January 5, 2012

Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Review

I’m seeing quite a few cleansing waters released at the moment. They aren’t a hugely popular product in the US but they do decently well in the Asian market. One in particular that’s cult favorite is Mandom Cleansing Water. I reviewed this quite a few years ago on Musings and its kinda my lazy girl makeup remover for when I’m really not up for the huge nightly regime to get my makeup off.

Cleansing waters are fairly nice because they are not only simple and to the point for makeup removal but most do a damn good job tackling waterproof makeup while still remaining gentle enough not to strip skin or dry it out. Of course, this is from my experience using Asian ones, I haven’t really used any in the US.

Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water happened across my desk a few weeks ago and I’m happy to say I’m enjoying it immensely.

Jump!

It’s been a damn busy few months for me and when I finally do get home at night I just want to quickly get my makeup off and hope into bed for a few hours of sleep. I won’t head into bed in most cases without going through my normal makeup remover process and anti-aging extraordinaire nightly regime but hey, somethings you just wanna sleep.

That’s where cleansing waters like this one come into place.

If you lean towards more minimal makeup this is pretty much your all in one solution for removing your makeup quickly in a single go without having to add water to the mix. Saturated a cotton pad, swipe off your makeup, and boom you’re done!

I do prefer using a whole slew of products to get my makeup off because I wear alot of everything including waterproof mascara so this is great for quick makeup remover when I’m tired but not an everyday solution for me.

The formula is supposedly made with mineral-rich hot spring water and infused with essential herbs such as rosemary leaf, sage leaf, lavender, artemsia princeps leaf, perilla ocymoides, and ginger root. It’s very gentle so if you wear contacts or just have super sensitive eyes you can easily use this without issues.

The joy of the product is how incredibly good it is at removing makeup, all makeup, without alot of work and without stripping skin or burning/irritating eyes.

Essentially, the base is that of water so simply saturate a generously sized cotton pad (I like facial cotton when I use cleansing waters) and swipe it on your face until it comes away clean. For eyes and waterproof mascara, etc…saturate a cotton pad and hold it on your eye for a few seconds, now gently swipe away your makeup.

Done!

You don’t need to rinse. You can simply head to bed and rest easily knowing all your makeup was removed prior to hitting the hay! It works perfectly at removing even waterproof mascara.

The downside is the chubby little bottle is a little bit of a hassle to use. I’m used to cleansing waters that come with little pumps to squirt product out so I found this a tad awkward to use.

I also think the price a bit high as a 10 oz bottle is $39 versus a $8-$15 dollar bottle of Mandom which is just as effective. But…I will say that Mandom does sting my eyes a little bit plus it proves a pain to track down in the US and you might have to go through the extra trouble of ordering online, dealing with airmail, etc…

Overall, Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water is an effective cleanser that gets your face clean in seconds. It removes makeup, waterproof mascara, etc…so you can get to bed faster. If you’re a beauty blogger it’s particularly handy to have around for removing your makeup in a hurry for your next FOTD shot.

Likey!

It’s not a staple remover for me as I tend to spend a little more time removing my makeup at night and taking care of my skin, etc…but it is an excellent way for me to get it all off when I just when to get some sleep which in turn makes it an essential cleanser must have.

Muse Approved for purchase.

Well worth a purchase if you like no nonsense cleansers that do the job and do it super quickly!

This is available now at Sephora and Sephora.com and learn more at www.kohgendocosmetics.com

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • nicolle

    I have this as well & love it – very gentle. I also ahve the cleansing cloths. They are very thick which is nice. Give those a try too! Very portable 🙂 I have just started using this line a couple months ago and fell in love w/it.

    • the Muse

      purchased the cleansing clothes during FF and LOVE them nicolle ;-D def good choice!

  • Cj

    Hmm do you prefer water cleansers over cleansing oils? Which do you think is faster?

    • the Muse

      cleansing oils for me on the nights I’m taking time out to remove my makeup properly. but hurried makeup and quick removal def cleansing waters. they are faster, no rinsing required, swipe and done! ;D

      • Cj

        Hmm. I think I’ll order the new Mac one, there are deff times that I don’t feel like going through my whole nighttime routine lol

  • Regina

    Glad you finally got a chance to review this and that you love it too!! I really like using this also to cleanse my decollete in the evening prior to putting on my night creams. I don’t think I’ll repurchase as I also use Caudalie’s cleaning water and la-love it. But I’m glad to have finally purchased this one ’cause Sephora had it out of stock for weeks.

    • the Muse

      hey regina ugh giving me ideas now I want to try out caudalie’s version!

  • Hai Dao L

    LOL at the “NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION” on the label.
    I don’t think people spend 39$ for some fancy water ;P

  • Melissa

    This sounds great for my “Im tired and want to fall into bed now ” nights – btw whats your favorite oil of the moment?

      • Cj

        Does the JS have a thick or thin consistency? And if it’s thick, is it as thick as the DHC one?

        • the Muse

          hey cj…mmm a little thinner but almost as thick as dhc. has a fruity/floral aroma.

          • Cj

            Guh! I really wanna try it now lol! Just when I thought I found my HG cleansing oil. I swear your blog is bad for my bank lol. If you ever did like a post about all your HG’s I think I’d go broke.

          • the Muse

            I try to avoid those posts LOL! they’d be too long! I was thinking of my 2011 list and wanted to do it but I just don’t have the time (hopefully I can get something up) and I know they’ll be obnoxiously long ;-D how beauty bloggers make those list and keep it to 5-10 products is beyond me :D!

  • Roxann

    Dear Muse, Love you BUT don’t you care that parabens are so close to the top on the ingredient list? Even if you don’t avoid using parabens that list seems too “chemically” to me. We deserve more wholesome ingredients in our products!

  • Fuuka

    Mandom Cleansing Water all the way. I’m addicted. I even found little travel packets you can put in your purse for night out/you may not go home that night but you still have to take off your make up.

  • sammie

    I just bought the small travel size of this at Sephora for $13. It’s about the size of a bottle of eye-makeup remover and so it is really an easy bottle to use (unlike the chubby big size). Love it!