After a long, sweaty summer day, reaching for a thick gel cleanser that rinses it all away is nothing short of a joy. While the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser ($19) has long been my go-to, I always like to check out newcomers to the category because you never know when another stellar formula is on the horizon. Case in point: The Versed Skin The Purist Antioxidant Cleanser ($10) launched on August 1 and is shaping up to be one of the best budget cleansers I’ve tried in years.
The ingredients
Considering the Versed Skin The Purist Antioxidant Cleanser is just $10, I was surprised—okay, impressed—by the all-star ingredient line-up. The gentle, soap-free gel cleanser is formulated with hydrating glycerin and cucumber extract, soothing aloe, calming raspberry fruit extract, anti-aging blueberry extract (which, BTW, is a source of pro-retinol), and plumping sodium hyaluronate. Together, these ingredients work to nourish, condition, and treat skin, all while deeply cleansing it.
My experience
The Versed Skin The Purist Antioxidant Cleanser stands out to me for a variety of reasons. First: The packaging. The transparent baby blue rectangular bottle is sustainable—it’s made of 35 percent post-consumer recycled plastic—and looks chicer than what you’d expect for a $10 price tag. Another highlight of the packaging is the pump. It’s designed to lock in place with a simple twist of the cap, so you don’t have to twist and push it down, wasting precious product in the process, to re-lock it.
The cleanser itself feels thick out of the pump but as soon as I rubbed it into my skin, I found that it transformed into a very light suds. A single pump was more than enough for my entire face and when I rinsed it off, my skin felt squeaky-clean, but not completely stripped of moisture.
Trial results
I’m not the only one who enjoys this newly-debuted budget cleanser. In a two-week trial of people ages 18 to 50, 100 percent of participants agreed that the Versed Skin Purist Antioxidant Cleanser is gentle and non-irritating and that it adequately removes excess dirt, oil, and debris from the surface of the skin. Meanwhile, 94 percent of participants agreed that skin feels smoother, softer, and more hydrated post-use. Suffice to say, if you’re in the market for a stellar summer skincare staple, the Versed Skin Purist Antioxidant Cleanser—which, BTW, is dermatologist-tested and fragrance-free—is worth giving a go.