What is Gentle Cleansing Foam?

It is a foam cleanser from Sulwhasoo (200ml).

How do I use this foam cleanser?

Work a small amount into a lather with water, massage over damp skin for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse thoroughly. Use once or twice daily as the first step of the routine.

Is it a first or second cleanse?

It is built for a water-based cleanse. On days with makeup or SPF, use an oil or balm cleanser first, then follow with this.

Sulwhasoo

Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml

Name: Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml
Brand: Sulwhasoo
SKU: 4954609894
Price: 42.5 USD
Availability: InStock

This foam cleanser from Sulwhasoo is Gentle Cleansing Foam. It suits normal, combination and oily skin. Comes in a 200ml size.

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$42.50

200 ml

$21.25 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: NormalCombinationOily

Helps with: Daily face washingRemoving excess oil and light makeup

One-time purchase

$42.50

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$38.25

In stock. Arrives in 3 to 7 business days

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How it works

Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml is Sulwhasoo's take on the first step of a routine. On its own ingredient list, Cocamidopropyl Betaine sits at position 4 of 37 on the ingredient list, a gentle humectant and skin-conditioning ingredient common in Korean cleansers. Tocopherol sits at position 37 of 37 on the ingredient list, vitamin E, used as an antioxidant in the formula. Sulwhasoo is a heritage Korean luxury house built around fermented Korean red ginseng and hanbang (traditional herbal) formulation, and this formula carries that character through cleanser format rather than a stripped-down version of it. It belongs to the first step of a routine, removing makeup, sunscreen and the day's buildup before the rest of a routine, and what it does for skin is best judged after it has had time to settle in, rather than by a single application. This is the Korean-market formula of gentle cleansing foam 200ml, the version sold on shelves in Korea rather than one reworked for a different market.

Key benefits

What it is: Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml from Sulwhasoo, a Korean-market cleanser.
On the ingredient list: Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Tocopherol, confirmed on this product's own manufacturer ingredient list rather than assumed from the category.
Fits into the routine: belongs to the first step of a routine, removing makeup, sunscreen and the day's buildup before the rest of a routine.
Sulwhasoo is a heritage Korean luxury house built around fermented Korean red ginseng and hanbang (traditional herbal) formulation.
Original Korean Formula: the same version sold on shelves in Korea, not a US-shelf reformulation.

Key actives

4Cocamidopropyl Betainea gentle humectant and skin-conditioning ingredient common in Korean cleansers

Position 4 of 37 on this product's own ingredient list, a gentle humectant and skin-conditioning ingredient common in Korean cleansers.

36Tocopherolvitamin E, used as an antioxidant in the formula

Position 37 of 37 on this product's own ingredient list, vitamin E, used as an antioxidant in the formula.

All products with Tocopherol

How to use

Work a small amount into a lather with water, massage over damp skin for 30 to 60 seconds, then rinse thoroughly. Use once or twice daily as the first step of the routine.

1 of 2

32 of 36 explained

Water/Aqua/Eau solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate surfactant: Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate is a coconut-and-glycine surfactant used in low-pH cleansers. It foams well and rinses without the squeaky tightness a soap leaves.
Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate surfactant: Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate is a very mild coconut-derived surfactant used in cleansers for reactive skin and around the eyes.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine surfactant: Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a coconut-derived secondary surfactant. Its job is to boost foam and soften the harshness of the main cleanser rather than to clean on its own.
Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer thickener: A thickener that responds to pH: it stays fluid while acidic and gels once neutralised. It is common in cleansers and clear gels.
Sodium Chloride thickener: Sodium Chloride is salt. In a cleanser it thickens the liquid; in a mask or essence it balances the mineral content of the water phase. It has no active role.
Pentylene Glycol humectant: Pentylene Glycol hydrates and, like the other longer-chain glycols, makes a formula less hospitable to microbes so the preservative system can be lighter. It also improves how evenly a product spreads.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate surfactant: Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate is a mild coconut-derived surfactant known for a rich, creamy lather that rinses without tightness.
Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside surfactant: Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside is a sugar-derived cleansing surfactant. It foams modestly and is mild enough for low-pH cleansers built for reactive skin.
Fragrance/Parfum fragrance: Fragrance, or Parfum, is a single declaration standing for a whole scent blend, which can be dozens of materials. Regulators allow it as a trade secret, so a list showing only this word does not say what the scent is made of. It is the most common trigger named by people with reactive skin.
Isostearic Acid fatty acid: Isostearic Acid is a branched fatty acid, so unlike stearic acid it stays liquid. It conditions and helps disperse pigments.

20 more explained

Potassium Hydroxide pH adjuster: Potassium Hydroxide is a strong base used in traces to raise a formula to its target pH. In a soap-style cleanser it also converts fatty acids into the surfactant that does the cleansing.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Limonene fragrance component: Limonene is the citrus-peel aromatic. It appears here because EU labelling requires 26 fragrance components to be named individually rather than hidden inside "fragrance", and it is one of them.
Disodium EDTA chelator: EDTA is a chelator: it locks up trace metal ions from water and packaging that would otherwise turn a formula cloudy, off-colour or rancid. It does nothing to skin and appears at a fraction of a percent.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Sodium Benzoate preservative: Sodium Benzoate is a mild preservative that works only in acidic formulas. It is usually paired with potassium sorbate, and the pair is the standard choice where a brand wants no phenoxyethanol.
Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract plant extract: Adlay, or Job tears, a grain used in both Korean cooking and Korean herbal practice. The seed extract carries starch-derived sugars and amino acids.
Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract plant extract: The peel extract of the satsuma mandarin, the gyul grown on Jeju. It carries flavonoids and aromatic oils and is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract.
Castanea Crenata (Chestnut) Shell Extract plant extract: Chestnut Shell Extract carries tannins and is used as an antioxidant plant extract, most often in formulas aimed at visible pores.
Linalool fragrance component: Linalool is a floral aromatic found in lavender, bergamot and coriander. It is one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling requires to be declared by name.
Dioscorea Japonica Root Extract plant extract: Dioscorea Japonica is Japanese wild yam, whose root is naturally slippery with mucilage. Its extract hydrates and leaves a cushioned feel.
Dextrin thickener: Dextrin is a starch fragment used to thicken and to give a formula a light, powdery finish. It is also a common carrier for powdered extracts.
Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract plant extract: Cocoa Extract carries polyphenols and a little caffeine. It is used as an antioxidant plant extract and gives a faint warm tint.
Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit Extract plant extract: Raspberry fruit extract, carrying fruit acids, sugars and anthocyanins. It is used as an antioxidant-rich conditioning extract.
Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract plant extract: Ulmus Davidiana is Japanese elm, whose inner bark yields a naturally slippery mucilage. Korean formulas use the root extract for that cushioned feel and for the look of reactive skin.
Salicornia Herbacea Extract plant extract: Glasswort, the hamcho that grows on Korean tidal flats. It concentrates sea minerals as it grows, so its extract is used as a mineral-rich hydrating ingredient.
Morus Alba Leaf Extract plant extract: White mulberry leaf extract, the leaf silkworms are fed on. It carries flavonoids and is used as a conditioning antioxidant extract.
Angelica Keiskei Extract plant extract: Ashitaba extract, a Japanese angelica relative rich in chalcones. It is used as an antioxidant conditioning extract.
Citric Acid pH adjuster: Citric Acid is used in tiny amounts to bring a formula to the pH its actives need, not as an exfoliant at that level. It is an AHA, so at much higher concentrations it can also exfoliate.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

#13

Fragrance on the list

4Cocamidopropyl Betaine36Tocopherol

4Cocamidopropyl Betaine
36Tocopherol

Where each key active sits on the declared ingredient list, by entry number. Position is proportion: the further forward, the larger its share.

Worth knowing

Rinse well; a foaming cleanser left on the skin can feel tight and dry.

Complete the routine

This itemSulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml$42.50
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinSulwhasoo Signature Ginseng Facial Soap 120g X 2ea$82.50
The last step of the morning, over everything elseSulwhasoo MEN UV Defense Protector 50ml SPF50+ PA++++$52.50

Total for 3 items$177.50

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Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml

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Sulwhasoo, Korean-market original

Korean-market cleanser from Sulwhasoo: Gentle Cleansing Foam 200ml, the same formula sold on shelves in Korea.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

People with dry, flaky skin are more likely to see a benefit from using vitamin E because it enhances moisturization.
Amy Kassouf, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic