Cleansers are the category where paying a premium makes the least sense. A cleanser sits on your face for under a minute and then goes down the drain, so there is limited time for any special ingredient to act.
The surfactants here are genuinely nice. Amino-acid-derived cleansers like sodium cocoyl glycinate are mild, foam well, and rinse cleanly, which is a hard balance to get right. That explains why people enjoy using it.
Still, similar amino-acid foams exist for a fraction of the price, and fragrance-free options are easy to find. For most people the money is better spent on a serum or moisturizer that stays on the skin.
| Key active | Sodium cocoyl glycinate + apple amino acids |
| Texture | Foaming gel |
| Best for | Normal to combination skin |
| Approximate price | $28–$32 |
The surfactants are genuinely nice. Amino-acid-derived cleansing agents like sodium cocoyl glycinate are mild, they foam well, and they rinse cleanly — a hard combination to get right.
It cleans properly without leaving skin tight, and people who use it tend to like it a lot.
The texture is a pleasure.
It appears to be discontinued. It has vanished from EltaMD's own cleanser range, replaced by a new amino-acid foaming cleanser. What is on shelves now is remaining stock — do not build a routine on it.
It contains fragrance, which is a genuine strike against a product at this price aimed at skin health.
About $4 an ounce — roughly four times what CeraVe's foaming cleanser costs, for a cleanser that is on your face for 45 seconds and then goes down the drain. This is the category where paying a premium makes the least sense.
No actives, despite the price.
Water, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Acrylates Copolymer, Methyl Perfluoroisobutyl Ether, Methyl Perfluorobutyl Ether, Magnesium Silicate, Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, Bromelain, PEG/PPG-14/4 Dimethicone, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Isononyl Isononanoate, Ethylhexyl Isononanoate, Sodium Cocamidopropyl Pg-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Hydroxide, Capryloyl Glycine, Undecylenoyl Glycine, Sodium Bisulfite, Propylene Glycol, Maltodextrin, Coconut Acid, Sodium Chloride, Hexylene Glycol, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Parfum
1. Irritant and sensitizing potential of eight surfactants commonly used in skin cleansers: an evaluation of 105 patients (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20920412/) — A 105-patient patch-test study found amino-acid-derived anionic surfactants (e.g. sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauroyl oat amino acids) were among the most tolerated and induced no skin irritation, backing the claim that amino-acid cleansing agents like sodium cocoyl glycinate are mild. 2. Recent Advances in Mild and Moisturizing Cleansers (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30681816/) — Peer-reviewed review documenting the introduction of amino-acid-based milder surfactants and the role of pH in cleansing, supporting the claim that amino-acid-derived cleansing agents are a mild, well-designed surfactant class. 3. Cleansing without compromise: the impact of cleansers on the skin barrier and the technology of mild cleansing (https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04s1002.x) — Explains that harsh surfactants cause after-wash tightness and dryness while mild surfactants that interact minimally with skin proteins avoid it, backing the claim that the product cleans without leaving skin tight. 4. Role of pH in skin cleansing (https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12721) — Clinical study on how cleanser pH and surfactant type govern skin mildness, dryness, and irritation, supporting the general scientific claim about what makes a foaming cleanser gentle and non-stripping. 5. EltaMD Foaming Facial Cleanser ingredients explained (https://incidecoder.com/products/eltamd-foaming-facial-cleanser) — Confirms the product's formulation contains sodium cocoyl glycinate and apple amino acids as cleansing surfactants and lists fragrance/parfum in the ingredient list, backing both the actives and the fragrance-content claim.