It’s difficult to not get drawn to Cremorlab. Their aesthetically clean packaging is as beautiful in picture as it is on the bathroom shelf. While bringing the cleansing gel with me when visiting my mom, it got compliments from both her and her friends.
Because I loved how effective and gentle the cleansing oil was I decided to explore more from the brand. So I completed my double cleanse with adding the accompanied second cleanse from the same T.E.N.-range.
Here are my thoughts on both of them!
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Cremorlab | Cleansing Gel Oil
After I finished the Banila Clean It Zero cleansing balm I decided that I kind of liked cleansing oils better. I went with the Cremorlab next after a vote on Instagram. It’s been on my radar for some time because of the packaging. I didn’t see fragrance listed except for rose oil, but a majority of reviewers said it had a very faint rose scent. Considering that my past experience with cleansing oils and fragrance has been anything but fragrant, I took my chances.
Experience
The Cremorlab cleansing gel-oil has more of a consistency of a gel, hence the name. When massaged in, it doesn’t truly turn into an oily viscosity, but rather keeps a liquid gel texture. It removes makeup and sunscreen really well. Added bonus for emulsifying and washing off with ease! It’s said to have a low pH too. I can’t correct if this is true, all I can say is that my skin has always felt soft and hydrated after wash. But then again, I always finish off with a water-based face wash.
I’d say that the scent is truly faint, it smells almost of synthetic roses. But in a good way. I never was someone who likes the aroma of roses, but I am now thanks to this cleansing oil!
I’m concluding that they don’t mean rose essential oil, but actual rose oil, which is slightly different. Rose oil is when you saturate rose petals in a carrier oil. This can still make the oil fragrant but won’t have as of a concentrated impact as
My only complaint about the product would be its texture. Because it’s more of a gel, it for some reason demands more product. With other cleansing oils, I’ve managed to only use 1 pump for my whole face and still get a good slip. But with the Cremorlab cleansing gel, massaging with only one pump makes it disappear and get absorbed by the skin. You need at least 2 pumps for it to glide optimally. Nonetheless, it has lasted me about 3 months with regular use.
Conclusion | ★★★★☆
Because of its mild fragrance and great ability to remove makeup without irritating any parts of my face I’d call this one of the best I’ve tried so far! But, I would’ve preferred it to transform into a more liquid oil consistency which would give it more slip for longer. It’s expensive, however, I’ve seen it 20-25% off several times, and that’s when I bought it too
For some reason it’s really hard to find a cleansing oil without fragrance for a reasonable price, that’s cruelty-free and doesn’t contain oils such as coconut. Nonetheless, I could consider repurchasing this again as it ticks a lot of my boxes!
Cremorlab | Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Impressed by the cleansing gel-oil I went and purchased the foaming cleanser as soon as my regular was out. I couldn’t find any info on its pH, but with my recent experience with the brand made me confident to try it anyway. How can they make a low pH cleansing oil and not a low pH foaming cleanser? I thought to myself.
Except for the pH being a mystery, this one does, however, include fragrance. It’s not a beautiful rosy scent as the cleansing gel, but it’s still floral and quite mild.
The Cremorlab gentle foaming cleanser has the same clean aesthetics as the cleansing gel but more of a clear plastic look. As soon as it arrived I was impressed by its texture and feel. It has one of the most luxurious foams of any mousse cleanser that I’ve tried! It removes any oily residue and can clean thoroughly alone as a first cleanse too. According to my boyfriend, this is his favorite. However, I wish I could say the same…
Experience
Unfortunately, it isn’t as gentle as the name suggests. I don’t know what specific ingredient or if it’s the pH of this cleanser, but it stings my eyes. Badly. It seems to be a common issue with Korean cleansers (remember my comments on the Klairs foaming cleanser and COSRX?). But not only that! Even worse is that it makes my skin itch! If I use it for too long on the skin, but also if I don’t quickly moisturize after washing, my skin starts to feel tight and itchy.
I don’t have pH strips and I can’t seem to find anyone who’s recorded the pH of this cleanser. But I’m suspecting that this one is around 6 or above. I’ve been using low pH cleansers for 2 years now, and this is the first time in a long time I’ve experienced my skin getting super tight and itchy after washing. Only soaps do that! Yet, my boyfriend LOVES it and doesn’t seem to experience any of the negative effects? So I’m starting to wonder if it’s just me being sensitive to a certain ingredient or if my boyfriend has a skewed opinion on how skin should feel after washing?
In the beginning, I let it pass as I got the impression that it made my skin brighter and clearer. The drying effect seemed to reduced some breakouts, or so I thought. I just tried avoiding my eye area and make sure I don’t spend too much time with it and moisturize right after. But as time went by it was clear that the cleanser was making my skin unbalanced. This was made more apparent when I went away for two weeks, where I left this one with my boyfriend and used the L300’s mousse cleanser instead (which has a skin-friendly low pH). I didn’t think much of it at the time, but my skin got so much calmer. But I thought it could’ve been other environmental factors.
I got home, started using the Cremorlab again. And my skin slowly started to act unbalanced again. I had another mousse cleanser as a back-up that I knew had a low skin-friendly pH – says so on the bottle! I switched and within a week my skin got immensely better! Coincidence? Either way, I’m too afraid to go back now that my skin is behaving much happier. So this one my boyfriend will have to finish.
Conclusion | ★★☆☆☆
Overall, if it weren’t for the stinging and the itchiness, this would’ve been a wonderful foaming cleanser! It makes the skin soft and clean. But with the problems I’ve had to deal with, its high price and fancy extracts don’t justify my half priced mousse cleanser from the pharmacy that simply just works.
If only it would’ve been formulated better. My boyfriend will get sad that we’re not repurchasing this cleanser. However, I might keep the bottle and refill it with L300 cleansing mousse, which is still my absolute favorite foaming cleanser.
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