You don’t have to splurge on a prestige product for a luxurious cleansing experience. After falling in love with a Chanel cleansing formula, but not its price, one Soko Glam staffer reveals the similar, but less expensive K-beauty formula she discovered as a dupe.
There are a lot of simple cleansers on the market that are both effective and cost effective. One of my favorite water-based cleansers is the sensible and uncomplicated Unscented Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser from the drugstore! On the other side of the spectrum there are also high-end cleansing products with price tags to match that are formulated to feel luxurious on the skin and packaged to look like art on your bathroom counter. There are days when I look at these products and think, yes, I need that both on my face and in my Instagram feed!
One of them is the Chanel L’Huile Anti-Pollution Cleansing Oil, which debuted last year as part of the Chanel Cleansing Collection. The line features a number of unique transformative formulas. The L’Huile Anti-Pollution Cleansing Oil is the standout in the bunch in my opinion and has an oil to milk formula. It starts as a silky oil that takes off all your makeup and SPF and then emulsifies to a milk that washes off without any leftover residue. Of course, I am partial to oil cleansers myself and that’s because it’s the skincare step that helped to clear my persistent acne!
The importance of oil cleansing comes down to a principle we probably learned in a fluorescent lit high school science class: Oil and water don’t mix. Due to differing density levels, even if we try to mixed oil and water they will always separate. This is why relying on only a water-based cleanser to wash your face may not be getting rid of the oil based impurities on your face including sebum or SPF. By applying fresh layers of skin care on improperly cleansed skin you could be trapping bacteria and impurities underneath all the products you paid good money for, ultimately rendering them less effective.
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Now that I’ve stepped off my double cleansing soapbox, let’s talk dupes. The L’Huile Anti-Pollution Cleansing Oil is a lovely rose-scented cleanser with beautiful minimalistic packaging. Its formula stands out from the competitive skin care market, but at $45, it is a definite splurge. Thankfully I’ve discovered a product that offers the luxury cleansing experience without the luxury price tag, and I’m happy to share it with all of you.
Meet the Mamonde Petal Spa Oil To Foam Cleanser, which at $21, clocks in at less than half the price for the same amount of product.
Mamonde is a brand under the AmorePacific umbrella and has a long history (27+ years!) in Korea. The brand is known to be powered by flowers like rose and revolves around the idea that “there’s so much more to cherish about flowers than their beauty.”
Their Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser has become a holy grail for me and earned a permanent spot behind my bathroom mirror. Its rose scent and transitional formula reminds me of the cleansers you can find in the aforementioned Chanel cleansing collection. Although not a perfect dupe for the oil to milk consistency of the L’Huile, what I actually like better about the Mamonde Petal Spa Oil to Foam Cleanser is that it is specifically formulated to serve as a double cleanse product in one!
As the name suggests, the formula transforms from an oil to a creamy foam once emulsified to wash away both oil- and water-based impurities. The Chanel cleanser contains blue micro-algae to protect skin from pollution, while the rose oil in the Mamonde cleanser serves as an antioxidant to protect against environmental stressors like pollution. And like the Chanel cleanser, the Mamonde product looks good on a vanity.