5 jelly cleansers that leave skin soft - not stripped

When it comes to K-Beauty, there are a number of products we’re obsessed with - hair sheet masks, cushion foundations...and most recently, jelly cleansers.

Thicker than a cleansing oil, thinner than a cleansing balm, they’re characterised by their more gelatinous textures, conditioning ingredients (dry skin types will be particularly drawn to them) and chameleon-like formulas that can switch from jelly to milk with just a splash of water. A new beauty category that’s picking up pace, here are our favourites.

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Best for: A soothing cleanse

This conditioning jelly cleanser transforms into a silky milk when mixed with water to leave skin soft and smooth. Containing poloxamer, the same ingredient found in contact lens solution, as well as glyceryl cocoate to break down makeup and grime, it’s gentle yet thorough. Furthermore, a quarter of the water content is replaced with soothing rosewater to help reduce redness (exactly what’s needed in the current cold climate) and it’s also fragrance-free too to keep risk of irritation to a minimum.

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Best for: Makeup removal

This pick comes with a micro-cloth to help remove end-of-day makeup and dirt. Transforming from jelly to oil to milk, it’s as effective on your foundation as it is your eyeliner and leaves skin squeaky clean but not stripped thanks to the inclusion of rice bran oil, plant extracts, sunflower oil coconut and glycerine on its ingredients label. It’s also fragrance-free and its packaging, airless - a welcome bonus to ensure it keeps for longer while also reducing wastage too.

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Best for: Dry to combination skin

Dry to combination skin types will reap most rewards from this particular jelly thanks to its texture and mixture of hydrators such as sunflower oil and skin soothers such as willowherb. Lightweight and refreshing, it sloughs through dullness, boosts radiance and leaves skin softer and more supple.

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Best for: Really dry skin

Containing over 30 per cent pure oils, this vegan cleanser is the perfect treat for parched skin. Richer than the others in this edit, its balmy texture (definitely jelly-like despite its name), spreads like butter on skin, transforming into a light milk when emulsified with water. Plus, its ingredients list reads like a travelling wishlist - black cumin oil from Egypt, rosehip oil from Chile, camelia oil from China and Community Trade organic olive oil from Italy...its boasts one of the most exotic blends on this list.

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Best for: Combination skin

Who says you need water to whip up a foam? This oil-free and alcohol-free cleanser does it by itself, transforming from jelly to lather in a matter of seconds to gently lift away makeup and impurities. Enriched with honey and royal jelly for a more caring cleanse, it leaves skin refreshed but hydrated - very clever stuff indeed.

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