It's Skin Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil: It's Cheap, but... [Review]

Ahh, the It's Skin Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil. I have mixed feelings about this product. On the one hand, it's cheap and works well enough. On the other, I certainly don't find it very calming, for reasons I'll get into below.

I bought this in search of a cleansing oil to replace my beloved Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity, which tragically is kind of expensive and also contains polyethylene. I was hoping for a cleansing oil that was cheap, effective, and pleasant to use. Reader, this is not that cleansing oil... To be fair, my decision making process for buying this went: search "cleansing oil" on Jolse, sort by price low to high, quick google that first result does not have a ton of negative reviews, purchase! Perhaps my expectations were unfairly high.🤔

Packaging 
It comes in a cloudy but translucent pump bottle, and a pump stopper is provided in case you want to travel with it. No complaints about the packaging; it's pretty standard.

It's Skin Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil in action: one pump on my hand, rubbed in, emulsified with a splash of water, and rinsed clean

Application

Okay, this is where things get rough. I feel like I need to really slather this product on to get it to spread smoothly over my face - I use about 3 pumps of oil each time. This gets it to spread nicely, but then I have way too much oil on my face. If I want to leave it on my face a bit before washing it off to let it really sink in and get things moving, the oil starts to seep down my face and into my eyes. This BURNS. Like oh my god, it really BURNS. If I don't go rinse my eyes out immediately, they get really red and puffy, and I start tearing up. I'm not sure what would cause this, and I don't think I have particularly sensitive eyes. But wow, the burning is bad, especially when the product needs to be applied in such a high amount that dripping is a possibility. I never had this problem with the Banila Co. Clean It Zero Purity, which was much less runny but still spread easily. I've also had it sting my eyes when I'm rinsing it off, but that's not as bad since I'm already rinsing my face. If you're going to use this, keep your eyes squeezed shut!

I have also had the problem of this seeping onto my lips and then getting a taste of it, and wow, it is nasty. This is obviously not as bad as it burning my eyes, but it's another unpleasant aspect of using this product.

Texture
It's a cleansing oil, so not much to say here. Switching from a balm to a liquid oil cleanser, you'll notice it's much runnier (as you might expect LOL). I wish it spread more easily, but it's workable.

Results
The Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil effectively removes sunscreen from my face.(I don't wear much makeup, so I can't speak to how well it performs in that area. But dear god, please don't use it to remove eye makeup.)  It does leave a light but noticeable residue, so I would definitely not use this without following up with a low pH cleanser second cleanser.

Value
I started using this 5 months ago, and I'm only have a couple uses left. It's currently listed at $8.91 on Jolse, which has free shipping. By comparison, the Banila Co. Clean It Zero Purity lasts about the same amount of time but costs $20. So yes, I definitely have to give the Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil points for being a very cost-effective choice.

Overall Rating

For all my complaints, it does work and it's very cheap, and that might be exactly what you need! For that, I give it credit. But for me, the burning in my eyes and the less than great application are major negatives. I would only recommend this if you want a very cheap oil cleanser, and you're not planning to leave it on your face more than a minute or two. Otherwise, I'd say spend a little bit more to get a cleanser that's more pleasant to use. You clean your face everyday, you might as well enjoy it (or at least not be paranoid about burning your eyes!).

2.5/5

Where to Buy
Jolse, currently $8.91

Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity Review: The Oil Cleanser that Converted Me

I love it so much it sparkles...

When I first started reading about AB, I have to admit I was very skeptical of double cleansing. First of all, cleansing twice seemed superfluous. Second of all, I could not get over the idea of an oil cleanser. You're telling me to put oil on my face?? Did I not spend the entirety of my teenage years trying to get oil off my face?? Crazy talk. However, after enough time down the rabbit hole of AB blogs and forums, I decided to give it a go and ordered Banila Co Clean It Zero Purity oil cleansing balm.

You're telling me... to put oil... on my face?

The first time I used it, I was cringing and praying I wouldn't break out from adding more oil to my face. Let me tell you, that reaction was pure nonsense. By the time I finished my double cleanse with CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, my face had never felt cleaner. Or softer. Or smoother. It was like I had just truly washed my face for the first time in my life! And that, my friends, is when I became a total believer in the AB skincare philosophy.

Me after double cleansing literally one time.

Packaging
The cleanser comes in a solid plastic container with a little plastic spatula and a plastic disk that fits over the opening, under the lid to store the spatula. Personally, I think the jar is adorable (but not too adorable, ya feel), and I like how it looks sitting on my bathroom counter. The spatula is solid and works well. The only thing I would change is I wish it snapped onto the inside of the lid or something instead of having to fiddle with the plastic disk.

Brand new from the box! The spatula and spatula-holding disk come in plastic on top of the jar.

Left: My new jar, still sealed. Right: My in-use jar with the plastic spatula and holder lid.

Application
To use the cleansing balm, I scoop out a small amount (~hazelnut sized) out of the jar with the spatula and transfer it to the back of my hand. Then, I use my fingers to spread some dabs around my face and gently massage it around. Next, I usually hop in the shower to emulsify it with warm water, rinse, and follow up with my low pH cleanser (currently CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser). Obviously, you can also do this at the sink, but I tend to splash water all over the front of  my shirt, so... shower it is!

Texture
It's very smooth; the balm looks waxy but has a texture closer to room temperature butter when you scoop into it. It's similar in appearance and texture to solid coconut oil. I really like that it's a balm instead of a liquid oil - much easier to travel with! Once it comes in contact with your skin, it melts into a liquid quickly. It also emulsifies easily with a splash of water.

From left to right: straight out of the jar on my hand (that's about how much I use at once), spread around my hand, emulsified with water, and rinsed off all the way. It looks a little melted in the first picture; it actually comes out neater, but I was trying to get it just right for the photo and ended up smearing it.. :/

Results
My face feels so, so, so much cleaner now that I'm using this cleanser. I think my skin feels softer too. Before really reading up on skincare, sunscreen removal was a huge issue for me. I always felt like I still had gunk or residue on my face, even after scrubbing away with my old face wash (ugh). No more! This cleansing balm does an amazing job taking off even my thickest physical sunscreens, and my face just feels so much happier and cleaner.

Value
This is not the cheapest oil cleanser on the market, but at around $20, I think it's a reasonably good value. Using it once a day, a jar lasts me around 4.5 months. If you'd like to try the original Banila Co Clean It Zero, it is usually available for a few dollars cheaper. Personally, since I was a total skincare newbie when I ordered this, I decided to play it safe with the Purity version, which is supposed to be better for sensitive skin. YMMV.

Overall Rating
In case you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this product. It is for sure an HG cleanser for me, and I've already ordered a new jar so I'm ready when this one runs out.

5/5!

Note: So, I recently find out that most cleansing balms, including this one, contain polyethylene. Polyethylene is used to make microbeads and a lot of common plastic goods, and unfortunately, it has some pretty nasty environmental effects. I'm not saying don't buy cleansing balms because I think minimizing your environmental impact is personal, and there are lots of different ways to cut back besides your choice of cleansers haha. That said, I'm planning to look for alternative oil cleansers that I love just as much after I use up my supply. Can't be too sad about an excuse to try new products! ;P

Where to buy:
iHerb, currently $19.78
Code for 10% off your first order: HKP964 **
Referral link **

Memebox, currently $24
Link for 20% off your first Memebox order **

** Indicates referral link or code

CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser: It's Pretty Good!

I first learned about the importance of low pH cleansers from Snow White and the Asian Pear's excellent post on the subject. "Low pH" might sound like just a trendy buzzword phrase, but the research is definitely there to back it up. Before being enlightened, pH values were something I vaguely remembered from high school chemistry, and something I pretty much hadn't thought of since. Now it's something I consider every time I wash my face! To summarize (but you really should read Snow's post), keeping your skin close to its naturally low pH (acidic) state prevents acne and keeps it healthy and hydrated. Your cleanser should be no higher than a pH of 5.6.

To inform our cleanser choices!

Anyways, once I finished devouring that post, I immediately took a horrified look at my existing cleanser (Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin - pH of 6.85 - 7.36 according to here - eek!) and went about searching for a low pH replacement. The CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser was almost universally positively reviewed, tested as having an acceptable pH value, and was cheap and readily available. Sounds good to me!

Packaging
The gel cleanser comes in a white tube with CosRx's signature minimalist packaging design. It's certainly not as pretty as some of my other products, but not bad to look at all the same. I've had no problems dispensing or storing this container. Note that it is 150mL of product, which means you'll have to decant some to bring in a carry-on under US TSA regulations.

Application
This is pretty much as straightforward as you can get. I squeeze about a dime-sized amount into my palm, rub my hands together to get a nice lather, and gently wash my face. I personally don't use any cleansing accessories like konjac sponges, but I'm sure they would work just fine.

It's a clear gel out of the tube that lathers up easily. (It can get more foamy than this, but I was fiddling with my camera for so long that the bubbles started popping...)

Texture
The gel feels very smooth, and I love that it's easy to work up a nice lather. (I can't quite shake that old myth that bubbles automatically = clean.) It does have a strong tea tree scent. In the morning, it really adds an extra kick. At night, I could do without the smell, but it's certainly tolerable.

Results and Value
The Good Morning cleanser definitely leaves my face feeling clean and refreshed. It's quite gentle, and I don't get the stripped feeling that my old high pH cleanser gave me. A tube costs around $10 and lasts quite a while. I've been using the same one twice a day for over four months, and I still have plenty left. That makes it a great low-cost, low pH option.

Overall Rating
For its final score, I'm giving the CosRx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser a 4.5/5. It's cheap, effective, and I do recommend it. It just doesn't have a certain "wow factor" that would bump it up to a full HG score for me - although to be fair, that's asking a lot of a cleanser.

4.5/5!

Where to buy:
Memebox, currently $10
Link for 20% off your first Memebox order **

Crystal Cove, currently $11

Jolse, normally $11, currently on sale for $8.80