The research behind our Face & Body Cleanser

How washing affects sensitive skin, why the main cleanser in our wash is a sulfate and what softens it, the one ingredient to check if you have a wheat allergy, and what the research does and doesn't prove.

Most people choose a body wash by its scent and a face wash by its promises. If your skin is sensitive, both are the wrong place to start. The first thing to check is which cleansing agents a wash uses, because that decides how your skin feels for hours afterwards.

This guide goes through our Sensitive Skin Face & Body Cleanser ingredient by ingredient, including the parts other brands tend to skip: the sulfate at the top of the list and the wheat protein near the middle. If you only want the product, the cleanser page has everything in one place.

01Why washing matters so much

You wash your face and body more often than you apply almost anything else. Every wash removes oil, sweat and dirt, and also a little of what your skin needs: the lipids that hold the outer layer together and the natural moisturising factor that keeps it supple. Healthy skin replaces them within hours. Sensitive or dry skin replaces them more slowly, so a harsh wash twice a day can leave it permanently a step behind.

That is why the gentlest possible cleansing is the foundation of any routine for sensitive skin. A good cream can help, but it is working against the tide if the wash before it strips the skin every time.

02What "sensitive skin" means

Sensitive skin is not a medical diagnosis. It is a description people use for skin that stings, burns, itches or turns red more easily than they expect, often after contact with a product, hot water or weather. Surveys in several countries suggest that a large share of adults describe their skin this way.

Some sensitive skin is linked to conditions such as eczema or rosacea, which need a doctor. Much of it is simply skin with a slightly weaker barrier. For that skin, the practical advice is consistent: fewer ingredients, milder cleansing, no hot water, and moisturising straight after washing.

03How cleansers affect the skin barrier

04How we rate the evidence

None of these studies tested our cleanser. They tested ingredients or types of ingredient. We use them to explain what each ingredient does and where its limits are.

05The main cleanser: sodium coco-sulfate

The first cleansing agent on the list, and the largest, is sodium coco-sulfate. It is made from the fatty alcohols in coconut oil. Because coconut oil is a mix of fatty acids, sodium coco-sulfate is a mix of sulfates, and its largest part is sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS.

You will see sodium coco-sulfate on many natural-origin washes, sometimes presented as a gentler alternative to SLS. We don't think that is fair. Its largest part is the same molecule, so its behaviour on skin is likely to be similar. We have found no published patch test comparing it with pure SLS.

So why is it here? Sulfates foam well and remove sweat, oil and sunscreen efficiently, which matters for a product that also has to work as a body wash. The question for sensitive skin is how strong the blend is overall, how long it stays on the skin, and what softens it. In a rinse-off wash, contact lasts less than a minute, and the formula pairs it with two milder cleansers and a lipid.

06Why a blend of cleansers is milder

Cleansing agents behave differently when they are mixed. When a sulfate is combined with milder co-cleansers, the micelles they form together are larger and more stable, and fewer free sulfate molecules are left to bind to the skin. This is one of the main ideas behind modern mild cleansers, and it is described in the review above.

In our wash, the sulfate is combined with cocamidopropyl betaine and coco-glucoside. Neither is there for decoration. They are there to make the sulfate behave more gently.

07Coco-glucoside

Coco-glucoside is made by joining glucose to fatty alcohols from coconut oil. It belongs to the alkyl polyglucoside family, which is non-ionic and generally regarded as one of the mildest types of cleansing agent.

08Cocamidopropyl betaine

Cocamidopropyl betaine is one of the most widely used co-cleansers in the world. It is amphoteric, which means its charge changes with pH, and it is added to sulfate washes because it makes the foam creamier and reduces irritation.

It does have a known downside. A small number of people develop contact allergy to it, which research has linked mostly to impurities left over from manufacture rather than the molecule itself. In 2004 the American Contact Dermatitis Society named it Allergen of the Year to raise awareness. Allergy to it is uncommon, but if you know you react to it, avoid this wash.

09Glyceryl oleate: putting some oil back

Glyceryl oleate is a lipid made from glycerin and oleic acid, a fatty acid found in olive and other plant oils. In washes it is used as a re-fatting agent: it helps leave a little lipid behind on the skin, so skin feels less stripped after rinsing, and it makes the lather feel softer.

We found no published human trial of glyceryl oleate in a cleanser to summarise, so we make no measured claim for it. The idea behind it, adding lipids to cleansers to reduce lipid loss, is supported by the review above.

10Hydrolysed wheat protein, and why we warn about it

Hydrolysed wheat protein is wheat protein broken into smaller pieces. In cosmetics it is used to condition skin and hair, and it leaves a soft feel. It also means this wash is not gluten free, whatever other labels may say. We have removed "gluten free" from our page for that reason.

There is a more serious reason to be careful. Between about 2009 and 2011, thousands of people in Japan developed wheat allergy after using one facial soap that contained a particular hydrolysed wheat protein.

11Plum and linden extracts

Organic plum fruit extract and organic linden flower extract are the two plant extracts in the formula. Plum is rich in polyphenols, the same family of antioxidants found in tea and berries; linden contains flavonoids and mucilage and is traditionally used for its softening feel.

We found no human trial of either extract in a rinse-off product. In a wash, most of it goes down the drain. We include them as supporting ingredients, and we make no claim that they change your skin.

12Jasmine extract and the new allergen list

The formula contains Parfum for a powdery violet, vanilla and frangipani scent, and a jasmine extract. In 2023 the EU made its list of fragrance allergens that must be named on labels much longer. Jasmine oil and extract are now on it, and the new rules apply to products placed on the market from July 2026. Benzyl alcohol, used here as a preservative, is also on the list.

So our wash declares two allergens: jasmine extract and benzyl alcohol. You may see older descriptions of this formula as "allergen label free". Under the updated list, that no longer holds, and we would rather you knew.

13Preservatives and pH

A wash that lives in a warm, wet shower needs good preservation. Ours uses benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, with a radish root ferment (Leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate) that also helps keep the formula stable. All are allowed under the COSMOS standard.

Citric acid adjusts the pH so the wash is mildly acidic, closer to the skin's own surface than a traditional soap. Traditional soaps are alkaline, which is one reason they can feel harsh.

14Soap, syndets and where this wash fits

Traditional soap is made by reacting fats with a strong alkali. It cleans well, but it is alkaline, with a pH around 9 to 10, while the skin's surface is mildly acidic. Washing with soap raises the skin's pH for a while afterwards, and many people with dry or sensitive skin find it leaves them tight.

Most modern washes, including ours, are syndets: synthetic or plant-derived detergents blended into a gel with an acidic or near-neutral pH. Syndets are not automatically mild, because the choice of detergent still matters, but they avoid the alkalinity of soap. Our wash is a syndet set to a mildly acidic pH with citric acid.

15Signs your wash is too harsh

• Your skin feels tight or squeaky straight after rinsing.
• Your face or legs itch within an hour of showering.
• Dry patches appear on shins, forearms or around the nose.
• Your moisturiser stings when you apply it after washing.

If you notice these, try lukewarm water, a shorter wash and less product first. If they continue, switch to a milder cleanser or a no-rinse option on your face, and see a doctor if itching or redness doesn't settle.

16What COSMOS Natural means here

The wash is certified COSMOS Natural by Ecocert, with 98% natural origin. COSMOS sets rules on ingredient sourcing, processing and allowed preservatives. The Natural level doesn't require a minimum organic content, though the plum and linden extracts in this formula are organic.

Certification tells you how a product is made. It doesn't make a sulfate gentle or a wheat protein safe for a wheat allergy. That is why we give you both the certificate and the ingredient-by-ingredient detail.

17One wash for face and body?

Using one product for face and body means fewer products, less packaging and less to think about. It works if the wash is mild enough for the face and effective enough for the body. This one is designed for both. On the face, use a small amount, keep it away from the eyes and rinse well. On the body, it removes sweat and sunscreen after a hot day.

If you wear makeup, remove it first with our Micellar Cleansing Water, then use the wash.

18Shower habits that help dry, sensitive skin

• Keep showers short and the water lukewarm. Hot water removes more lipid.
• Use a small amount of wash, and lather it on the skin with your hands rather than a rough sponge.
• Rinse well so no wash is left in skin folds.
• Pat dry, don't rub.
• Moisturise within a few minutes, while skin is still slightly damp. Our Sensitive Skin Body Cream is made for that.

19How to use it

Wet the skin with lukewarm water. Work a small amount into a lather between your hands, then over face or body. Rinse thoroughly. Follow with a moisturiser. Used morning and evening for face and body, a 390 ml bottle lasts around six to eight weeks.

20Who it suits, and who should skip it

It suits you if you want one wash for face and body; your skin is sensitive and you want every ingredient explained; you like a soft lather that rinses off easily; or you want a certified natural-origin formula.

Skip it if you are allergic to wheat; you avoid all sulfates; you know you react to cocamidopropyl betaine; you need a fragrance-free wash; or you need to remove waterproof makeup in one step.

21What it adds up to

This is a foaming wash for face and body with a short, certified formula. Its main cleanser is a sulfate, which we name plainly. It is paired with a glucoside, the mildest type of cleanser in patch testing, a betaine co-cleanser and a lipid, which is how mild cleansers are built. It contains a light fragrance with two declared allergens and a wheat protein that some people must avoid.

If you want a gentle, effective everyday wash and none of those points rules you out, it is a good fit. If any of them does, we would rather you chose something else, and we have said which of our products might suit you better.

22Your questions, answered

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