The milky and creamy cleansers are coming out. Fall is here on the East Coast, and my skin is ready for ‘richer’ cleansers.

I love the feeling of milky and creamy cleansers on my skin, which is why I buy a lot of them and am always on the lookout for them.

A milky or creamy texture feels good in the fall and winter when my skin is dehydrated from the lack of outdoor moisture and indoor heat. It also doesn’t strip my skin. I save the (slightly) foaming cleansers for the summer months.

I LOVE all the cleansers you see here, except for Darphin which I like but not love. They are all super gentle, have beautiful textures (smooth, non-clumpy) that glide over skin well, and most importantly, rinse off well without leaving a greasy residue.

All of these are non-foaming and milky (fairly fluid), except for iS Clinical which is more like a light cream. One is also exfoliating (Lira, Circadia)

Lira Clinical MYSTIQ iLummating Cleanser – a brightening cleanser with a blend of botanicals (mastiha, orange stem cells, tomato, summer snowflake, narcissus)

Circadia by Dr. Pugliese Amandola Milk Cleanser – slightly exfoliating (due to lactic acid and mandelic acid), has sweet almond milk and oat

Darphin Intral Cleansing Milk – highly scented, too much for me, which is why I don’t love it. The milky texture is nice though.

DermaStart Clear Choice Hydrating Cleanser – smells fresh (the most “natural” smelling of the ones you see here)

Revision Skincare Gentle Cleansing Lotion – super gentle, has squalane and multiple algae extracts for extra moisture

iS Clinical Creamy Cleanser – the creamiest of the ones you see here, can be used as a wipe off cleanser without water. This was created for the military in Afghanistan, who requested a cleanser that could be used without water.

At this time of the year, I will use one of these milky cleansers in the morning. Just a small amount since my skin only needs a very light cleanse.

At night, I double cleanse with a cleansing oil or cleansing balm first. Then a cleanser, which may be:

  • one of these milky cleansers (if my skin is feeling dry)
  • a Salicylic Acid cleanser, once a week only (to prevent blackheads)
  • a non-foaming gel cleanser (when my skin is in the mood for it)

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