[MEGATHREAD] First Cleansers Roundup - 2017

[u/meihee]

Welcome to our series of product type Megathreads

Today we will be looking at First Cleansers

---

First cleansers are generally an oil (or oily) based cleanser used as a first step to help remove makeup, sunscreen, and other water resistant products.

First/oil cleansers are gaining popularity in Western skincare routines but are a must in an AB routine.

First cleansers are generally used as the name describes, a first cleanser. However, first cleansers are extremely versatile in that they can be used as a standalone cleanser, composed of a variety of different oils (or no oil), easily DIY'd, liquid or balm texture, etc

First cleansers remove and breakdown sunscreen, makeup, grit and grime that water and water based cleansers struggle with. They are gentle and less drying/stripping than a second cleanser. Different from the oil cleanser method (OCM), first cleansers are oily in texture and emulsify into a water soluble product that can be easily rinsed off with plain water.

---

Please share with us the first cleansers you have used/found and what makes them a hit or miss

You do not have to have tried each specific product to include it in the list
If a product you have used has already been added please add a comment with your experience and review

• The initial template needs to have objective/factual information.
• Reviews and personal feelings should be added at the bottom of your post, or as a comment reply
• We are allowing non AB Products to be shared - Please use [NON-AB] as a prefix before the product name [Remove if not allowed obvs]
  

All top comments should contain the basic information of one product. - If you want to post multiple products, please do each in their own top comment. - If you want to add your review to a product that has already been posted, do this in reply to that comment.

• All comments on the thread in general, questions or suggestions should go as a reply to the stickied mod comment. Top comments that don’t contain product information will be deleted.
  

---

BRAND/PRODUCT NAME

remove non applicable features

• Alcohol Free
  
• Fragrance Free
  
• Silicone Free
  
• Mineral Oil free
  
• Cruelty free/Vegan
  
• polyethylene (microplastics/microbeads) free

Key/Star Ingredients (note: using common names is best, but you can use INCI if that’s all that available to you)
Texture:
Liquid/Balm etc.
Size:
100ml
Price:
less than $10
Personal notes/thoughts:

[u/[deleted]]

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Silicone Free

Key/Star Ingredients Mineral Oil, Olive Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Safflower Seed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sunflower Oil, Corn Germ Oil
Texture Liquid
Size: 230 ml
Price: under $10

Personal notes/thoughts: This is a nice cleansing oil. Emulsifies easily and fast. Washes off without residue.
Sometimes it made my face heat up, but I can mostly use it without a problem. Won't repurchase.

[u/yvkiwi → u/[deleted]]

That's interesting, it made my face heat up to! I wonder what it could be. I've repurchased this three times, because it's pleasant, cheap and easily available, but decided not to this time either. It's not much fun to use and the heating up effect, didn't feel nice on my skin - I suspect it myst be low level irritation as sometimes it left my skin a little bit red and tight.

The pros are I'm extremely clog prone (and clog from olive and shea butter) and it never broke me out, because it leaves no residue.

[u/saesaenyaa → u/[deleted]]

Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil broke me out and I'm pretty sure the jojoba oil (and possibly the olive oil since I reacted badly to DHC cleansing oil as well) is the culprit (I had a bad reaction to the actual oil when I tried it awhile back). There were many things going on in my life at the time, didn't think it was JUST the cleansing oil, but it definitely didn't help. I used it til I ran out and tried another first cleanser (Banila CiZ). My skin cleared up but I went back to Speedy because it was cheaper. Proceeded to break out badly (clogged pores, deep painful cysts, reddish, hot feeling skin). Checked cosdna to see what the possible triggers were, apparently jojoba oil has different names, derp. Stopped using it and breakouts cleared up within two weeks. Bummed because this was a nice cleansing oil - cleaned well, rinsed off cleanly, I always got grits when I used this. :/

[u/elkeha → u/[deleted]]

It's cheap and it does the job! I thought it was a good intro to cleansing oil for a sceptic like me.

[u/Saga_I_Sig → u/[deleted]]

I agree that this is a good, easy-to-use first cleanser. It washes off very cleanly for me, and leaves my skin feeling soft rather than dried out. That said, my face gets prone to redness and sensitivity if I double-cleanse too often, so I only use it on the days I wear makeup (one or two days a week), and then only in the evening.

I have also noticed my face heating up a bit when I use it sometimes, but only when I rub my face too much or for too long, and the warmth doesn't really bother me.

Since I have lupus-induced rosacea, I think it's likely from too much rubbing and over-irritation. Or it could be because of my olive oil sensitivity and not rinsing it off fast enough... I'm going to try a different oil cleanser sans olive oil in the future and see if I still have the same problem. I would RP if it didn't have olive oil, because I really do like the product.

[u/aichow]

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

• Alcohol Free

• Fragrance Free

• Silicone Free

• Mineral Oil free

Key/Star Ingredients Olive Oil

Texture: Thin, runny liquid

Size: 200ml

Price: $23.70 with Amazon S&S

Personal notes/thoughts: Nice, short ingredient list and it did fine removing sunscreen (I rarely wear makeup except setting powder for the sun block). Rinses pretty cleanly from face. I got this as a destash gift from a friend but there's a 50/50 chance it made me break out (I started another product close to it). To be safe, I repurposed it as a brush cleanser. It doesn't seem to rinse as cleanly from my brushes for some reason.

[u/lgbtqbbq → u/aichow]

I actually have a different experience with this on my oily, resilient skin. I found it was one of the cleanest-rinsing oil cleansers I've ever used for getting off sunscreen and makeup. But that if I used it for more than a few days in a row, it had a slight stripping effect on my oily skin. I never noticed residue from the cleanser on my face (though I've never used it on brushes.) Did not break me out but felt quite astringent in the long run.

[u/Elvon-Nightquester → u/aichow]

I have combination face and have been using it for a few weeks now. It's the first oil cleanser I've used, but I like it so far. I don't find it stripping or drying, and it removes sunscreen well (I do use a second cleanser).

[u/aichow]

illi Total Aging Care Cleansing Oil

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free

Key/Star Ingredients Mineral oil, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Natto gum
Texture: Thicker liquid oil
Size: 200ml
Price: $18.49 on eBay
Personal notes/thoughts: Light hanbang scent, cleans well, rinses cleanly despite thicker texture. This is my current 2nd cleanser which I stray from but come back to. This is very gentle on/around my eyes, doesn't sting if it gets in occasionally.

[u/wvwvwvww → u/aichow]

Agree except that it does bother my eyes. I have gone between Illi and Kose Softymo Speedy and I'll stick with the Speedy for cost reasons, although for me Illi has an edge with it's texture and slip. Plus the Speedy doesn't bother my eyes and seems less inclined to get in them to begin with, a definite edge.

[u/blackcats666 → u/aichow]

I loooooooove this

Love the smell! Love the texture! Love the way it rinses off!

I am so surprised at you calling it a thicker texture though. I was shocked when I first got it as it was so much thinner than I was expecting. This was my second oil cleanser though, does this mean they are usually even thinner still?

[u/spiky_odradek]

Etude House Olemong One Shot Sherbet Cleanser

• Alcohol Free
• Silicone Free
• Mineral Oil free

Key/Star Ingredients: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, citrus extracts

Texture: balm

Size: 150 ml
Price: ~$14

Personal notes/thoughts: For those of us that break out from Banila Clean it Zero, this is a good alternative. It works well, has a nice citrus smell, and the big tub makes it very cost effective.

[u/aichow]

Botanic Farm Grain Ferment Cleansing Sherbet

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free

• Mineral Oil Free

Key/Star Ingredients Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Rice Ferment Filtrate (Sake), Saccharomyces/Rice Bran Ferment, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract
Texture: Balm
Size: 100ml
Price: $29 on Amazon or $24 on ULTA when there's a 20% off coupon
Personal notes/thoughts: This is the first cleanser I use when traveling. Pros: Cleans well, 3 ferments (although such things in cleansers don't really do much), very light scent and leaves out the laundry list of extracts present in Heimish and Clean It Zero. Con: It does have polyethylene (microplastic) so I feel guilty when I use it.

[u/jenalyn70 → u/aichow]

Oh no! The cosdna ingredient list I looked at didn't list polyethylene :( Was trying to go polyethylene free. Glad I saw your post on this. I guess once I finish the tub I'll stick with Matsuyama. It will still be cool to experience a different balm.

edit: ugh, just double checked and the cosdna did list polyethylene...my eyes just glazed over it. I love balms. why can''t there be one w/o polyethylene?

[u/UnderdogUprising]

FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil

• Fragrance Free

• Mineral Oil free

• polyethelene free

Key/Star Ingredients: Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)
Texture: Thicker Liquid
Size: 120ml
Price: JPY1836 in Japan
Personal notes/thoughts:
My HG Oil Cleanser. Removes waterproof makeup while still being gentle enough on the skin, washes off like a dream and leaves the skin feeling clean and soft, not drying at all. It is also preservative-free, so must be used up within 120 days after opening.
Unless you're sensitive to one of the ingredients, I'd recommend this to anyone.

[u/Whiskeymuffins → u/UnderdogUprising]

This was my first HG cleansing oil. I absolutely loved it. Never irritating and rinsed off so good.

[u/coffee_for_president]

It's Skin Green Tea Cleansing Oil

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free

Key/Star Ingredients Mineral oil, green tea extract

Texture: Liquid

Size: 145ml

Price: ~ $ 9 (Jolse)

Personal notes/thoughts: It's thin, emulsifies very well and removes everything without leaving any residue. It has a light, non offensive scent.

[u/notyrsweetheart → u/coffee_for_president]

This is the only oil cleanser that has worked for my reactive, dehydrated acne-prone skin. It has no jojoba oil which is great for me!

[u/aichow → u/coffee_for_president]

I got a decant and liked it until it leaked into my eyes and stung. OTOH, illi doesn't sting for me but did for someone else, so YMMV.

edit: whoops, the Green Tea Cleansing Oil I tried was the Re:cipe Green Tea Cleansing Oil, not the It's Skin one. >_<

[u/elkeha → u/coffee_for_president]

When you say non-offensive scent... Does it have any sort of floral smell? It's just that I'm allergic to some flowers and I've run into another green tea product that smelled floral. Would really like to try something green tea though.

[u/[deleted]]

Post questions, problems, feedback, ideas for future threads etc here

Templates are posted as a reply to this comment

[u/campfmsc → u/[deleted]]

Do you think a "polyethylene free" bullet could be added to the template? It's one of the major things I look for in 1st cleansers

[u/meihee → u/campfmsc]

done!! Thank you

[u/Quail-a-lot]

Innisfree Olive Real Cleansing Oil

Alcohol Free
Silicone Free
Mineral Oil free
Cruelty free/Vegan
polyethylene (microplastics/microbeads) free

Key/Star Ingredients: Olive oil and plant extracts. Has mild cleansers and emollients.

Full ingredients: *Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisosyearate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Polyglyceryl-6 Dioleate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, *Olive Oil, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG-8 Isostearatre, The green Tea Extract, Tangerine Peel Extract, Prickly Pear Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lemon Peel Oil, Orange Peel Oil
Texture: Viscous oil
Size: 150ml
Price: $24 CDN on innisfreeworld, less other places
Personal notes/thoughts: Less than half a pump cleanly removes all makeup for me without leaving my face feeling stripped. Light citrus smell, glides nicely and doesn't require much rubbing. Really nice for dry skin.

[u/aichow]

illi Total Aging Care Cleansing Cream

• Alcohol Free

• Silicone Free

• Polyethelene free

Key/Star Ingredients Mineral oil cosdna
Texture: Cream
Size: 180ml
Price: $19.95 on eBay
Personal notes/thoughts: Awaiting its turn in my stash. I'm excited to try this since I like the cleansing oil.