I used this in the AM for a week and my T-zone felt like parchment by 11am. Not cute.
The problem isn’t the foam — it’s that you’re probably using it when your skin doesn’t need that level of stripping. This cleanser has a pH around 5.5-6, which sounds gentle, but the surfactant mix (sodium cocoyl isethionate + coco-betaine) is *active*. It removes oil. Real oil. So if you slap it on in the morning after your skin spent all night rebuilding its barrier? You’re undoing the work.
It’s a low-foam gel cleanser from Mary & May — runs about $12-14 for 150ml. I bought it because Korean skincare Twitter wouldn’t shut up about houttuynia cordata (heartleaf) for redness. And I have a compulsive need to try anything that promises to calm my reactive cheeks.
Heartleaf Extract (10,000ppm)
It’s not just a drop — it’s the second ingredient after water. You can smell the green.
Tea Tree Leaf Water
Adds antibacterial oomph without the sting of straight tea tree oil.
Panthenol (B5)
The only reason this didn’t wreck my moisture barrier completely during testing.
Three things do the heavy lifting here. The houttuynia is anti-inflammatory — think of it as a gentle slap for angry pores. Panthenol softens the blow of the surfactants. And betaine salicylate (a gentler BHA cousin) exfoliates just enough that you might not need a separate toner in the PM.
- Houttuynia Cordata Extract: Calms redness, fights bacteria, smells like a garden after rain
- Panthenol: Locks in moisture so your face doesn’t squeak after washing
- Betaine Salicylate: Mild exfoliation — good for clogged pores, bad if you’re on retinoids
- Coco-Betaine: The surfactant that actually does the cleaning — not harsh, not gentle, just efficient
Squeezes out as a semi-opaque gel, almost like runny honey. Lathers into tiny, tight bubbles — not the suffocating foam of American drugstore cleansers. Rinses off in 8 seconds flat. No film. No squeak. Just… clean.
Week two I got cocky and used it AM and PM for three days. Cheeks felt tight by day four. Lesson learned: this is a PM-only cleanser unless you have oil-slick skin. The unexpected part? It actually helped my maskne fade faster than my usual benzoyl peroxide wash. Less irritation, same clarity.
Three weeks in: my jawline congestion is noticeably smoother. Redness around my nose? Still there, but less angry. Pores didn’t shrink (they never do, stop lying to yourself). Biggest win: no new breakouts during that week I ate cheese fries three days in a row.
Use it at night, not morning. Your barrier will thank you, your breakouts will chill out, and you’ll stop blaming your moisturizer for something your cleanser did.