Simple moisturizing cleanser was the first product, I tried when I got serious about skincare. It fitted my budget, and all the claims it had on its packaging made me feel like I was ticking every box for a good cleanser.
Back then, I knew very little about skincare.
I have used this product on and off for the last two years. During October, I found myself repurchasing on Amazon sales for $2.78. It came in a 150ml tube.
I have been using it for approximately two months, although not consistent with my use. Because in winter, my skin becomes super dehydrated. It’s like famine struck on my face. So, I skip cleanser in the morning unless I had the heavy cream the night before, and then I cleanse in the morning.
A bit about the simple brand
Simple as the brand presents itself as the OG of clean beauty. Their products exclude 2000+ harsh chemicals, no color, and no tone of other claims.
Regardless of how well their product performs. These marketing claims are not regulated and mean nothing. They only create fear and vilify certain chemicals.
A post on all these marketing claims would be better than me ranting here.
Product claims
This cleanser claims to be gentle and suitable for all skin types. Good at removing makeup, and dirt without the tight or dry feeling.
On a side note, their website also claims to boost skin moisture by 40% in just one week. (I don’t know if any cleanser can do that)
This cleanser is fragrance-free for people who are allergic to fragrance or don’t like fragrance in their products. Also, a vegan product for people who are into that lifestyle.
Some other claims on the packaging are – No Color, No Harsh Chemicals, Non-comedogenic, 100% soap-free, and Dermatologically tested.
Packaging
The product comes in a standard green and white colored tube. Simple products are riding the green flag well.
The tube is in thick white, so you can’t see how much product is left. There is a green flip cap to dispense the product.
The packaging doesn’t impress me that much. I used about half of the product, but it became too difficult to squeeze, and the green flip cap easily gets broken if it gets dropped. And I did drop. I had to keep this product upside down. It wasn’t functional at all.
I wish the packaging was more durable.
Ingredient:
Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, PEG-55, Propylene Glycol Oleate, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, PEG-7 Glycerl Cocoate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Glycol Distearate, Cocamide MEA, Disodium EDTA, Bisabolol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Laureth-10, Polyquaternium-39, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric acid.
Apart from being fragrance-free, this has other great ingredients that include:
- Tocopheryl Acetate: a form of vitamin E that works as an antioxidant but is poorly absorbed by the skin.
- Panthenol: a humectant that also has soothing properties.
- Bisabolol: a skin-soothing ingredient with anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
- Glycerin: a key skin hydrating ingredient.
Although this cleanser has some great ingredients, this alone won’t make a good product.
We have to try it to see how well it functions.
Ingredient lists are great for identifying certain chemicals that you are irritated or allergic to. Otherwise, I don’t like to fuss over it much.
When/How to use
On its website, the instructions are to use warm water for cleansing. I don’t know why they recommend that.
But I still tried and it didn’t make any difference.
The way I used it is first I like to clean my hand. Then wet my face. Take a big pearl-sized amount and emulsify it. Then apply it all over my face, and massage it on my skin in a circular motion. Then I wash it off.
You can cleanse your face however you want. Whatever method feels convenient and makes you feel clean.
There is no hard rule. Many people use the 60s rule, where they wash their face for a minute.
That seems like a lot of work for me. I don’t want to count when I’m cleaning my face.
Performance:
It looks translucent and a bit shiny and has the texture of gel-like consistency with a hint of creaminess in it. Kind of like between cream and gel but more on the gel side.
I like foaming face wash, and this cleanser doesn’t give me that experience. It lathers much less. The texture is running and feels sticky. Unlike other gel cleansers, this doesn’t spread well over your face. You have to emulsify it first.
This has a slight chemical smell.
One good thing about this product is how little you need. A pea-sized amount was enough for me. But this was only the case if you weren’t wearing any sunscreen or makeup.
It also cleanses without drying out your skin. But it isn’t moisturizing enough for the moisturizing face wash. This also doesn’t make your skin hydrated or plump after cleansing.
In winter, when I’m already going through dehydrated skin, this cleanser just doesn’t do it for me. It’s not bad, but I would expect a more hydrating effect from the cleanser.
After all, Simple made that promise on their packaging, so that didn’t happen even after having an ingredient that has the properties to do so.
It’s also not great at cleansing, if I’m wearing sunscreen, this cleanser doesn’t do a good job of removing sunscreen from your face.
It took a double cleanse with this same cleanser to remove my sunscreen. I don’t know how well it will cleanse if you have high water-resistant sunscreen on.
And it’s so bad at removing makeup. Like it, don’t even try.
In summer my skin becomes more oily and when I use simple moisturizing cleanser it leaves a top film on my skin and I hate that, it feels like there is so much left on my skin. I guess that’s what they mean by moisturizing claim.
Conclusion
It’s a pretty average cleanser that does its job ok enough. If you aren’t wearing makeup or sunscreen, then it cleanses your skin well without drying or feeling tight after. Otherwise, you have to double-clean with this.
I think it’s better than all the cleansers I used in my teen years. The price isn’t high, but that can depend upon where you live and your budget.
I wouldn’t discourage you from using this product, just because I didn’t like how it performs doesn’t mean you would too. It might suit your budget or feel good on your skin.
I wouldn’t repurchase this, as I am not a fan of the brand, but that isn’t enough for me to dislike the product. Performance-wise, this doesn’t do it for me.
Rating: ⭐