GENIUS Ultimate Anti-Aging Melting Cleanser

10 Reviews

1. 

   thrilledRelish0

   Reply

   I got this in a set so it’s not the full size but big enough to have used it for a few weeks. I like the smell (sort of vanilla) and the texture which is thicker than an oil or gel. It removes most of my makeup quickly though I do have trouble with removing mascara as other reviewers noted. I have sensitive eyes but haven’t had a problem with this cleanser.

   My issue with this is that it doesn’t rinse off completely or at least it doesn’t feel like it. I get that you want a soft feeling after using a cleanser and don’t want skin to be stripped but my face just doesn’t feel totally clean after using this. I usually follow it with another gentle cleanser to remove the residue. Because of that, I’m going to use up the tube I have but won’t repurchase.

2. 

   curiousEagle9

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   I so wanted to love this cleanser. It’s an oil that starts out as a gel and becomes oil as you rub it into your skin. Then you emulsify with water and rinse off like any oil cleanser. It smells delicious and leaves my skin soft. But it doesn’t remove eye makeup like my other oil cleanser (Shu Uemura), and it stings my eyes when emulsified. So it’s a no-go for me. It’s a shame because the gel-to-oil a genius idea, especially for travel.

3. 

   wingedCamel9

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   I love how this makes my skin feel. I have dry skin in winter and this wash helps balance my skin.

4. 

   sincereJaguar6

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   I found this on clearance at Marshalls. It was TEN DOLLARS. I picked it up because I knew Algenist products were normally expensive and I can’t resist a deal lol. I didn’t even google it beforehand because if it sucked I would just return it. I’ve used it for about five days in the morning and I like it but I don’t love it. Context: This is the first “melting” cleanser I ever tried. I have very oily skin on my forehead and nose and a little dry on cheeks, VERY acne-prone. I’ve been using this in the morning because I feel weird about oil cleansing at night – I don’t want a harsh cleanser at night but I do want something a little more active because I’ve usually been wearing makeup all day and my face feels really dirty. The first couple days I tried it my face felt very nice after I rinsed it off – not tight dry or squeaky, very soft and moisturized but not oily. I spritzed with Ole Hendriksen’s Nurture Me facial water and moisturized with Solvere, both of which I normally do. Well about midway through the day I was not pleased because I felt SUPER oily and just…gross. It had to be the cleanser bc like I said I didn’t change anything else about my routine. So the next couple days I toned with witch hazel (not alcohol-free WH) after cleansing but before spritzing to see if that would cut the oil. It did so very nicely and my face felt great throughout the day – not dry, maybe just a little oily if at all (but like I said I’m very oily normally) and not itchy. Also I have not broken out and normally my skin will let me know immediately if it doesn’t like something (coconut oil ::shudder::). So would I repurchase? No, not unless I found it on super sale again. I see that at Sephora this is $38 for five ounces. That’s f’ing crazy, especially since I had to tone afterwards with witch hazel. Since I have to do that I might as well just oil cleanse with plain old jojoba oil (my preferred skincare oil) and then tone, it would have the exact same result. I’ve also seen a lot of people on r/skincareaddiction talk about the DHC cleansing oil, which you can get on DHC’s website at $28 for 6.7 ounces. If I want to experiment with another oil cleanser, I will probably go with the DHC although I still feel like that is overpriced.

5. 

   sadBaboon3

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   Best melting cleanser ever used. I think it’s a bit pricey but so far I don’t know other oil or balm does the same to wash away makeup with such ease. It might be a bit hard to massage at the beginning though.

6. 

   cheerfulCaviar9

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   This is not the best cleanser I’ve had… the price is definitely not as bad as many other Algenist products, but I was expecting more from it. It doesn’t remove my makeup as well as certain other cleansers I use: both Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm and The Etude House RealArt Perfect Cleansing oil are better. The Algenist cleanser doesn’t dissolve my mascara as well as the other two I currently have.

   There is some smell to the cleanser – maybe vanilla? It doesn’t really bother me, although I prefer that skincare for the face has no perfume. The texture is like a gel-cream – not bad, BUT: it does seem to either absorb a little into the skin or that some of the water evaporates out of it while I’m removing my makeup. This makes me tug at my skin while rubbing the cleanser around, which is not good. To prevent this, I have to use a little more cleanser than I normally would, to compensate for the thickening of the cleanser. Still, the 1.5 oz tube I had lasted me about 1,5 months, which is not bad, but I DID use other cleansers a few times in-between.

   When washing the cleanser off, it stings my eyes. It doesn’t sting before I add water… I don’t know what this can be. The stinging subsides quite quickly though. When I wash the cleanser off (it dissolves into a milk, just like oil cleansers), it leaves behind a slippery layer. Luckily, this washes off easily with a foaming cleanser. I’m not comfortable leaving the residue from the cleanser on though, as I KNOW some of my foundation is in there: when I use a white sponge to wash the residue off, I can see some foundation pigment on the sponge.

   Oil cleansers are very liquid, which can get messy. TTDO balm is a bit chunky, and if I’m not careful, the chunks can be flung around during makeup removal. The gel balm from Algenist has the perfect no-mess texture, which is better than both balms and oils IMO. If you don’t have much to remove and want a luxurious feeling from your cleanser, it is good. However, as I said: this doesn’t remove makeup as well as I would wish.

7. 

   lovesickRelish2

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   This cleanser really removes my makeup and babies my skin in the process. Wish it wasn’t so expensive. This would be HG for me but afraid to continually use it because how pricey it is…

8. 

   soreEagle9

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   I’ve used a few Algenist products in the past and i will continue doing so (the anti-aging repairing oil is a favourite) but this cleanser was a total failure for me. I’ve used cleansing oils from Erno Laszlo and Kanebo with excellent results and no issues so there must be something in this particular gel to oil stuff that doesn’t agree with me. The gel melts nicely on the skin, rinses easily with warm water and that’s when the problems begin: my eyes start stinging and itching and watering and stay irritated for hours, no matter what. I’ve tried avoiding the eye area as other reviewers suggest (it’s not easy when you have to clean your face with an oily detergent) and even when I’m careful the result is the same, so I’ve given up and moved on to something that cleans better without the awful collateral effect. The Gentle Rejuvenating Cleanser from this brand is in my opinion a better option, I’ve used it for months and never gave me any problem. Same for the gorgeous Purifying Cream from La Prairie or Chanel cream cleanser.

9. 

   truthfulEland6

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   Well….with beauty and skincare products it always depends on how it reacts with your skin. So if you love this product and had ZERO adverse rect. then this isn’t for you. If you had a weird reaction to this product like myself your not alone!! I felt puffy..the quality is nice but it has to much of a powdery collegan esqueeyy factor for me. Good brand but needs something.

10. 

    trustingCheese6

    Reply

    TL;DR: Shu Uemura cleansing oils are better than the Algenist Melting Cleanser, but only slightly. Both remove makeup using the same principle, but if you’re too intimidated to get a straight up cleansing oil, you should try this instead.

    The Shu Uemura is slightly faster at removing makeup and breaks down ANY waterproof product in a pinch. The Algenist cleanser does the same thing, except that it comes in a gel form and the product thins and out turns into “oil”, and it takes longer to remove everything. I noticed that using this cleanser, it is not as efficient as a Shu cleansing oil and takes a bit of work AND extra product to remove waterproof makeup.

    Anyways, on to the cleanser itself: it comes out of the tube as a really thick green gel. It sort of reminds me of toothpaste minus the grit. As you massage it into your face, the product starts to break down and dissolves all traces of makeup. It emulsifies when it comes into contact with water, so it rinses very cleanly.

    The packaging is very luxurious and gorgeous. There is a difference in feel between high-end cleansers to drugstore, as if the higher end ones use a thicker plastic (?). The tube is mostly covered in this gorgeous, light aqua green metallic imprint but there is a transparent slit on the side of the tube to show how much product you have left. I am SO pleased with that and I’ve always wished that more companies would do the same.

    Overall, this is a really good cleanser for those who want to splurge on it, or people who are too intimidated by the concept of a cleansing oil.