash - for a deeper cleanse. Don’t forget to moisturise at the end!
What is it?
Our bestselling Salicylic Acid Cleanser is a cream cleanser formulated with salicylic acid a.k.a. BHA. Salicylic acid is a chemical exfoliant. This means that it gets rid of dead cells from the surface of the skin resulting in several benefits. These include a brighter complexion, relief from breakouts and a fight against the signs of ageing.
In the world of chemical exfoliants, salicylic acid is unique in its ability to be able to penetrate deep within your pores to unclog them. This ability, along with its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, make it an extremely effective agent in the treatment and prevention of acne, which includes blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. Most salicylic acid formulas however, tend to be harsh and attempt to strip your skin, resulting in more harm than good in the long-run. Our Salicylic Acid Cleanser leverages gentle surfactants and combines them with grapeseed oil and honey to nourish and hydrate your skin, resulting in a formula that’s exceptionally effective, and gentle at the same time.
Our current Salicylic Acid Cleanser is formulated with 1% salicylic acid and 2.5% glycolic acid. We’ve used higher salicylic acid concentrations in this formula in the past but over time have discovered that this concentration works as well as the higher concentrations, but without the associated irritation.
Who it’s for and how to pair
This product is suitable for all skin types, except fungal acne prone skin, but with some caveats:
If you’re already using chemical exfoliants, carefully consider the addition of another one. Refrain from using multiple products containing chemical exfoliants in the same day to avoid skin irritation. While exfoliation offers multiple skin benefits - it’s my personal skin care holy grail - over-exfoliating can do more harm than good.
If your skin is sensitive, introduce the product into your routine slowly. Instead of starting with daily use, start using the product 3 times a week, and slowly build up to daily use, only if your skin is able to tolerate it.
No skincare product works uniformly across the board for everyone and despite our creamy formula, salicylic acid can still be drying for some people - usually people who already have dry skin. If you’re one of those people, you might want to try our Resurfacing Face Wash, which has a lower concentration of salicylic acid, instead.
Lastly, keep chemical exfoliants away from your eye area and always wear sun protection, especially while using them. This is because despite their numerous benefits, they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Usage directions
To use, massage a dime sized amount into wet skin for 30 seconds to a minute and rinse off with cool to lukewarm water. Follow up with a suitable moisturiser while your skin is still damp, to lock hydration in.
What is it?
Our Resurfacing Face Wash is a luxurious, sulfate-free cleansing cream formulated with gentle, coconut-derived surfactants that easily, but gently, dissolve grime and impurities without stripping your skin.
It’s key active ingredients are 4% AHA - glycolic acid and lactic acid, and 0.5% BHA - salicylic acid. These acids are all chemical exfoliants. As previously mentioned, salicylic acid is able to penetrate and exfoliate within the pore, while AHAs only act at the skin’s surface. However, they have hydrating properties that salicylic acid doesn’t, which usually makes them the better choice for drier skin types.
Collectively, these ingredients work to lift away dead skin cells and reveal a brighter complexion. They also help fight acne, congestion, pigmentation and skin ageing.
In addition to chemical exfoliants, our Resurfacing Face Wash also contains some other wonderful ingredients:
Turmeric: Among other things, turmeric has potent antioxidant properties and helps protect skin cells from damage. It also has healing and anti-ageing properties.
Honey: Honey helps soothe and hydrate skin and inhibits the growth of microbes.
Grapeseed oil and almond oil: These contain omega fatty acids and help keep skin supple and moisturised.
Who is it for?
This product is suitable for all skin types, except fungal acne prone skin, but with some caveats:
If you’re already using chemical exfoliants, carefully consider the addition of another one. Refrain from using multiple products containing chemical exfoliants in the same day to avoid skin irritation. While exfoliation offers multiple skin benefits - it’s my personal skin care holy grail - over-exfoliating can do more harm than good.
If your skin is sensitive, introduce the product into your routine slowly. You can even try starting with the Salicylic Acid Cleanser instead - it has a lower overall concentration of acids, and yes, can be used by people without acne as well. If you choose to start with this however, instead of starting with daily use, start by using the product 3 times a week, and slowly build up to daily use if your skin is able to tolerate it.
Lastly, keep chemical exfoliants away from your eye area and always wear sun protection, especially while using them. This is because despite their numerous benefits, they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Usage directions
To use, massage a dime sized amount into wet skin for 30 seconds to a minute and rinse off with cool to lukewarm water. Follow up with a suitable moisturiser while your skin is still damp, to lock hydration in.