ADVERTISEMENT INFO:  PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS POST ARE PR (GIFTED) AND LINKS USED ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. I RECEIVED NO MONEY TO WRITE THE BLOGPOST. PLEASE READ DISCLAIMER

When I first looked at the Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner, I thought the packaging was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. It has a twist up cap that doesn’t come off, but simply allows you to pour out product. Very technical for the lack of a better word, and not something I have seen a lot of used in skincare.

After using it though, I quickly realized: the cleanser itself is much weirder! Let’s talk about why, which ingredients are used and which skin types I would recommend it for. (More info: How to find the right cleanser for your skin type)

What the Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner claims

This highly-efficient, balancing micro-emulsion brings together oils, esters and water-compatible cleaners into one advanced formula that works like an oil cleaner but acts like a water-based one. In a single step, oils of Mediterranean Crambe and East Asian Kanuga work with plant-derived esters to delete every trace of impurity, face- and eye-makeup. As you rinse off, sustainably-sourced Amazonian oils together with purified tomato carotenoids leave behind an innocuous layer of comfortable, non-comedogenic hydration. Unlike traditional oil cleaners, this advanced micro-emulsion does not require using a towel or mitt to clean the face as it rinses off efficiently with water in a single step.

Facts about the Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner

Prize and size

One bottle contains 120 ml and is available for 18 € on the website here. It is made from see-through plastic and, as mentioned above, has a clinical looking cap, but the design makes it easy to get the right amount of product out.

Texture and scent

While the cleanser looks like water at first glance, it feels like a lightweight oil and smells chemical, with a hint of glue, but kind of warm at the same time. Did I tell you I am hopeless at describing scents?

How to use the Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner

If you are wearing makeup, you massage the cleanser on your dry face and then rinse. I love to use it in the evenings like that, as it really gets rid of all makeup in one go and does not sting the eyes.
If there is no makeup, you massage it onto your wet face and then rinse.

And here is where the weirdness starts: As I said it looks like water and feels like a lightweight oil. But once it comes in contact with water, it somehow gets thicker until it feels like a rich lotion and loses all resemblance to an oil. Honestly, I have never felt a cleanser do that before. It rinses completely with water and leaves my skin feeling very soft.

Ingredients of the Hylamide High-Efficiency Face Cleaner

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate emo, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate emo|emu, Bisabolol so, Oenocarpus Bataua Fruit Oil emo|h, Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil emo, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil aox|emo|h, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil emo, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil emo 0 0–2, Solanum Lycopersicum (Tomato) Fruit Extract aox, Pongamia Pinnata (Karanja) Seed Oil pres, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Ethylhexyl Stearate emo, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amic

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Apart from several oils like Jojoba, Crambe and Sacha Inchi oil, you get Bisabolol, a soothing substance extracted from chamomile, Vitamin E and Squalane. The weird texture is probably due to the mixture of Cetyl Ethylhexanoate and PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate which according to formulator websites create these microemulsion face cleansers that leave the skin soft and supple. This is just a guess though, as the way they are described is exactly how this makes my skin feel.

(More info: How to read an ingredient list)

Does it live up to its claims?

Yes.

It is as good in removing makeup as a face oil, but does not require a wash cloth to remove it.

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the Hylamide High Efficiency Face Cleaner to?

This is hands down the weirdest cleanser I have tried in a long time, but weird in a good way.

Weird in a “makes me look forward to washing my face at night” way.

Due to its gentle yet effective makeup removing properties I can see this work on all skin types with the exception of very oily ones as I can imagine the softness afterwards could be too much for those. Especially if you don’t want a double cleanse, but just want to get rid of everything in one step, or if your skin is reactive because you are on prescription acne medication, this is definitely one you should try. (More info: Do you really need to Double Cleanse?)

Shop this one or my other favorite cleansers here

If you want to get a vote in the next Ask Doctor Anne Topic, Ingredient Spotlight or product I review, don’t forget you can head over to my Patreon account to get more involved!