MY FAVOURITE CREAMY CLEANSERS

 

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Creamier cleansers are ideal for dry skin - especially during the colder months - and I've tried a lot of them! So, today I'm sharing my top picks in this category...

My budget-friendly fave is the Ordinary's Glycolipid Cream Cleanser* | £11.10. This is 'creamy cleanser lite'; if you don't like the idea of a thick, rich cream cleanser (think an old school cold cream) but you want something gentle, non-foaming and non-drying, then this is the one for you! This is somewhere between a cream and a gel, and it has this lotion-like quality once massaged onto damp skin. It gently clears the skin of impurities with glycolipid surfactants (it also claims to remove makeup, which I haven't tried, but I'm slightly dubious!) It leaves my skin soft, balanced and happy but also clean. It doesn't sit on top of the skin or leave a residue, thanks to that more gel-like quality it has. There's not much in the way of 'added extras' in this formula; it's simple, but it works!

You can think of Monday Muse's the Cleanser | £28 | as the Ordinary's cleanser with all of those added extras and I say this because it's also formulated with those gentle, next-generation glycolipids that give it that same non-foaming creamy gel-lotion texture. This time, however, you're getting a non-stripping cleanse as well as the 'added extras' that make it a more advanced formula. There's soothing aloe, moisturising sweet almond and hemp seed oil, prebiotics to help boost the skin barrier and glycerin for hydration. This just adds an additional calming and moisturising benefit for me, but it really depends on your budget as to which of the two you go for. This does mostly work removing light everyday makeup (no waterproof mascara or eyeliner) when used with a damp cloth, but - for me - it's really a morning cleanse to start my AM routine with a fresh canvas (without stipping back my skin's moisture levels).

Next, let's talk about the Medik8 Cream Cleanse* | £22. Medik8 is one of my favourite brands and somehow I only found out a few months ago that they had a cream cleanser, and it did not disappoint! This is that true cream-lotion cleanser that's skin-softening and non-foaming. It's definitely on the richer side but still has enough fluidity to spread effortlessly over the skin. This cleanser is formulated with shea butter, which is what gives it that really nourishing quality. There's also glycerin for hydration and saponins to act as a gentle cleansing agent. I typically use this in the morning or as a one-stop PM cleanser on makeup-free days when I'm not wearing some heavy-duty water-resistant sunscreen. It's gentle, it actually replenishes moisture in my skin but I don't find it heavy and it doesn't leave an excess on my skin. If you have dry skin and want a cleanser that has that moisturiser-like feel on the skin: this is for you!

 

It's been reformulated, but I do still love the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser* | £58. This cleanser comes out creamy and dense, and is still creamy, but unlike the other formulas in this post; it does lather ever so slightly on contact with water. Some people didn't like this change at all but I honestly still really enjoy this formula and it doesn't leave my skin tight or dry after use. It's not quite as nourishing as something like the Medik8 but it strikes a really nice balance between a rich lather (which some people really do prefer to sense where their cleanser is going and that it's nicely worked into the skin) and a creamy feel. The result is that is more 'cleansing' than some of the other options in this post (so I'm more likely to reach for it after a morning run) but it's still creamy and dry skin safe. In terms of added ingredients, there's obviously goat milk which provides a slightly acidic quality to this cleanser, manuka honey as a moisturising antibacterial and nourishing jojoba and avocado oils.

Finally, I had to mention Skin Rocks the Cream Cleanser* | £32. On the spectrum of cream-to-lotion, I'd say this has a little bit more of a water-based quality to it than the Medik8; they're similar formulas but I'd say which is for you comes down to whether you want added richness or less thick, creamy consistency (plus the Skin Rocks formula has some added ingredients). The glycerin in this cleanser helps give it that more water-saturated, fluid feel and boosts hydration in the skin. The jojoba and macadamia esters in here offer lightweight skin-softening goodness, squalane is nice and replenishing and amino acids contribute towards hydration and skin health. This works really nicely as a morning cleanse or a one-step PM option on sunscreen-only days. It's simple but I do find myself reaching for it time and time again; this product range is really aimed at providing straightforward skincare staples, and I think they hit the nail on the head with this one.

I hope this post gave you a good overview of the best creamy-textured cleansers on the market (in my humble opinion!) and helped you work out which might be the one for you. Are you a fan of creamy cleansers?

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