What’s Soothing Cleansing Gel? Why is it Different from Calming Cleanser?

Soothing gel cleanser vs Calming cleanser

If you’ve ever looked at the Skinlycious product range and wondered, “Wait — what’s the difference between the Soothing Cleansing Gel and the Calming Cleanser? Don’t they both… cleanse?” — you’re not alone. It’s one of the questions we get asked most often.

The short answer: yes, both are cleansers. But they’re designed for different skin situations, different needs, and even different moments in your routine. Knowing which one to reach for (or whether you actually need both) can make a real difference to how your skin feels and behaves.

Let’s break it down properly.

First, Let’s Talk About Calming Cleanser

The Calming Cleanser is our bestseller — and it’s been in the Skinlycious range since the very beginning. It was formulated to solve a very specific (and frustrating) problem that a lot of acne-prone skin faces: most cleansers either clean your skin thoroughly but leave it feeling tight and stripped, or they feel gentle but don’t actually do a deep enough job.

Calming Cleanser was built to do both — cleanse thoroughly without disrupting your skin’s natural balance. Here’s what makes it special:

What it does

Removes dirt, excess oil, and impurities thoroughly
Soothes redness and sensitivity with every wash (thanks to calamine)
Balances your skin’s natural pH so your barrier stays protected
Keeps sebum production in check — no rebound oiliness mid-afternoon
Gentle enough for daily use — morning, midday (if needed), and night
Can be used on the face AND body (great for bacne!)

Key ingredients

Calamine — a time-trusted mineral that visibly calms redness and soothes reactive skin
Hydrolyzed Whey Protein + Lactic Acid — work together to restore your skin’s natural acidic pH (around 4.5–5.5), which is key to keeping your barrier strong
Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters — delivers moisture during cleansing so your skin feels soft and nourished, not stripped
Plant-derived, sulfate-free surfactants — lift away dirt and oil without compromising your protective skin barrier

Note: Calming Cleanser contains Hydrolyzed Whey Protein, which is derived from cow’s milk. If you have a dairy allergy (not just lactose intolerance), please use with caution. For a dairy-free and vegan option, the Soothing Cleansing Gel is the better choice.

Families with kids, teens, and adults all use it. It’s been refined over the years based on real customer feedback — at one point we added tea tree oil, and some long-time users started breaking out. We removed it immediately and haven’t added essential oils to any product since. The current formula is the best version we’ve ever made.

So… What Is Soothing Cleansing Gel?

The Soothing Cleansing Gel is a newer addition to the Skinlycious family — and it came about for a very real reason.

We had a customer who couldn’t use Calming Cleanser. Her skin was highly sensitive and sensitised, and even gentle formulas were causing her skin to react. Jasmine, our founder, worked with her to develop a cleanser that her skin could actually tolerate. The result? Within just 3 days, her skin stopped over-producing oil and her acne started to clear up.

That customer became the inspiration for Soothing Cleansing Gel.

What makes it different from Calming Cleanser?

Beyond being formulated for more sensitive or sensitised skin, Soothing Cleansing Gel has one key capability that Calming Cleanser doesn’t have

It removes makeup and sunscreen. Calming Cleanser does not.

Who is Soothing Cleansing Gel for?

People with sensitive or sensitised skin who find Calming Cleanser slightly too much for them
Anyone who wears sunscreen or makeup daily and wants a thorough first cleanse
Those looking for a vegan/dairy-free cleanser option
People with normal skin who want extra peace of mind — it’s a safe, effective choice even if your skin isn’t particularly sensitive

At a Glance: Calming Cleanser vs. Soothing Cleansing Gel

Product Comparison Find your perfect daily cleanser	Calming Cleanser A gentle daily cleanser for oily, acne-prone & normal skin.	Soothing Cleansing Gel A soothing gel cleanser for sensitive, sensitised & acne-prone skin.
Best for	Oily, acne-prone, normal skin	Sensitive/sensitised, acne-prone skin
Removes makeup & SPF?	No	Yes
Suitable for vegans?	No (contains dairy-derived ingredient)	Yes
Can be used on body (bacne)?	Yes	Face-focused
Use in AM or PM?	Both — great daily cleanser	Best in PM, or as first step in double cleanse
Skin oil control	Excellent — stays matte all day	Great for sensitive/reactive skin
Key soothing ingredient	Calamine	Formulated for skin sensitivity
pH balancing?	Lactic Acid + Whey Protein	Gentle formula
Fragrance-free?	Yes	Yes
Sulfate-free?	Yes	Yes

What About Double Cleansing? Can I Use Both?

Yes — and this is actually one of our favourite routines for people who wear sunscreen (which should be everyone!).

Who is Soothing Cleansing Gel for?

Step 1 (Evening): Use Soothing Cleansing Gel to remove sunscreen and/or makeup. This is your “first cleanse” — it lifts away the stuff that sits on top of your skin.
Step 2 (Evening): Follow with Calming Cleanser for a deeper, more thorough cleanse of your skin itself — removing sweat, sebum, and any remaining residue.

In the morning, you typically don’t need to double cleanse (unless you sweat heavily overnight). A single wash with Calming Cleanser is usually enough to prep your skin for the day.

So… Which One Should You Use?

Start with Calming Cleanser if:

You have oily, acne-prone, or combination skin
You’re new to Skinlycious and want our best-selling, most versatile cleanser
You want something the whole family can use
You deal with bacne alongside facial breakouts
Your skin isn’t particularly sensitive or reactive

Start with Soothing Cleansing Gel if:

Your skin is sensitive, sensitised, or reactive — especially if you’ve struggled with other cleansers in the past
You wear sunscreen and/or makeup and need a proper first cleanse
You follow a vegan lifestyle and need a dairy-free option
You want a single cleanser that can do it all (gentle enough for sensitive skin, yet effective enough to remove SPF and makeup)

Start with Soothing Cleansing Gel if:

You wear sunscreen or makeup daily (double cleansing in the evening is a game-changer)
You have sensitive skin but want the deeper clean that Calming Cleanser offers as a second step

A Personal Note from Jasmine

I spent 14 years struggling with acne before figuring out what my skin actually needed. Cleansers were one of the hardest things to get right. Most of them would leave my skin oily within 2–3 hours — not because my skin naturally produced that much oil, but because the cleanser had stripped it and sent it into overdrive.

Finding the right cleanser changed everything. That’s why I’m so passionate about this part of the routine — it’s not just about washing your face. It’s about setting your skin’s balance for the rest of the day.

Whether you start with Calming Cleanser, Soothing Cleansing Gel, or both — I hope it helps you feel the difference a truly gentle, balanced formula can make.