I'm a huge lover of Drunk Elephant. Have been for a few years. I get excited when they release something new. I saw this Beste Jelly Cleanser come up at the Sephora Rouge Fall Preview Event, so I went and grabbed the last one off the shelf. I almost ran home and washed my face but I restrained myself until bedtime that night. Details per Drunk Elephant:
An innovative jelly cleanser that is your new BFF for removing all traces of makeup, excess oil, pollution and any other grime from the day without an ounce of residue. Beste™ Jel-ly Cleanser is free of fragrance and essential oils, and is totally non-irritating, non-sensitiz-ing and ideal for every skin type. With a unique blend of mild surfactants and makeup dissolving emollients, the richly foaming formula effectively lifts away the im-purities of the day, leaving skin feeling clean, soft and supple.
I love jelly style cleansers and was thinking this was going to be more of a gel oil balm style cleanser. Maybe a milky jelly style cleanser. This is more of just a plain gel style cleanser. It has a clear color, thick gel consistency and fragrance free. It washes clean away with no residue and left my face feeling soft. While this isn't drying it's not really hydrating either like some gel oil balm or milky jelly cleansers. It's good for the second part of a double cleanse or morning cleanse. I really prefer to use an oil based cleanser to remove my makeup at night. I did try this to remove my makeup one night. It worked OK but I felt like I probably didn't really get everything off.
I feel like there are already a ton of negative reviews on Sephora after being out for a week. So I'll try to share my thoughts on what other people are finding negative about this cleanser. The package is a white tube with an orange twist cap that never comes off fully. It's like Su-man's Gel Oil cleanser or some others that have this style cap. I had no issues so far with the cap leaking or anything like some reviews. I've stood it up after using with a basic click close, no leaking. I like this style cap it doesn't bother me I have to wipe the cap off every time I dispense the product. I can see why some would prefer a pump.
The biggest complaint besides leaking seems to be this cleanser stinging the eyes. I personally have not used this one my eyes to remove eye makeup. I use only micellar style cleansers on my eyes. I didn't even read the directions before I used it, but it never would have crossed my mind to use it on my eyes. See details from Drunk Elephant below:
Suggested Usage
At night, squeeze a small amount of Beste™ into the palm of your hand. Add water to lather and massage over face and neck, taking care around the eyes. Rinse well and pat dry. Follow with DE moisturizer, oil or serums as part of a complete DE routine.
We recommend cleansing just once daily at nighttime. A little goes a long way, so start with a pea sized amount. Also, due to this air-tight tube, which helps preserve the formula, please be sure to “twist to click” and close the cap tight.
I will say the directions for this are a bit contradicting. While the Sephora and Drunk Elephant website say take care around the eyes, the box says otherwise. Unfortunately, I had the box on the kitchen table and now it's gone. The hubby must have tossed it so I can't take a picture of what it says. In the directions on the back of the box it does say you can use the cleanser on your face and eyes. Which contradicts the website. So, those who did use it on their eyes had no reason to think they couldn't. I'm sure it did sting and I wouldn't try it just for the sake of trying it. I believe them. Don't use this on your eyes.
It foams very lightly. Most natural ingredient products tend to not lather a lot as they don't contain SLS. This is true of shampoos and cleansers. They still clean exactly the same you don't need that huge foamy feel to get clean. We're just used to thinking foam equals clean. Below is Beste rubbed dry onto my hand to work up a faint lather with no water. You can use this on wet or dry skin. It worked fine both ways. You can get a touch more lather with water. It cleaned the same either way for me. It took a few extra passes of water to remove if you rubbed it into dry skin versus wet skin. That's about the only difference.
Active Ingredients
cucumis melo cantalupensis (cantaloupe) fruit extract rich in vitamins A and C and a wide range of antioxidant compounds, also rich in antioxidant flavonoids such as beta-carotene, lutein, which help provide defense from free radicals
virgin marula oil super-absorbent oil, high in critical antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9, helps hydrate, nourish and rejuvenate skin
aloe barbadensis leaf extract plant extract that has soothing properties, antioxidant qualities, and serves as a hydrating agent for skin due to its polysaccharide and sterol content
glycerin a skin-identical ingredient, meaning it is a substance found naturally in skin. It is one of the many substances in skin that help maintain a balanced outer barrier and prevent dryness or scaling
white licorice root extract plant extract that has skin-soothing properties and helps improve the look of an uneven skin tone