How Rose & Lemon Face Cleanser Changed My Routine

Turns out I’m a picky formulator.

It took a few years of research, testing, and playing around before I finished formulating this face cleanser because it had to meet a specific list of requirements. It had to feel perfect on skin. It had to be stable enough to sit on your counter without drama. Clean ingredients, gentle enough for twice daily use, and (most importantly) it had to actually respect your skin barrier.

That last one matters more than people realize.

You know that squeaky, tight feeling after washing your face? That’s not clean. That’s your cleanser taking more than just dirt, it’s stripping your natural oils and disrupting your barrier in the process. Which is just rude.

Here’s a quick piece of skin science worth knowing: your skin’s natural pH is slightly acidic, sitting around 5.5. Keeping your cleanser close to that number means your barrier stays intact and happy.

Now....I make bar soap. I know. The obvious question is why not just use that? I tried. Traditional cold process soap runs at a pH of around 8, which works beautifully on the body (especially with superfatting : adding extra oils so your skin stays soft instead of stripped). But on delicate face skin? It’s just not the right tool.

So instead, I built this cleanser around Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, a coconut-derived surfactant sometimes called “baby foam” because of how exceptionally gentle it is. It cleanses without stripping, which was exactly the starting point I needed.

From there, I layered in niacinamide for visible redness support and meadowfoam seed oil which is an incredibly gentle, stable oil that reinforces the skin barrier without feeling heavy in a rinse-off formula.

And then the scent: lemon, rose, and ylang ylang essential oils. Light, floral, a little mood-lifting. Scented at 0.3% for just a touch of scent to treat yourself without being overpowering.

Rose + Lemon Gentle Face Cleanser started as something I was making for myself because I couldn’t find what I was looking for anywhere else. That’s kind of the origin story of most things at Lavish Earth.

I hope it ends up being exactly what you’ve been looking for too.

I formulated this because my own skin needed something better, and I can't wait for you to experience it yourself. Click here to bring the Rose & Lemon Cleanser into your vanity