Review: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

Proper cleansing can often be the gateway to healthy skin. In my experience, majority of the breakouts I've had in my life have been a result of improper cleansing (hormonal breakouts aside, of course), leaving traces of makeup on the skin to then manifest in other forms aka blemishes. That being said, once that dawned on me, double cleansing became a saviour and I suddenly didn't hate cleansing oils at all.

image c/o Glossier

When Glossier launched its Milky Jelly Cleanser, I was obviously intrigued as I tend to be with all of the brand's launches because, like the rest of the range, the inspiration for this cleanser is largely crowd-sourced. Emily Weiss created a post inquiring about what the ITG community's dream cleanser would be and this product is the end result. Nearly 400 comments were left on that post, and I'd say there were some pretty solid ideas of a non-drying, gentle yet effective cleanser that would function like a micellar water in a creamier format. That's basically what has been created and I'm not mad!

Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser contains rose water (a quarter of the water content in the formula was subbed in with this floral eau, so spoiler alert: it has a faint rose smell), skin-soothing allantoin, glycerin, vitamin B5, hyaluronic acid, among other ingredients. The formula is a pH-balanced milky-looking gel texture that doesn't emulsify when combined with water, so the cleansing experience is probably more in line with a cleansing milk than any other cleanser category.

I tested this over the last four weeks in a couple of ways. I should preface this by saying I wear makeup every day not out of necessity, but out of desire because I love the process. I don't always do much with eyes or lips, but a base of some sort (concealer, foundation, whatever appeals to me that day), powder, bronzer, blush, brows and mascara are always in the mix. That being said, I don't use a makeup remover before cleansing because I double cleanse.

First, I tried using Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser it as both steps of my double cleanse, which is not only a surefire way to burn through product quickly, but it also wasn't that effective. Unsurprisingly, I still had faint traces of makeup on my skin when I tested my face after cleansing with a swipe of Bioderma on a cotton pad.

For my second test, I used it as the first step of my double cleanse (following up with either La Roche-Posay Effaclar Cleansing Gel or Vichy Pureté Thermal Fresh Cleansing Gel once I ran out of my LRP cleanser), and the results were fine. I do think that the second cleanser was the workhorse in this process, really picking up the slack where the Milky Jelly Cleanser seemed to fall short.

For my third test, I used Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser as a second step in my double cleanse routine, after traces of L'Oréal Sublime Radiance Sensational Cleansing Oil (a drugstore winner) were washed away. This combination of cleansers was decent!

image c/o Glossier

General sidebar: making an effort to really work any cleanser you use into the skin and massage the hell out of your face to really lift off any makeup or debris is key, so a word to the wise - rushing your cleansing process won't do you any favours. Take at least 30 seconds per cleanser to let the product do its thing.

Ultimately, I think anyone with any skin type (but dry skin especially!) that doesn't have loads of makeup to remove will really rate this cleanser. I prefer to use it as a morning cleanser. [Note: I used to not cleanse in the morning, thinking it was a bit superfluous, but I started experiencing weird pilling with my morning skincare and makeup routine, usually as a result of silicones on the skin from my p.m. skincare products. Something to mull on if you've ever experienced this.] It leaves skin super soft - never even remotely dry or tight - and ready for the rest of your routine.

The user experience is pretty solid over all and the price (US$18) isn't that heinous - just in line with Glossier's cushy mid-range pricing strategy. Sorry fellow Canadians, this stuff is obviously pending cross-border availability at this point in time (shoutout to my NYC-based brother who continues to be my Glossier touchpoint in life). For anyone who does get their paws on a Glossier Phase 1 Set, it's significant to note that the Phase 1 Set now comes equipped with this cleanser swapped out for the soothing face mist, which frankly burns eyes like CRAZY, so good riddance!