Your cleanser is the first and most important step in your skin routine. Use one that isn’t thorough and your skin-care ingredients are mixing in with your old makeup and sweat. Use one that’s too harsh and you can strip your skin, making the rest of your routine feel unusually irritating. That’s why Three Ships Beauty created a three-in-one cleanser to thoroughly cleanse, soothe your skin, and balance its microbiome in just 30 seconds.
“The Harmony Cleanser was formulated to not only gently cleanse the skin, but also to rebalance the skin’s microbiome,” says Laura Burget, co-founder of Three Ships Beauty. “The skin’s microbiome is part of your skin barrier (the outermost layer). When your skin’s microbiome is imbalanced, the overall health of your skin barrier is compromised which can lead to your skin feeling tight, red, dry, irritated, or prone to breakouts.”
The Three Ships Beauty Harmony Cucumber + Kombucha Microbiome Balancing Cleanser ($23) was expertly formulated by board-certified dermatologist and Beyond Soap ($19) author Sandy Skotnicki, MD. It was created with all skin types in mind but is especially beneficial for sensitive, sensitized, or reactive skin types.
The Harmony Cleanser has a super milky feeling. It doesn’t lather, but as you rub it between your hands it has a super velvety-but-slippery texture. I massaged it onto my skin and loved how smooth it felt. It was so gentle that I felt comfortable opening my eyes while I cleansed, even after rubbing away my mascara. It tore through layers of sunscreen and concealer and left my skin feeling soft and cared for. That’s thanks to a powerhouse blend of kombucha, cucumber extract, and glycerin.
Kombucha is fermented tea, and was selected for this formula based on its “clinically tested, skin-improving qualities, such as improving overall skin smoothness and texture, preserving collagen and skin elasticity, and overall improving skin’s luminosity and radiance,” says Burget.
If you’ve ever put cucumber over your eyes, you know how soothing and cooling they can be. But cucumber extract does more than just soothe. “It includes antioxidant properties that help to protect the skin from free radicals,” says Burget “Cucumber extract is also well known for its anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties.”
Finally, this cleanser has glycerin, a super hydrator. “Glycerin is a humectant that hydrates the skin from within,” says Burget. “It has a small molecule which means it can penetrate deep into the skin barrier, leaving the skin feeling hydrated—even in the driest of environments.”
If you’re looking for a gentle but effective cleanser, Three Ships Beauty Harmony Cleanser deserves a spot in your bathroom.