One thing all beauty editors know: Facial cleanser can make or break your skincare routine. The feeling of clean skin is satisfying, but if you don't wash your face properly, your skin simply won't get the benefits of serums and moisturizers. They may settle on the surface of makeup, sunscreen, and anything else your skin has come into contact with that day, instead of absorbing effectively and working to their full potential. This is not only a waste of time but also a waste of money.
With brands like The Inkey List, CeraVe, and Byoma offering high-quality, affordable formulas, you don't have to spend a fortune on facial cleansing. In particular, The Ordinary's products are as low as their prices. If you're already a fan, you'll know that the Squalane Cleanser (£8) is a must-have for dermatologists and TikTok skincare enthusiasts alike due to its silky, balm-like texture. Then there's the newer Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, £11.10, which is a very effective makeup remover. Now there is competition for both. Enter: Glycolipid Cleansing Cream, £11.10. This unique formula has a few factors that set it apart from its predecessor. First, the texture: It's more like a gel-cream than a balm oil (like Squalane Cleanser), and it doesn't lather (like Glucoside Foaming Cleanser).
Since it's water-based, it feels more like a lightweight lotion, but its cleaning power shouldn't be underestimated. The Ordinary promises that the Glycolipid Cleanser will remove dirt, environmental contaminants (like pollution), and makeup. Even better: it's suitable for all skin types. What are glycolipids? If you don't mind a crash course in chemistry, lipids are naturally occurring fats. Glycolipids are fats with carbohydrates attached to them, and they are responsible for connecting cells that form tissues such as skin. Glycolipids are said to be highly emollient and therefore can soften, soothe and moisturize dry skin. This makes them an effective complement to moisturizers, serums, and cleansers, like this one from The Ordinary.
Is ordinary sugar-fat facial cleanser good to use? Before I get down to business: I rarely have my cleaning products ready the way they're supposed to be. It's my job to try the latest products as they come out, but more often than not, I give up on products before I've used up the last drop. To avoid wasting anything, I use a facial cleanser on my body or use a lather to cleanse my makeup brushes. But I love the Sugar Lipid Cleanser so much that I don’t want to see it until the end. When I did this, I didn't have much like it on hand. The gel-cream texture is similar to CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (£11.50), arguably the most viral cleanser on TikTok. If you're a regular R29 user, you know I love using it. It's gentle on reactive and sensitive skin, removes makeup, leaves skin feeling soft, and won't cause breakouts anytime.
However, I noticed one key difference: While regular sugar-fat cleansers cut through thick mascara in just one swipe, CeraVe requires a double cleanse to melt it all away. For this reason alone, I tend to use sugar-lipid cleansers. Anything that takes a minute off my skincare routine gets my vote. I should tell you something else: before the Sugar Lipid Cleanser showed up on my desk, I had been using a new cleanser, £42, from a brand popular with dermatologists.
It took a lot of effort to dissolve my foundation and mascara, causing my eyes to sting. At £11.10, The Ordinary Cleanser is a fraction of the price and, in my opinion, more effective and pleasant to use. It's safe to say that we're more aware than ever of our skin barrier (the outermost layer of skin, like the armor of the face).
As a result, smoother, gentler cleansers are replacing foaming cleansers, which can leave skin feeling tight and uncomfortable. Even though I have combination skin with a very oily T-zone and occasional blackheads, I find that the glycolipid cleanser works better for me than the foaming cleanser. In fact, I think I like it better than the brand's new Glucoside Foaming Cleanser. I don't feel the urgent need to refresh my skin with serums and moisturizer afterwards because my skin isn't thirsty. Instead, it's soft and stretchy. Since learning how to take better care of my skin barrier (choose moisturizers with ingredients like ceramides and glycerin, don't overuse products like retinol or exfoliating acids, and switch to cleansers like this one) I've also Noticed fewer breakouts.
My partner (who also has combination and acne-prone skin) loves the Glycolipid Cleanser as much as I do, which is why you see the longevity of the tube being squeezed to within an inch. We even considered cutting off the top to keep the rest. My only criticism is that the tube isn't twice as big. Using it to remove makeup at night and freshening my face in the morning (not to mention sharing it with others), we completed the entire process in less than a month.
The Glycolipid Cleanser is available now at theordinary.com/en-gb and like the cleansers before it, I have a feeling it will fly off the virtual shelves very quickly. I know a future cult classic when I see one.
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