PRODUCT REVIEW: SEPHORA COLLECTION CLEAN SKIN GEL - BEST CLEANSER FOR OILY SKIN, BEST OILY SKIN FACE WASH
Sephora Collection | Clean Skin Gel
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Sephora Collection - Best Clean Face Creams, Best Clean Face Serums, Best Clean Anti-Aging Serums. You can catch the full piece here.
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For the past two years, Sephora has been collaborating with its skincare brand partners to identify formulas as “clean beauty.”
What exactly clean means can waver, depending on the retailer and the brand. But Sephora has established a standard — and even an identifying seal that designates specific products that comply with their definition of clean beauty.
Currently, Sephora identifies nearly 100 ingredients as unclean — meaning that products without these ingredients can receive the coveted Sephora Clean seal designation. Among the ingredient horrors are several that have been found in skin care for decades, including sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, formaldehydes, and triclosan.
By my count, there are more than 100 skincare brands that are designated as clean by the beauty retailer. Among them popular indie brands like Drunk Elephant, Farmacy, Herbivore, Tata Harper and Tatcha.
But there are also several more established brands on the list, including Origins, Korres and Caudalie. It’s surprising to me that there aren’t more of these “established” companies making the cut.
Where are the clinical brands? K-Beauty brands? I’m sure the conversations are being had. Huge shifts like clean skin care take time. In fact, while Sephora identified just 13 ingredients that have to go, the list has expanded quickly.
Among the new nasties are many more obscure toxins like ethyl acrylate, aluminum salts, dioxane and resorcinol. In 2020, Sephora added more to the list of no-no’s: PEGS, EDTA and even chemical sunscreens in addition to oxybenzone.
Clean at Sephora
“When you spot our Clean seal, you can be sure we’ve checked that this brand’s product is made without the ingredients you told us you’d most like to avoid.”
So, it was high time they cleaned up their own act! I mean if you’re going to have a “Clean at Sephora” seal, you’d think your own skin care would be covered by the designation, too. Not all of the Sephora Collection skin care is clean by Sephora’s own standards — but ten of the brand’s new products are.
And, I love how affordable they are! Each of the moisturizers — the Sephora Collection All Day Hydrator, Nourishing Moisturizer and Brightening Eye Cream are under $20 and they’re all clean.
Sephora Collection | Clean Skin Gel
Oh, how I love a good cleanser. Cleansing, period. It’s may favorite skincare step! So naturally I was super excited to try the new Sephora Collection Clean Skin Gel with its non-toxic formulation and 99% naturally derived ingredients. There are literally just 11 ingredients in the whole formula, and I’m having fun trying to figure out what isn’t natural. I have to assume it’s the fragrance. But no matter, this lightweight, syrupy cleanser does the trick.
As one of the new clean products in the Sephora Collection, it’s nice to know there are no damaging, compromising toxins here as you massage it into your skin. A clean cleanse is so important to a healthy skincare regimen.
Like all of these new clean formulas, it’s super affordable at just $10 for a 125ml tube. Nourishing Aloe Vera and humectant Glycerin give it a springy, bouncy texture that feels so good on the skin. Coconut esters lightly emulsify without stripping.
It’s just a nice, fresh, confident clean. Oh, and the tube? It’s made from 62% plastic from sugar cane residue.
SHOP THE BLOG: Click here to shop the Sephora Collection Clean Beauty Under $20 collection. Purchase the Sephora Collection Clean Skin Gel for $10 here.
SHOP THE BLOG:
Click here to shop the Sephora Collection Clean Beauty Under $20 collection.
The Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection Clean Cleansing & Gentle Exfoliating Wipes:
Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Citric Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Limonene, Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil, Tocopherol.
The Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection Nourishing Moisturizer:
sii|h 0 0, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate emo, Isononyl Isononanoate emo, C10-18 Triglycerides emo|solv, Decyl Oleate emo 0 3, Isostearyl Isostearate emo 1 4, Glyceryl Oleate Citrate emu|surf, Stearyl Heptanoate emo 0 4, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate vc, Cetearyl Glucoside emu|surf, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1-2, Sorbitan Olivate 
emu, Stearyl Caprylate emo, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil aox|emo 0 0-3, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil aox|emo, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil emo, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Carbomer vc 0 1, Hydrogenated Rapeseed Oil emo|vc, Parfum (Fragrance) 
perf, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Gellan Gum vc, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, O-Cymen-5-Ol pres|amic, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Sodium Polyacrylate vc|emo, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1-2, Sodium Chloride vc, Citric Acid buffThe Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection All Day Hydrator:
sii|h 0 0, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Heptyl Undecylenate emo, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1-2, PEG-100 Stearate surf|emu 0 0, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emo|emu, Palmitic Acid sii|emo|emu 0 2, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2-3, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Microcrystalline Cellulose vc, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Perfume perf, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Tocopherol,Vitamin E aox 0-3 0-3, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum vc, Hyaluronic Acid sii|h, Bisabolol so, Sodium Benzoate pres, Cellulose Gum vc 0 0, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1-2, Sodium Phytate chel, Physicochemical Formula Stabilizer, Arginine sii, Ascorbyl Glucoside aox|sbThe Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection Brightening Eye Cream:
sii|h 0 0, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emo|emu, Heptyl Undecylenate emo, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Silica vc, Jojoba Esters so|emo|h, C10-18 Triglycerides emo|solv, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract , Sodium Polyacrylate vc|emo, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, Caffeine aox|perf, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Parfum (Fragrance) perf, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0, Polysorbate 60 emu|surf, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1-2, Sodium Benzoate pres, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate emu|surf, Sodium Phytate chel, DarutosideThe Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection Clean Skin Gel:
sii|h 0 0, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, Sodium PCA sii|h 0 0, Sodium Benzoate pres, Potassium Sorbate pres, Fragrance perf, Citric Acid buff, Aloe Barbadensis Extract so|emo|h, Sodium Hydroxide buffThe Ingredient List of the Sephora Collection Clean Clarifying Pads:
Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Gluconolactone, Sodium Hydroxide, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Salicylic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Calcium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder.
