I have long steered away from any cleanser that describes itself as “foaming.” Prone to dehydration and dryness, my complexion has never responded well to this genre of face washes. For anything other than oily skin, dermatologists have always advised me to avoid foaming cleansers. Until now.
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Sulwhasoo’s Gentle Cleansing Foam has made me rethink everything I once believed about the lathering cleansing category. And I really shouldn’t be surprised, considering the brand is a Korean export. K-beauty brands are defined by their skin-loving formulas that are gentle, kind and made up of innovative ingredients that prioritise skin barrier protection, nourishment and moisturisation – and Sulwhasoo’s cleanser certainly falls into that description.
You only need a couple of pumps of this product – a little goes a long way. Applied to dry skin as the first step in our skincare routines, it feels sumptuous and nourishing as you massage it into the skin. The lathering begins even before you add water, but it goes into overdrive once you do. The brand recommends working it into a lather before slathering it onto the skin and then rinsing with water, but I find whichever way works effectively. You can really feel all the dirt and grime from the day washing away, but it is also extremely effective for hard-wearing make-up.
A full face of foundation, mascara and more were no match for the gel-to-foam cleanser. You only need to glide it on the lashes, and it removes any pigment, all without stinging the eyes.
Best of all, however, is how the skin feels after you have washed the suds away – clean, cleansed but crucially, not stripped or dry and no filmy residue. The hydrating feel of this cleanser is down to the brand’s proprietary Hydra Capture Complex, which does exactly as described and prevents that tight feeling that would be typically associated with foaming cleanser, and replaces harsh surfactants that may disrupt the pH or protective barrier.
I follow with hydrating serums in the day, and at night, my new obsession, the VT Cosmetics Reedle Shot 100 with either a retinol a couple of times a week, a PDRN serum or peptides and my skin is glowing throughout the following day.
It has a herbaceous aroma, no doubt on account of the raspberry fruit, mulberry leaf, mountain yam and cocoa in the composition, but the scent is light and not overpowering.