The Latest Cleanser Launches From Glow Recipe, The Ordinary, EltaMD and More
DamDam Snow Mushroom Salt Cleanser
$34 at sephora.com, Damdamtokyo.com, starting Feb. 15.
DamDam brings its signature, Japanese heritage ingredient-led approach to life in the form of its first cleansing bar.
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True to the product’s name, the cleanser’s active ingredients are salt and snow mushroom, an exfoliating and elasticity-boosting duo (respectively) that are said to benefit oily and acne-prone skin.
“A lot of our products currently right now are servicing, or are more beneficial, for people with sensitive, dehydrated or combination skin,” said Giselle Go, who cofounded DamDam with Philippe Terrien. “This cleanser is formulated for people with more oily skin, potentially brought on by hormone imbalances or other factors.”
Accompanying the cleansing bar is a compostable exfoliating glove made from plant fibers, marking a second addition to DamDam’s fledgling assortment of face and body tools and accessories, like lymphatic drainage tools.
Go did not share sales expectations for the cleanser, but industry sources pegged the launch to do $600,000 in global sales during its first year on the market.
Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser
$28 at sephora.com, Glowrecipe.com
For Glow Recipe founders Christine Chang and Sarah Lee, a well-formulated cleanser is the first step toward a healthy skin barrier.
“Cleanser is often considered this throwaway step, because you wash it down the drain, but in actuality, it can set the tone for your entire routine,” Chang said.
Formulated with colloidal oatmeal and a blend of pre- and probiotics, Glow Recipe’s Avocado Ceramide Moisture Barrier Cleanser, aims to create healthy, clean canvas for the regimen that follows.
“Having a healthy skin barrier is not always as immediate a concern among consumers as things like irritation and breakouts — but an unhealthy skin barrier can manifest as exactly those [concerns], and people will often misidentify that,” Chang said.
The cleanser is the third product in the brand’s Avocado franchise, which also includes a retinol eye cream and ceramide recovery serum. Although Chang and Lee did not specify sales expectations for the launch, industry sources have indicated it could reach $9.5 million in sales.
EltaMD Skincare Oil-in-Gel Cleanser
$34 at Eltamd.com
After a blockbuster year in 2022, EltaMD Skincare is gearing up for an even bigger 2023.
Fresh off the sweeping, Hailey Bieber-assisted success of its UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46, which was reportedly the best-selling prestige skin care product in the U.S. in 2022, the brand is inaugurating its third cleanser to date.
An oil-in-gel formula containing turmeric root, vitamin E, meadowfoam seed oil and pumpkin enzyme, the cleanser hydrates and draws out pollutants.
“It’s a three-phase formula that goes from a gel to an oil, then transforms into an easy-to-wash-off milky emulsion,” said Madhu McArdle, brand director at EltaMD, who noted that increased awareness is a key goal for 2023.
“We want to continue to bring our products in front of more people; on TikTok, we’ve seen a lot of momentum from organic videos, which is fantastic and we’re looking to build on,” she said.
McArdle didn’t comment on sales, though industry sources report the Oil-in-Gel Cleanser will do between $3 million and $5 million in first-year turnover.
Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser
$42 at ultabeauty.com, Murad.com
Dr. Murad is taking on eczema.
While the dermatologist has long addressed inflammatory skin concerns among his patients, he’s now bringing bottled solutions to consumers through his eponymous brand in the form of a three-step system.
Coupled with Quick Relief Colloidal Oatmeal Treatment and the Daily Defense Colloidal Oatmeal Cream, Murad’s Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser aims to pacify eczema-prone skin through soothing ingredients such as oat kernel extract.
“Something like eczema that has been around forever — it’s not new territory, but it was this idea that Dr. Murad used to make his own formulation in his office to treat it, so we thought, ‘Why don’t we modernize that and pursue the issue from a retail perspective?” said Kristen Robinson, Murad’s senior director of new product development.
Formulated with shea butter, glycerin, flavonoids and polyphenols in addition to oat and micellar peptides, the cleanser aims to bring a holistic approach to eczema care: “We don’t like to lean on one star ingredient in our formulations,” Robinson said.
Industry sources estimate the cleanser is expected to reach $3 million to $4 million in first-year sales, although the brand declined to comment on the projections.
The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser
$12.50 at ultabeauty.com, Theordinary.com
The Ordinary’s second cleanser has arrived.
The first of six new products the brand plans to introduce in the first half of 2023, The Glucoside Foaming Cleanser is powered by cleansing agents decyl glucoside and coconut-derived coco-glucoside and designed to remove makeup and impurities.
“You’ll never see a huge range of cleansers from The Ordinary, because when we think about product development, we let it be led by science rather than by marketing,” said Nicola Kilner, founder and chief executive officer of Deciem. “If you have expensive retinoids, technology and actives, it’s far more effective to put those in a serum.”
The non-comedogenic cleanser is now available to members of The O. Lab Mailing List, and will roll out to Ulta Beauty on March 9. While Kilner did not comment on the brand’s performance, The Ordinary was valued at $2.2 billion at the time of its acquisition by The Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. in 2021.
