Hey everyone! Rather than doing a lot of small individual reviews of the cleansers I have in rotation now, I thought I would do a comprehensive post of all of the cleansers in my “wardrobe” so I can compare and contrast them in addition to reviewing them on their own merits. To keep things organized, I’m going to split this post into two parts, first cleansers (oils, balms, cleansing waters) and second cleansers (foaming, stick). This is part one, first cleansers, and I’ll link to part two here once I’ve completed it.

[UPDATE 07/01/17]: I wrote this post before I was able to narrow down phenoxyethanol as a potential skin irritant of mine (causing really blotchy flushing). Because of that, I can no longer use the Bifesta or Botanic Farm cleansers discussed below. My impressions still stand, since they are mostly about relative efficacy and texture/scent/cost/etc. Unless you are also sensitive to this ingredient (it’s a very well-tolerated preservative), there shouldn’t be an issue!

Products discussed in this post:

Illi Total Aging Care Cleansing Oil

Re:cipe Rose Petal Cleansing Oil

Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Cleansing Sherbet

A.True Sweet Song Black Tea One-Step Cleansing Water

Bifesta Moist Cleansing Lotion

Illi Total Aging Care Cleansing Oil

200 mL

This cleansing oil is my Holy Grail. Of all of the first cleansers I’ve tried, this is the one I always come back to. It has a very thick, luxurious texture that melts down makeup and sun cream super easily. There are a lot of nice extracts in the ingredient list, and as a result it smells just heavenly.

Ingredients

CosDNA

Mineral Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl tetraethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, PEG-8 Isostearate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Natto gum, Dextrin palmitate, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Butylene Glycol, Water, Fragrance

Pros

Pump dispenser is very hygienic, and the pump is well designed and works very well.

Texture is awesome. It’s thick enough that it doesn’t drip all over or spill on the counter top accidentally, but it’s smooth enough to spread easily over skin. This is pretty close to ideal for a liquid oil.

The scent is so wonderfully hanbang-y. Of all of the cleansers I’ve used, this smells the best, hands down.

The whole sensory experience makes it very enjoyable to do an oil massage for a few minutes each night. I’m not in a hurry to get this stuff off my face.

Melts down makeup and sunscreen easily. The only thing that has ever caused me to go back and cleanse with another product is eyeliner stuck to eyelash glue. That stuff is stubborn as hell.

Emulsifies easily and washes off without residue.

Cons

Not travel friendly. The pump does lock, sort of, but I don’t trust it. If I’m going away, I prefer to leave my cleansing oils at home.

It’s pretty expensive to get locally in the US. It’s much cheaper if you wait for shipping from Korea.

Rating: 5/5 Kittens

Where Can I Get It?

Amazon – $29.20 with Prime (at time of publishing)

SweetCorea – $8.26

RoseRoseShop – $8.35

TesterKorea – $11.45

Jolse – $26.33 (currently sold out at time of publishing)

Re:cipe Rose Petal Cleansing Oil

200 mL

I’m going to level with you folks, I got this because Memebox had a doorbuster sale going on and I have no self control. It just looked so pretty! Unfortunately, while it’s definitely fine for the low price I paid, it is nowhere near cool enough to displace my HG Illi oil. That said, it’s not a bad oil on its own merits.

Ingredients

CosDNA

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Rosa Canina Fruit Juice, Fragrance, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Glycine Soja Oil, Carrot, Beta Carotene, Water, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Extract

Pros

Looks beautiful, has real rose petals floating around in there. Super, super pretty to have on my counter!

Smells like roses. (Shocking.) The scent is pretty strong though, so be aware. It’s a bit strong for me personally.

It does the job. It breaks down makeup and sunscreen well, and emulsifies and washes off with water.

Cons

I got this for $9.00 during the Memebox doorbuster sale, which I think is a reasonable price point, but it is otherwise on the expensive side (moreso than the Illi one, which is wild).

Texture is thinner and drippier than the Illi, which can be a hassle. It’s pretty standard though, most of the oils I’ve tried other than the Illi have the same consistency.

Somehow feels kind of “gritty” when I’m massaging it into my face. Not really sure what’s causing that, or if it’s an anomaly. It doesn’t cause any damage, it’s just not super pleasant feeling.

Similarly unsuited to travel.

Rating: 3/5 Kittens

Where Can I Get It?

SweetCorea – $22.94

TesterKorea – $15.90

BeautyBoxKorea – $18.59

Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Cleansing Sherbet

100 mL

This is a really nice balm cleanser. I like it so much better than the Banila Co. Clean It Zero. Balm cleansers are great for prolonging the oil massage step of oil cleansing. They can also be cleaner than liquid oil cleansers, since the product is solid until it’s warmed on the skin. I’d happily repurchase when I run out of this giant tub.

Ingredients

CosDNA

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Polyethylene, PEG-10 Isostearate, Rice Ferment Filtrate, Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment, Lactobacillus, Trihydroxystearin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Butylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

Pros

Smells really good.

Texture is smooth and silky, very enjoyable to use. Melts down easily and is good for oil massage.

Solid form makes it easier to measure a precise amount, and no risk of spilling or splashing.

Breaks down makeup and sunscreen easily and effectively. Emulsifies well.

Solid form can be good for air travel. I have a small sample size that I “refill” before traveling.

Cons

Tubs are less hygienic than pump bottles, in general.

Have to remember to take the spatula out or bring it with me before I can use it, which would be less annoying if I didn’t always manage to forget…

Rating: 5/5 Kittens

Where Can I Get It?

Amazon – $30.00 with Prime (at time of publishing)

SweetCorea – $14.96

TesterKorea – $20.49

BeautyBoxKorea – $21.82

A.True Sweet Song Black Tea One-Step Cleansing Water

300 mL

This is my first real cleansing water, and I really like using it in the mornings, and to cleanse my neck/chest without making a gigantic mess by the sink (and on my clothes). For whatever reason, sheet mask essence sometimes pills on my neck area, so this is really useful to take care of that issue. It also helps me feel like I’ve effectively gotten the sunscreen off my neck. I rinse it off after using it, even if only with a cotton pad full of water.

Ingredients

CosDNA

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Glycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Salix Nigra Bark Extract, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum Extract, Verbena Officinalis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Fruit Extract, Lemon Fruit Extract, Butylene Glycol, Acer Saccharum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Flower Extract, Water, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance

Pros

Giant bottle, so a reasonably good value. I don’t expect to run through this quickly.

Helps me cleanse neck and chest area regularly and effectively. I wash my face at the sink twice a day, which makes washing those areas difficult and messy. It solves a quality of life issue for me, so I appreciate having it as an option.

Lets me quickly take off makeup and sunscreen if I don’t have the time or energy for a long routine. Drunk Lauren gives this product an enthusiastic two thumbs up.

Cons

Expensive. Not available through very many retailers, so you can’t really shop around.

No real scent. I was hoping it would have the same sweet tea scent as the rest of the line, but no such luck. If you prefer unscented or lightly scented products, this may be a good pick for you.

Not a standalone product: requires cotton pads to be used, which can be irritating.

Need to be rinsed off, because it does leave some residue. (This is per the instructions as well, I’ve just seen ones that don’t require washing off before.)

Isn’t the best at taking off all of my makeup or sunscreen. Doesn’t replace a good double cleanse.

Rating: 4/5 Kittens

Where Can I Get It?

Amazon – $27.99

Cupidrop – $28.00

Bifesta Moist Cleansing Lotion

300 mL

This is a fairly standard single-phase makeup remover. It could probably be used as a general purpose cleansing water, but I don’t find it that refreshing, so I usually don’t. It’s not amazing, but the limited edition bottle I have is cute and it works well enough.

Ingredients

CosDNA

Water, Dipropylene glycol, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, Glycerin, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-20 Glyceryl Diisostearate, Phenoxyethanol, PPG-6-DECYLTETRADECETH-30, PCA Ethyl Cocoyl Arginate, Sodium Citrate, Disodium EDTA, Styrene/VP Copolymer, Citric Acid, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Dihydroxypropyl Arginine HCl

Pros

Takes off most of my makeup. Does the job all right.

Cute bottle. (Again, I’m shallow.)

Good value for the price. Comes in a fairly large bottle and it’s inexpensive.

Cons

Need to use cotton pads with it, not really a standalone product.

Does require some rubbing, which can be irritating, especially with lower quality cotton.

It says you can choose whether to rinse it off, but I always do. It leaves a residue if I don’t.

Rating: 3/5 Kittens

Where Can I Get It?

Amazon – $15.99

Sasa – $7.90

Cleanser Battle Royale

So here is possibly the only genuinely helpful thing in this post: my attempt at a demo. I threw each of the above at a segment of my arm that had been fully decked out with:

sunscreen

BB cushion

two eyeshadows

eyeliner

glitter liner

milky-type lip tint

watery-type lip tint

blush

Below are the results of my test after applying each cleanser to one section of of my arm, rubbing them into the makeup for a few seconds, and then rinsing under warm water.

As you can see, the cleansing waters kind of struggled, especially with my Dolly Wink eyeliner. To be fair I used them with my finger, not a cotton pad, so that the test was as consistent as possible. The other three took pretty much everything off cleanly, except for the stain left by the watery-type tint. Those things are fucking tenacious.

I hope these mini reviews are helpful to anyone looking into purchasing one of these products! Please let me know if you have any questions!

I’ll leave you with this song from Kill Me, Heal Me. I’m on the second to last episode now, and I’ve been crying a lot to this song.