I am new to Plant Beauty Distillery. I somehow stumbled across it online. But immediately I appreciated its approach to skincare. All skincare comes down to hydration (water) and moisturizing (oil). Of course, we also add in other various ingredients based on our skincare concerns (vit c, niacinamide, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid, retinol, etc.) But overall, we need water to keep our skin hydrated and oil to keep it moisturized (lotions are mixtures of various things, but water and oil are the key players).

Anyway, PBD is doing things right by offering high quality waters and oils from distilled beneficial ingredients. And this cleanser in particular is no exception. The rose scent is subtle (not as beautifully fragrant as their rosewater) but it foams delicately on the face and washes away cleanly, leaving soft calm skin behind. I usually double cleanse (I use the pixi milky makeup remover as a first step) and using this as the second step felt incredibly calming and refreshing, like a breath of fresh air on the face. As someone with sensitive skin, it can be rare to find a cleanser as calming as this one. My face is less red and feels refreshed and not stripped or tight, but clean in the most relaxing way possible. A little goes a long way, so at this price point a simple, effective and calming cleanser with minimal but high quality ingredients is where it's at.

I'll note that i did use this as a one-step cleanser one time (with no oil-based cleanser beforehand) and my face did feel stripped, dry, and tight. For those with sensitive skin, go for an oil based first cleanser to get rid of makeup/sunscreen/dirt, and then use this as a second step. If done correctly, the double cleansing method is god tier for all skin types.

Finally, I follow a fungal acne safe routine. So I avoid particular ingredients in my skincare. The Macinwash Cleanser is not fungal acne safe, but I got it anyway just to see if it might work anyway. It felt incredible in its resurfacing/exfoliating capacity (i freaking loved it), but I did break out in small whiteheads the next day :( This cleanser on the other hand is fungal acne safe, as is their rosewater. If their rose moisture water was FA safe I would totally by it, but I don't want to risk it. Their makeup remover also isn't FA safe, which is unfortunate. This girl dreams of having a whole FA safe routine from a single affordable brand. Would love if PBD had more FA options - maybe even offering oilwaters from MCT oil or squalane. The population of people avoiding FA triggers in skincare continues to grow. It might help to be on that train early.

I use it daily and think it's a great cleanser and my skin dealt really well with it. I had no breakouts or blemishes and it didn't dry my skin and it got it clean. I have no complaints. The moisture level of my skin has been great- I haven't had to use extra moisturizer.