Review: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser

Thursday, April 6, 2017

I recently found myself completely out of cleanser. I had finished a deluxe tube of Manyo Factory Cleansing Soda Foam and was looking for something different. Don't get me wrong, the MF Soda Foam is an effective cleanser that does a great job of removing excess sebum and most makeup, but it's also a bit stripping and not quite what I want first thing in the morning when I only have some sleeping masks or emollient cream layer to wash off.

I saw that @jodieglows who is a Glossier rep on Instagram was (in a manner unaffiliated with Glossier) donating her commission to Planned Parenthood, an organization that I'm proud to give my ongoing support. There was also 20% off my first order (if you want, I have a referral link for the same deal) and a code for a deal on the Cloud Paints, making my purchase all the more satisfying.

This is a case where the name of an item perfectly describes itself. It's milky. And jelly. At the same time.

It's very pleasant to use on the face, the texture lets your hands glide over the skin. It smells faintly of roses from the rose water, which normally would irritate me (my dislike of roses is intense. It is known. And well documented, thanks to the fragrance reviews I've posted on this blog) but is very mild with no lingering scent once it's rinsed away. I like the pump a lot, it's no-nonsense and can be locked securely into an "off" position.

Ingredients, taken from Glossier website:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Propanediol, Isohexadecane, Poloxamer 184, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Xylitylglucoside, Betaine, Allantoin, Glycerin, Panthenol, Symphytum Officinale Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Anhydroxylitol, Polysorbate 80, Xylitol, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Isopropyl Myristate, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide

Here's my standard makeup removal test. From left to right we have: concealer, pencil liner, liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow and a smear of mascara, all over primer.

This was after some really intense massaging of the Milky Jelly around on my hand and rinsing. You probably wouldn't want to rub that hard on your face, come to think of it. There's quite a bit of mascara left (to be fair, that's quite a bit on my hand) and it wasn't even waterproof.

I would not depend on this to remove my makeup, unless it was the tiniest amount - like a dusting of Bare Minerals foundation. Even still, if you wear sunscreen or face primer, I'd be dubious that it would remove it in full. Here's some quick snapshots I took with my phone of how much eye makeup is left behind with this cleanser:

Before. This is just eyeshadow and primer. No mascara, no liner (just dark shadow around the waterline) - which are both much darker and much harder to remove.

This is as light of eye makeup as I get, I think.

Quite a bit of stuff just hanging out under my eye. My eye looks dark and dirty, because it is. Glossier Milky Jelly's attempt to remove the makeup was quite feeble.

That's not a completely bad quality, it's very gentle to my face; not the least bit irritating. My face feels soft and clean afterwards, but not so devoid of moisture that I can feel it start to tighten. I think this low pH cleanser makes a great second cleanser or morning cleanser, exactly the kind of product I wanted in Milky Jelly.

My issue is that it clearly is not up to the task of dissolving makeup. That's a pretty big claim to make, only to fall quite short. One does have to consider that the Glossier aesthetic is pretty minimal- models have clear complexions with a touch of color in the cheeks and no notable eye makeup. Milky Jelly would do a fabulous job of removing that light kind of look, if that was all it was tasked to do.

At $18 (before the 20% off) for 6 ounces of product, this cleanser does cost more than any cleanser you'd find at the drugstore. I go through second/morning cleanser very slowly, so this one bottle should last me another 3-4 months. I like it enough that if I were making another Glossier order, I would buy another one.

Have you boarded the Glossier Hype Train? (If you have, come sit by me. I've saved you a spot).

Products featured were purchased by me. Post contains referral links. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.