Cleansers are very simple creatures. They have only one job to do. Remove all traces of dirt from skin without drying it out. Yet, it’s incredible how many miserably fail. I lost count of the number of cleansers that left my skin feeling uncomfortably tight, dry, and red. Not First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser. It’s by far the gentlest cleanser I’ve ever come across. It’s so gentle that I even doubted its cleansing power. Can all that grime that stubbornly sticks to your face really be rinsed away with a light caress? Let’s find out:
Key Ingredients In First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser: What Makes It Work?
SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE TO CLEANSE SKIN
Don’t let the chemical name scare you. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate is one of the gentlest surfactants out there (it’s derived from coconut oil). Studies have shown “it’s mild and less damaging to the skin barrier than soaps and surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS).” That makes it safe even for people with sensitive skin. But what does it do here? Surfactants help water mix with oil and dirt, so they can be rinsed away. Result? Clean, soft skin.
GLYCERIN TO HYDRATE SKIN
To make the cleansing process even gentler, First Aid Beauty added glycerin to the mix. What’s that?It’s a humectant, a fancy way of saying it draws moisture from the air and binds it into your skin. The extra moisture keeps your skin softer and hydrated during the cleansing process.
Related: The Complete Guide To Glycerin In Skincare
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ANTIOXIDANTS TO FIGHT PREMATURE WRINKLES
First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser isn’t lying when it says it contains antioxidants. It has green tea and licorice, to mention just a couple. Antioxidants are little molecules that fight free radicals, the nasty buggers that destroy collagen and give you wrinkles. FAB right? Not so quickly. Those antioxidants really help us age more slowly. When left on the skin. In a cleanser, they’ll end up down the drain within a few minutes. What a waste!
Related: The Complete Guide To Green Tea In Skincare: Do You Really Need It?
The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
- Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
- Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
- Red: What is this doing here?!
- Aqua/Water/Eau: Just plain water. It’s the base that dissolves all the other ingredients and makes the formula usable.
- Stearic Acid: A fatty acid that softens and smooths your skin. Also helps keep the formula creamy and stable.
- Hydrogenated Coconut Acid: A skin-conditioning agent derived from coconut oil. Makes things feel soft and buttery on the skin.
- Sodium Isethionate: Another mild cleanser. Helps wash away dirt and oil without being harsh or irritating.
- Stearyl Alcohol: Not a “bad” alcohol – this one’s a fatty alcohol that softens skin and makes the texture feel rich and creamy.
- Allantoin: A skin-soother that helps calm irritation, boost healing, and make your skin feel more comfortable.
- Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract: A calming plant extract that helps reduce redness and inflammation. Great for sensitive skin.
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice: Classic aloe. Hydrating, soothing, and great for calming down angry or sensitive skin.
- Tocopherol: That’s Vitamin E. An antioxidant that helps protect your skin from damage and keeps the formula stable.
- Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate: An emollient that keeps your skin soft and helps the formula glide on nicely.
- Phenoxyethanol: A preservative. Keeps bacteria from partying in your skincare. Generally considered safe in low amounts.
- Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate: A gentle cleanser and foam booster. Helps make the formula more luxurious without irritating your skin.
- Sodium PCA: A natural hydrator found in your own skin. Helps lock in moisture and keep your skin balanced.
- Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose: A thickener that makes the product feel smooth and creamy instead of watery or runny.
- Coco-Glucoside: A mild, coconut-derived cleanser that’s gentle enough for sensitive skin. Also helps mix oil and water.
- Glyceryl Oleate: Another coconut-based emollient. Leaves skin feeling soft and silky post-wash.
- Sodium Chloride: Regular ol’ salt. Used to thicken formulas and adjust texture.
- Disodium EDTA: A chelating agent. Binds to minerals in water so they don’t mess with your skincare’s performance.
- Citric Acid: Used to balance pH. Keeps the formula at a skin-friendly acidity level.
- Potassium Sorbate: A preservative that helps stop mold and yeast from growing in your products.
- Sodium Benzoate: Another preservative, this one’s commonly used to keep formulas fresh and microbe-free.
- Maltodextrin: A sugar-derived ingredient that can help stabilize formulas or improve texture.
- Tetrasodium EDTA: Like Disodium EDTA, it helps neutralize metal ions in water so the formula stays stable and effective.
Texture
This feels like a light, fluffy cream – not thick or gloopy, but definitely not watery either. It goes on smooth, no foam, just that soft, cushiony glide that makes it feel more like skincare than a cleanser. Doesn’t leave your face squeaky or tight, just clean and comfy. If you’ve got dry or sensitive skin, this’ll feel like a hug.
Fragrance
Literally smells like nothing. No added fragrance, no essential oils, no weird perfume-y whiff. Maybe a tiny hint of something creamy or plant-y if you sniff hard, but honestly? It’s basically scent-free. Your nose won’t even notice it.
How To Use It
Wet your face, squeeze out a small blob, rub it on your face, rinse it off. That’s it. No foaming, no drama. Just massage it in for a few seconds, especially where you get oily or break out, then rinse with lukewarm water. Use it once or twice a day – whatever works for your skin.
Packaging
It comes in a soft, squeezy tube – nothing fancy, but super practical. Easy to toss in a bag, easy to use in the shower, and you won’t be fighting with a pump that stops working halfway through. The cap flips open and shuts tight, so no leaks. The design’s pretty clean too – simple branding, no clutter, just tells you what it is and does the job.
Performance & Personal Opinion
First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser doesn’t foam much, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t do a good cleansing job. In the morning, that is. Huh? This cleanser effortlessly removes all the dirt that has accumulated on my face during the night. It ain’t much. It’s not like I’m sleeping in mud. Heck, even the mere thought of camping is enough to make my skin crawl.
But I do wear makeup. I know, what a revelation! But, yeah, I can’t use this to remove it. On foundation-free days, when I’m just sporting a bit of blush on my cheeks and a dab of concealer on my undereye area, it’ll do just fine. But a full face of makeup? No way. It won’t remove it.
Frankly, I didn’t expect it to. The problem with gentle cleaners is that they’re too gentle to remove heavy oils, like those in your makeup. You need more cleansing power for that, but that gets irritating fast. It’s up to you to know if the trade-off is worth it. One workaround is to use a gentle oil, like squalane or jojoba to remove your makeup. But stay away from anything fragranced (no essential oils!).
I’m more than happy to use this cleanser only in the mornings. I think it’s a fab cleanser for dry and sensitive skin. It doesn’t strip the natural oil skin needs to stay healthy and function properly, and doesn’t irritate it. If you prefer to use the same cleanser both in the morning and at night, though, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Unless you don’t wear makeup. Then, you can wash your face with this anytime.
Related: What Is The Oil Cleansing Method And Should You Use It?
What I Like About First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
- Feels nice and soft on the skin – like a cream, not some foamy nonsense.
- Doesn’t dry you out or make your face feel tight.
- No smell. Like, zero. You don’t even think about it.
- Solid for mornings – gets rid of that overnight grime no problem.
- Great if your skin’s fussy or dry. Doesn’t mess with your barrier.
- The tube is easy. Flip cap, no leaks, throw it in a bag and go.
What I DON’T Like About First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
- Useless for makeup. Won’t take off anything more than a bit of blush.
- Not strong enough for night if you’ve got a full face on.
- Gotta double cleanse if you wear SPF and makeup – it just doesn’t cut through the heavy stuff.
Who Is This For?
- Sensitive skin who can’t tolerate most cleansers
- Dry skin looking for a gentle morning cleanser
Does First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser With FAB Antioxidant Booster Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| A fragrance-free, gentle cleanser that effectively removes makeup, dirt and grime, leaving skin soft and supple. | It removes dirt and grime, but not makeup. |
| The whipped texture transforms into a sumptuous cream when blended with water. | I’m not sure I’d call it “whipped” and it dissolves when you mix it with water. |
| Infused with a powerful Botanical Antioxidant blend, it helps safeguard skin against environmental aggressors while also calming irritated skin. | It could do this IF these ingredients stayed on your skin. But they’re rinsed down the drain together with the dirt and grime. |
| This non-stripping, pH-balanced formula works to maintain skin’s natural acidity and helps reduce flare ups, never leaving skin feeling tight or dry. | True. |
Price & Availability
$34.00/£19.00 at Look Fantastic, Sephora, and Ulta
Do You Need It?
It depends. If you have very sensitive skin and are struggling to find a cleanser that doesn’t leave your skin tight, red, and irritated, this is a good option to consider. But you may have to use a separate makeup remover.
Aqua/Water/Eau, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Stearyl Alcohol, Allantoin, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Sodium PCA, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sodium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Maltodextrin, Tetrasodium EDTA
About Gio
Hi, I’m Gio. I’m a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is skin coach and writer on a mission to help you achieve your best skin day ever – every day. I bust skincare myths and debunk marketing jargon to help you figure out what’s worth the splurge and what’s best left on the shelf – using science, not hype. I also offer skincare consultations to help you create the best skincare routine for your unique needs.
