Good to the Last Drop: Weleda Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond

I usually photograph products before I’ve really gotten into them as I prefer to capture them closer to their pristine state. That is obviously not the case here. I purchased Weleda’s Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion (now called Weleda Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond), because I was intrigued by the idea of a naturally formulated cleansing lotion but I did not go into it with the intention of writing a review.

What is it?

Cleansing lotions aren’t new, a lotion/cream that can double as a cleanser or cold cream cleanser, is not only a comforting idea, there are real functional benefits as they easily dislodge waterproof makeup and sunscreen, and they gently cleanse the skin with a texture that feels like moving a creamy moisturizer around which does not disturb the barrier or dry the skin, and like most moisture creams, they rinse off with water, pretty smart right? Cold cream cleansers are very popular for people with dry skin, and with models, actresses, and early-day Into The Gloss muses, the people who regularly go through tons of products, who are prone to sensitivity from all the different products.

While lovely, I had never considered them a “must have” for a few reasons: I’m acne-prone and don’t usually wear too much makeup. Plus, most cold creams have outdated formulas that remind me of drugstore creams circa 90’s. But when I saw Weleda’s Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond, it felt like every descriptor I was reading aligned with what I thought a modern “cold cream” should be: good natural ingredients, and made for sensitive skin (as that is the top clientele that uses it), and at under $20 (usually $19.99, I found them selling for $16.99 at Pharmaca which is why I linked to them), it was too good for me to pass up.

What’s in it?

The ingredients list is concise, and high-quality, which is what we want to see in a sensitive-skin formula:

Water  Sweet Almond Oil  Alcohol  Glyceryl Stearate SE  Glycerin  Hydrolyzed Beeswax  Prunus Domestica Seed Oil  Xanthan Gum  Lactate

While Weleda has product lines with nice scents like rose, and citrus, there was a clear reason they opted to make this cleanser part of their Almond line. By using Almond (which has a nice and subtle sweet note to it), the formula is free of any fragrances including essential oils, making it kind of over-the-top excellent for those with sensitive skin. The two plant oils in here are Sweet Almond which is not only a gentle carrier oil that nourishes acne-prone to dry skin (yay for me!), it’s also wonderful for sensitive skin prone to eczema, psoriasis, and acne. Sweet Almond Oil’s high fatty acid content is known to help dissolve excess oil on the skin as well, which is why it works beautifully to moisturize AND cleanse the skin, especially the stubborn waterproof products which usually have an oil-base. The other plant oil is Plum Seed Oil, which is a star ingredient in many more expensive products including Le Prunier’s Plum Beauty Oil which retails at $72 for 1 oz of pure Plum Seed Oil. Plum Seed Oil is known to be rejuvenating and anti-aging, excellent for the skin barrier, with high polyphenol antioxidant content. It also calms irritation, brightens the skin tone, and does not clog pores with recommendations as especially suitable for dry, sensitive and acne-prone skin types – what’s not to love?

Plant oils aside, the ingredients in Weleda’s Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond are purposeful, with a water base, this helps to moisturize alongside glycerin, and the Alcohol Glyceryl Stearate SE is a nice texturizer that is a fatty-alcohol that calms the skin. It works with the Hydrolyzed Beeswax and Xanthan Gum to form a nice rich creamy texture that is simultaneously moisturizing, and “breathable”.

How do you like it?

A lot. As if that wasn’t clear from the ravaged tube of product. If this was a plate at a restaurant, mine would have been embarrassingly empty with even the sauce wiped up, the type of scenario where we all know a sassy waiter will sarcastically comment “looks like you didn’t like that at all.” Weleda’s Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond is gentle, the cream is rich but not suffocating because all of the ingredients are nourishing yet light on the skin (even suitable for acne-prone skin) so you feel like you have a hefty comfort cream on, without concern of the cleansing lotion clogging pores, nor causing congestion. The performance is right up there in terms of make-up removal, and I even use this for eye makeup due to the high quality ingredients (no mineral oil or harsh cleansers), and total fragrance-free nature of the formula.

I love this for any time, as it’s such a low-maintenance product that works gently, quickly, and effectively, and easily rinses off when done. It takes the place of cleansing balms/oils/micellar water, and even some 2nd cleanse cleansing milks.

And because of the sensitive-skin formulation, with a creamy texture suitable for dry skin, yet thoughtful enough to benefit even acne-prone skin, and the fact that all this goodness comes in under $20 – I really don’t know who Weleda’s Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond wouldn’t be suited for. Although Weleda’s Sensitive Care Cleansing Lotion – Almond wouldn’t fall into the typical luxury category that I usually review, for me the performance is every bit as sophisticated, if not more so, the ingredients are thoughtful and high-quality, this is one of those products that is an absolute gem that also comes in at an excellent bang-for-the-buck price.

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3 Comments

  1. August 3, 2020 / 12:09 am

    Great review! Well written xx

  2. August 7, 2020 / 9:30 pm

    OK – I’ve actually been VERY into cream cleansers or cold-cream cleanser type of texture lately. My skin just craves it after a long day of humidity, sunscreen, and whatnot. I have never used Weleda facial skincare line and I also never read up about this cleanser – another discovery made so happy! I can’t believe there’s Plum Oil in there tooooooo it’s one of my fave oils.

    I’m currently using Twelve Cleansing Cream atm which also reminds me of cold-cream cleanser but rinses off easily – my skin loves it! I’m definitely going to snatch the Weleda cleansing lotion to try once I run out of the Twelve one! THANK YOUUU for introducing this – it sounds really good.

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