Philosophy's Purity Made Simple

For years, the only products I used on my face were (1) Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple, (2) St. Ives Apricot Scrub,and  (3) a Neutrogena moisturizer. I’ve since moved on to hate that scrub, and I’ve started using oils as moisturizer, but Purity is still my favorite cleanser.

Image from Sephora's website

Lots of people rave about Purity because it’s so gentle, but it really gets the job done. According to Philosophy’s website, it is formulated “to gently cleanse, tone, and melt away all face and eye makeup in one simple step, while lightly hydrating the skin.”  It has a creamy texture and a light, herbal scent. It doesn’t lather, but just a pea-sized amount can get my face clean. It removes all my makeup, except waterproof mascara. I sometimes double cleanse when I’m wearing a lot on my face, and it still doesn’t dry me out too much (though keep in mind I do have combination to oily skin). Either way, this cleanser is meant to work for any skin type, even very sensitive skins.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients:

water (aqua), sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium trideceth sulfate, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, coco-glucoside, cocos nucifera (coconut) alcohol, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) wood oil, geranium maculatum oil, guaiac (guaiacum officinale) extract, cymbopogon martini oil, rosa damascena extract, amyris balsamifera bark oil, santalum album (sandalwood) oil, salvia officinalis (sage) oil, cinnamomum cassia leaf oil, anthemis nobilis flower oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) seed oil, piper nigrum (pepper) seed extract, polysorbate 20, glycerin, carbomer, triethanolamine, methylparaben, propylparaben, citric acid, imidazolidinyl urea, yellow 5 (ci 19140)

The Sephora site adds,

-Sodium Lauroamphoacetate: Acts as a mild surfactant that gently cleanses the skin without irritation or residue.
-Meadowfoam Seed Oil: Lightly hydrates the skin leaving the skin comfortable, not pulled or tight.
-Sodium Trideceth Sulfate: Pulls dirt, debris, and makeup from the skin and dissolves them.
-Twelve-Essential Oil Blend (Including Rosewood, Sandalwood, Sage): Helps soften, soothe, and rejuvenate the skin.

One of the reasons I like Purity is its ingredient list: there isn’t anything harsh, there’s no artificial fragrance, and the blend of essential oils leaves your skin feeling and smelling good. But I do have to point out that it contains parabens, which are preservatives used in all kinds of personal care products. They are chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body, and have been linked to endocrine disruption and breast cancer. It’s a controversial topic and there are studies to back up either side (safe or not safe), so it’s really up to you whether you think parabens are a dealbreaker. I try to avoid them, Angie's undecided. I always find myself reaching for this product, and I will probably keep using it until I find something paraben-free that I love more.

With that said, I would still (and frequently do) recommend this cleanser to pretty much anyone. What I want from a cleanser is for it to remove makeup and dirt, and to leave my skin feeling clean and soft, but not tight or dry. This one does both. It’s pricier than something you would get at the drugstore--$20 for an 8oz. bottle--but it lasts forever.  It’s my trusty, go-to facewash, and a solid choice for anyone in the market for a new cleanser.