[Review] I tried a total of 7 cleansers over the past six months. Here are my thoughts on all of them!

Beauty Tips For Body Care
To date, I've tried seven different cleansers! I guess you can call me a cleanser guinea pig LOL.For background purposes, I live in Canada, and have normal to dry skin.Cleansers:Muji Face Soap ScrubCosrx Good Morning Gel CleanserHeimish All Clean Green FoamDerma E Hydrating CleanserEtude House Soonjung pH 6.5 Whip CleanserHada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing FoamInnisfree Blueberry Rebalancing 5.5 Cleanser​I'm going to be evaluating each cleanser on the following criteria:Is it pH balanced? (slightly acidic, range from 5 to 7?)Is it non-drying? (Avec the non-scientific method of not moisturizing afterwards and seeing if my skin is crying)Is it affordable, and easy to find?Is it made of safe ingredients? (Avec EWG ratings)Is it satisfying to use?​Let's start with the first cleanser I ever purchased, the Muji Face Soap Scrub. I found this for around $6 CAD at Muji. Being a total AB newbie, I picked it up not thinking much about the ingredients. It has peach pit particles which are supposed to exfoliate your skin. This sounds a bit like the infamous St. Ives apricot scrub LOL.Unfortunately this cleanser has a pH of 7.5. Although it worked well to clean my face, and didn't break me out, once I found out about the importance of using a low pH cleanser, I began my hunt for one. And thus begins the saga of me purchasing too many cleansers.pH balanced? No. Although at a 7.5 it isn't as horrendous as I had estimated before I tested it, it should not be basic. Thank you, next!non-drying? Yes.affordability and convenience? Yes, if you live in a place where Muji has physical stores.safe ingredients? This product has many acne triggers on Cosdna.satisfying? heck yes i'm ashamed. Unscented aka slight chemical scent.​​Next, I purchased the Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. It seems to be very popular. I bought it for $22 on Amazon Canada. Unfortunately, the first time I tried it, it broke me out on my forehead. This was around September. I persisted with it for around two weeks before admitting that it was breaking me out. To this day I still don't know exactly what it was. I've heard Coco-Betaine was an irritant, or it could be the tea tree oil, but I've used other products with these ingredients and my skin was fine with those.pH balanced? Yes.non-drying? Not really. While it wasn't the most drying cleanser I used, my skin felt slightly irritated and dry.affordability and convenience? Meh. It's available everywhere but isn't very cheap.safe ingredients? Another meh.satisfying? Not at all, this one didn't foam very much. :( Smells like pine.​​After the disaster that was Cosrx, I went for the Heimish All Clean Green Foam. It has a pH of 5.5 and comes in gel format. All I can say was, thank GOODNESS I went for the travel size!! This cleanser did not break me out, but it DRIED THE BEJEEZUS out of my skin. Seriously, ten seconds after cleansing, my forehead looked like roof shingles. Even after three layers of moisturizer my skin was still flaking. Good riddance.pH balanced? Yes.non-drying? hah. hahahah. hhhhhhh. hahaha.affordability and convenience? Decent, a little more expensive than Cosrx.safe ingredients? Yes. This one has all green from Cosdna which just shows that product safety ratings don't mean your skin will like the product.satisfying? More than the Cosrx, but still not very foamy. :( Smells like grass.​​After my skin got dried out by the Heimish, I tried Derma E's Hydrating Cleanser. It has a reported pH of 5.5 on their website. I did not find this hydrating at all. My skin would start to flake quickly if I didn't moisturize right after cleansing. Overall, I think this cleanser is overpriced ($20 CAD for 175 mL) and doesn't live up to it's name!pH balanced? Yes.non-drying? not really.affordability and convenience? Can be found on iherb, or in your local grocery store.safe ingredients? Almost. The only red flag is Retinyl Palmitate.satisfying? Similar texture to Cosrx but I hated the scent. Smells like fresh diapers.​​Next, I bought the Etude House Soonjung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser. I really liked this one, so much that I used too much and nearly finished half a 70 mL bottle in two weeks. Ooops. This is really effective at removing makeup and sunscreen though it will sting your eyes. In fact, all of these cleansers will sting your eyes. I used to use two pumps every morning and night, which was waaaay too much. One pump is enough.pH balanced? Yes. Could be a bit lower but oh well.non-drying? Yes.affordability and convenience? $10 USD for 150 mL on rubyrubyshop.com. It's not the easiest to find in store though. In Toronto, I've seen it for $20 CAD at M Brand.safe ingredients? Yes!satisfying? It is a light foam. I like it a lot. It's also unscented!​​I also tried the Hada Labo Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid Cleansing Foam. I really wanted to enjoy this, but unfortunately it left my skin dry and dull. What a shame, it was so cheap too. T_T I'm using it as hand soap and shampoo now LOL. I did adore the texture of this, it is a very thick creamy foam.pH balanced? Yes, reported as approx 5.5.non-drying? Others have said so. My skin didn't agree, unfortunately.affordability and convenience? Yes, I'd buy the refills off doko demo for approx $10 each with air shipping (5-9 days) if it had worked for me.safe ingredients? Pretty much. Only flag was PEG-8.satisfying? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeees <3​​Finally, I'm currently trying the Innisfree Blueberry Rebalancing 5.5 Cleanser. I bought it today and only used it once so my opinions on it are tentative. It has a very heavy scent, kind of like if I walked into muji and soaked myself in their scent diffusers. It comes out as a cream and becomes a slight creamy foam. Similar level of foaming to the Cosrx but it's a bit creamier.pH balanced? Yep!non-drying? Yesss! This one left my skin really soft.affordability and convenience? Very cheap online, though not available in many sites like the Cosrx. I found it for $8.50 in store.safe ingredients? It's all green on cosdna. It does contain essential oils and isopropyl alcohol at the bottom of the list though.satisfying? Not as much as the Hada Labo or Soonjung.​​Overall, which cleanser would I go with? Probably the Soonjung or Innisfree. I wish the Innisfree were unscented, then it would be perfect. The soonjung has a slightly higher cleansing power than innisfree, so it is a tad more stripping but still not drying. If you don't have oily skin, stay away from the Heimish.​I think I'm done trying cleansers, whew! I was considering trying Innisfree the Minimum Cleanser but it's a bit hard to find and only comes in a 70 mL size. Other cleansers I've looked at are the Sulwhasoo Snowise Cleanser, and the Krave Matcha Hemp Hydrating Cleanser. But I'm broke enough, I'm going to finish my Soonjung and Innisfree Blueberry cleanser.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by gli3247