This cream cleanser is known for melting away waterproof makeup and SPF while leaving skin soft and free of film. Several gurus say it suits dry, sensitive and oily skin, and it is mild enough for very sensitive or irritated skin. However, it is only slightly hydrating, since all cleansers dry skin a little, and this one keeps that to a minimum. It can go on either dry or damp skin.
Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take May 2026
What they liked
Melts into skin without leaving a film
Removes waterproof makeup and SPF in one step
Gentle enough for sensitive skin and active users
What they flagged
May not fully remove water-resistant sunscreen alone
"Super inexpensive, really nice in terms of getting the job done, but not stripping and drying. And this is something I'd really encourage everyone to take a look at. [...] Go for something like this that actually adds hydration back into the skin. You'll see such great results and it's super inexpensive. [...] This is a universal, super affordable, and budget friendly cleanser that I honestly recommend to everyone. Just a great place to start your routine."
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"Super inexpensive, really nice in terms of getting the job done, but not stripping and drying. And this is something I'd really encourage everyone to take a look at. [...] Go for something like this that actually adds hydration back into the skin. You'll see such great results and it's super inexpensive. [...] This is a universal, super affordable, and budget friendly cleanser that I honestly recommend to everyone. Just a great place to start your routine."
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"The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is one of my favorite products from the ordinary and this is beautiful, it melts into the skin, it gets rid of waterproof makeup and SPF. It's an amazing one-stop shop, this is all you need for an effective evening cleanse. I use this every other day usually as my cleanser of choice and my skin just loves it."
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"This doesn't strip it doesn't dry and it does genuinely remove multiple layers of water resistant SPF makeup, anything that's on the skin this will get rid of it. It's kind of like a double cleanse on its own but of course you can then use it with a cleansing balm too if you want like an extra robust cleanse. It's beautiful, it's affordable, it's just a nice all round cleanser."
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"It's [...] a beautiful option that has a similar texture to other cream cleansers, velvety and creamy, and then when you apply water, it turns into a gel cleanser and rinses away. I think this is going to supercharge the cream cleanser game. When The Ordinary create a product, a lot of other brands follow. And so, expect to see a lot of other brands come out with their cream cleansers in the next 12 months. [...] It's probably my favorite style of cleanser."
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"The Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is a great option if you've got a drier skin type. It's really hydrating but almost works like a double cleanse in one. It'll shift water resistant SPF, waterproof makeup, but it doesn't leave a trace or film on the skin. So if you're too lazy to double cleanse, just reach for this and it does it all in one. I love it."
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"I love this because it's gentle on the skin, it's slightly hydrating. A lot of brands will call their cleansers hydrating, but don't forget because you're actually working it in and removing it with water, all cleansers are going to be to some degree a little drying on the skin, but I'd say this keeps drying us to an absolute minimum. It doesn't irritate the skin and it really does pack a punch when it comes to cleansing."
"Everybody knows I love the glycolipid cleanser. This was probably my absolute favorite high street cream cleanser of last year. It's beautiful, it's creamy, it basically melts away all your makeup. It respects your barrier function. I personally use it with a microfiber cloth, it gets rid of every scrap of makeup, and then I rinse it away at night. It leaves your barrier intact but cleanses your skin super gently."
All 2 takes from Nadine Baggott
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"Everybody knows I love the glycolipid cleanser. This was probably my absolute favorite high street cream cleanser of last year. It's beautiful, it's creamy, it basically melts away all your makeup. It respects your barrier function. I personally use it with a microfiber cloth, it gets rid of every scrap of makeup, and then I rinse it away at night. It leaves your barrier intact but cleanses your skin super gently."
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"The cleanser of the year was The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream. I absolutely love it, super cheap. It's basically just a really gorgeous cream cleanser, rinse off, perfect. That's why I love this. It turns to milk when you add water."
"It doesn't really emulsify in the way that I'm used to, I don't see it turning milky, but it still rinses off clean. For this reason I prefer this to the squalane cleanser, which does not quite rinse off clean and leaves a residue on the skin. This removes all my sunscreen and makeup. It's a great first cleanser if you have normal to oily skin or if you just don't prefer or enjoy an oil-based first cleanser."
"This is a cream cleanser that you can apply to dry or damp skin and I have to tell you guys I have been rather impressed with the performance of this. If you have very sensitive irritated skin, or maybe you're using Accutane and you want the mildest gentlest products, this is a very very very mild gentle creamy soothing frankly cleanser that actually does a good job removing cosmetics."
"This is by far my favorite because it's gentle, it's moisturizing, it doesn't strip your skin barrier, it's also calming, and it's great for all skin types, even those that are oily. If you have dry skin, you will absolutely love this. I was actually using this in the summer last year. It never caused breakouts because it doesn't leave a film on your skin after you've rinsed it off. It really is the most gentle moisturizing cleanser that I have used in a long time now."
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"This is by far my favorite because it's gentle, it's moisturizing, it doesn't strip your skin barrier, it's also calming, and it's great for all skin types, even those that are oily. If you have dry skin, you will absolutely love this. I was actually using this in the summer last year. It never caused breakouts because it doesn't leave a film on your skin after you've rinsed it off. It really is the most gentle moisturizing cleanser that I have used in a long time now."
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"The cleanser I would use as a second cleanse is The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser. I like this formulation a lot because it's gentle, it's moisturizing, it keeps your skin balanced, but also it's non-stripping, and it's perfect for all skin types. If you want to use this to remove makeup and sunscreen as a first cleanse, you can do so, and then go in again with this as a second cleanse to ensure your skin is clean and free from residue."
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"The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is by far my favorite formulation out of the three that they carry. It's a very moisturizing formula that doesn't leave a film on your skin. It's very lightweight in my opinion, perfect for all skin types. I love using this every day, twice a day. I did pick up another one for sure. I keep it in my shower, and they nailed it with this formula. It is truly on point."
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"The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is exceptional for the winter months, great if you have dry skin, sensitive skin, but even if you have oily combo skin you're going to love it because this is really lightweight. It doesn't create that heaviness to the skin, it doesn't leave a film after you've rinsed it off, and it just does a wonderful job to cleanse that skin, especially when you want something that isn't stripping. This is hands down one of the best I have ever used."
"This is one of my favorite cleansers of all time, but especially from The Ordinary because it's very moisturizing and it's also non-stripping. If you have dry sensitive skin you're going to love this, but honestly this is great for all skin types. I have combination skin and even when my skin was at its oiliest this did an excellent job. It doesn't leave a film on your skin after you rinse it off and it also doesn't leave your skin feeling tight."
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"I was using this all summer in my shower and it just cleanses your skin so nicely. It is super gentle, it has that nice creaminess, and it's non-stripping. It's also fragrance-free. I especially love this cleanser for the fall and winter months because of how gentle and moisturizing it is. You can also use this to remove your makeup and sunscreen at the end of the day as that first cleanse and then go in again with a second cleanse just to ensure your skin is really clean."
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"I went in with The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser and this is fabulous for those that have dry skin. It's a great cleanser that is super gentle, it's non-stripping, it's perfect for all skin types and it's creamy. It doesn't leave a film on the skin and it does lather up quite nicely on the skin as well. It just cleanses so beautifully. So if you want something for every day twice a day, this really is lovely."
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"This is one of my favorite cleansers as of late because it's very creamy, it's moisturizing, it's also very gentle, perfect for all skin types including dry skin, but this doesn't strip the skin either. It really is that nice formula that cleanses nice and I love this for the morning but I also really like using this at night time as well as this acts as a makeup and sunscreen remover. When you emulsify this with water you do get more of that lather which is really nice but again super gentle."
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"I'm almost done this one and this one is really lovely. I would say this one is more for those that have drier skin, your skin feels tight, even combination skin. It's another cleanser that was designed for all skin types, but we do have our favorite textures and formulations when we have a specific skin type. For me in the winter I would resort to a cream cleanser more so than a foaming cleanser, and in the summer I would usually go with a foaming cleanser versus a cream cleanser."
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"The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is one of my favorite cleansers because it's creamy, it's moisturizing, it's nourishing and it doesn't strip your skin barrier. Great for all skin types including sensitive skin. I have combination skin and this never breaks me out and I am somebody who is very breakout prone. This is absolutely exceptional."
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"This is one of their newest cleansers that they came out with early this year and this is going to be perfect for the colder months as it's extremely moisturizing. It's very gentle, it doesn't strip the skin, perfect for those that have dry sensitive skin, but this is great for all skin types including oily acne prone skin. I have combination skin, I can be acne prone, this doesn't break me out and this cleanses really nicely. You can use it every day twice a day."
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"I love this formulation because it's very moisturizing, it doesn't strip the skin, and it also doesn't leave a residue left behind either. It's truly great for all skin types including oily skin, but if you do have dry skin and you're looking for that moisturizing cleanser for the winter months, I think you are going to really enjoy this. This has been my go-to since November."
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"I don't have a film left over once I've rinsed this off, and it keeps my skin barrier nice and comfortable, well moisturized. This is something that I like to use in my morning routine, but I also really enjoy using this at night time as well. It's a cleanser that you can use every day, twice a day, and it really is super gentle."
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"I like this one a lot more because it's very gentle, it's very moisturizing on the skin, it's not stripping in the least, and this one doesn't leave a film behind after you've rinsed your skin."
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"This does have a creaminess to it but it's very lightweight, it's not heavy and it doesn't leave a film on the skin either, so perfect for all skin types. I really like to use this if my skin is feeling a little tight and a little dry. I was using this all winter long but because it's so lightweight, this is going to be great for the summer. So I like to use this in the morning or as that second cleanse at night time."
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"So this keeps our skin at that normal pH level. So when you rinse this off, your skin doesn't feel tight, doesn't feel stripped, you don't have this residue left on your skin either, but your skin does feel quite moisturized. And sometimes when my skin is super dry after I've cleansed my skin with this, I will go back in with this cleanser and put a good amount all over my face and I will just let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes and then I rinse off with cool water and I go in with my skincare after."
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"The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser is exceptional for dry skin but honestly it's perfect for all skin types. It's very gentle, it cleanses the skin really nicely, and there's no film that's left over either. You can use this both morning and evening. You can remove your makeup and sunscreen with this at night time if you wish to, and this is going to be great for the winter months as well. This is a new formula that they came out with this year and I'm very impressed with it."
What the evidence says.
Independent of what the gurus think, this is what
the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.
Frequently asked.
What is The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser?
A creamy, rinse-off facial cleanser from The Ordinary, designed to cleanse the skin gently and remove makeup.
Is The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser worth it?
Mostly yes. 5 of the 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 80%.
What is The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser's Guru Score?
The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 80%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.
Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.
Lower-priced products in the same category that the experts still rate highly.
