- sylviajast
A Gel & a Cream Cleanser: Antipodes Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser and Essano Rosehip Moi
I received the Essano Rosehip Moisturising Creme Cleanser in a Priceline ‘goodie bag’ so I thought I’d do a review once I had used it for a while. Then I realised, that I’ve mentioned the Antipodes Juliet Skin-Brightening Gel Cleanser so many times on the blog (as an alternative to the expensive Rationale Catalyst Cleanser and on a Skincare 101 post on pollution & smog!) but that it doesn’t actually have a review of its own! It was time to change that around 😉 So here we are, a review of two cleansers, with two very different textures. I always have a gel and a cream cleanser on hand, so that depending on how my skin is feeling, I can pick the right cleansing product to work its magic! My skin is combination-acne prone, but can get very dry due to tretinoin acne treatments. Funnily enough, both cleansers are from the all natural-organic skincare category, which I don’t mind at all if the product works well. Antipodes is one of my favourite ‘drug-store’ Kiwi brands (it’s on the more expensive side of the scale at the drugstore though). Essano is also from New-Zealand and is quite a bit cheaper than Antipodes, which will appeal to a lot of Beauties (you can find it in ‘drugstores’ like Priceline, but also in supermarkets). How do they stack up? Read on to find out!

Essano Rosehip Moisturising Crème Cleanser
Our soap-free blend of skin-loving ingredients are designed to promote a radiant complexion without drying.Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, Aloe Vera and Beeswax effectively cleanse and replenish moisture. Skin will feel nourished, soft and supple. SCIENTIFICALLY FORMULATED TO:
Gently remove makeup
Lift impurities
Replenish moisture
How to use:
Gently massage into face and neck in circular movements.
Remove with a cotton pad or wash away with warm water.
Follow with your favourite Essano Serum, Moisturiser or Night Creme.
Ingredients
Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera ) Leaf Juice* Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Coco-caprylate, Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Glucoside (and) Sorbitan Olivate, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cera Alba, Dehydroacetic Acid (and) Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil*, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid.
98.76% of the total ingredients are of natural origin. *10.20% of the total ingredients come from organic farming.
Certified Organic
We have the largest percentage of certified organic products of any leading skincare brand in New Zealand. Our organic products are certified organic by Ecocert the world’s largest inspection and certification body, and the benchmark in organic certification.
The Essano Cream Cleanser, champions Rosehip oil as it’s main ingredient. Back in the day, when I used Rosehip oil on it’s own on my skin, my skin broke out and wasn’t happy. The Essano Rosehip Creme Cleanser isn’t oily or heavy though, so it’s certainly a lighter cream cleanser compared to others like the Antipodes Grace Gentle Cream Cleanser. Luckily, this Essano Rosehip Creme Cleanser doesn’t break me out either 😉 However, there might be another reason for this too (read on below!).
Nourish your skin with essential nutrients and antioxidants. Harness the unique healing power of 100% natural and Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, which clinical studies have proven to be effective in minimising the appearance of fine lines, scars, stretch marks and sun damage.

When I wake up with super dry skin that feels ‘tight’ and seriously uncomfortable, a cream cleanser is the only way to go! Despite being light, the Essano Rosehip Cream Cleanser does a good job to rehydrate my skin so that it is more comfortable yet cleansed. I apply it to dry skin, and then use lukewarm water and my hands to wash the cleanser off. It doesn’t leave a ‘film’ on top of your skin or leave skin feeling too ‘slippy’. Skin feels softened, comfortable and ready for the rest of your skincare. It’s not as nourishing or hydrating as the Rationale Proceramide Cleanser, but it’s also about one tenth of the cost. It’s a ‘simpler’ cleanser and that isn’t always a bad thing. You might not need the serious hydration and ‘benefits of a fancy cleanser if your skin is generally in good condition and just needs a little hydration and balance at cleansing time. You will wash it off your skin after all!
The ingredients are good (glycerin, a super hydrator & humectant, tick! ✅ and beeswax, which protects skin against irritants, but allows skin the ‘breathe’ if you will, tick! ✅) and naturally derived which might be important to you (e.g. coco-caprylate is skin conditioning agent naturally derived from coconut oil, to provide hydration but also ‘slip’, without having to use synthetic silicones for example) as well as being organically certified. What surprised me though is that Rosehip oil, the star ingredient in this product, is very close to the end of the ingredient list. This means that there isn’t a whole lot of Rosehip oil in the cleanser… It should have technically been called an Aloe Vera based cleanser not Rosehip looking at the ingredient list. I still like the cleanser, but this fact does annoy me a little – it’s an oversell to say the least. The cleanser also contains lactic acid, but again, as the last ingredient in the list, you won’t get any serious exfoliation from this cleanser. Maybe it helps ‘lift’ dirt off the skin? Who knows.
The cream cleanser works well with my Foreo Luna, but I like it just as much on it’s own. I usually massage it into my skin for up to a minute, so that the hydrating ingredients get a chance to work and to soothe my parched skin! The cream cleanser has a light Rosehip scent. It’s natural and doesn’t smell synthetic, which will appeal to most I think. I haven’t tried to remove makeup using this cleanser and I’d recommend using a seperate cleansing oil or makeup remover instead (I’m a big fan of the double cleanse, it’s changed my skin for the better for sure!).
It’s an incredibly affordable cleanser – you can pick it up at Priceline, supermarkets (like Woolies) or chemists for between $10-$15 (depending on sales and promotions at the time) for 100ml of product. I like that it is very accessible, does all I need it to do, and is so so cheap. The ingredient list is quite short actually, which means it doesn’t contain many ‘fillers’ or unneeded ingredients, but I do wish there was more of the ‘star’ ingredients (volume wise). Organic products and naturally derived ingredients are becoming incredibly accessible and organic doesn’t always mean expensive, which I love. It’s not the best cream cleanser that I’ve ever tried, or the most advanced formula, but it’s a decent cream cleanser at a wonderful price. It’s great for even combination or acne prone skin (meaning also teenage skin!) as well as dry skin, but may not provide enough moisture for mature or severely dry skin. There’s also a foaming version for those that are interested. I’ll leave it at that! 🙂
Antipodes Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser
Description
Achieve your lightest, brightest complexion with this high-performance cleanser that’s true love for normal and oily skin conditions. Reveal clean, clear and blemish-free skin thanks to the action of exfoliating extracts from the New Zealand kiwi super fruit and vibrant hibiscus bloom. New Zealand antibacterial Manuka honey and antioxidant packed Vinanza Grape & Kiwi form the perfect union help reduce and balance oil production, helping grant your healthiest glow ever. Lightly scented with a refreshing fragrance of green apple and cardamon. Suited to most skin conditions, especially oily.
Elements of Beauty:
Kiwi seed oil: High in Omega 3 as well as Vitamins C and E, to help improve skin elasticity and reduce fine lines.
Manuka Honey: Renowned for its health benefits, this superfood helps promote youthful, fresh and blemish-free skin.
Vinanza Grape & Kiwi: Helps improve the appearance of skin by targeting redness and pigmentation.
Pure Plant Fragrance: Green apple & cardamonDaily Ritual
Dampen the skin of your face and neck, and then massage the gel into your skin using upward strokes. Give extra care to blemishes. Use morning and night before your favourite Antipodes toner, serum and moisturiser. Suited to most skin types, especially oily.
Certification
Certified vegetarian by the UK Vegetarian Society, a globally respected organisation for the assessment of vegetarian status.
Recyclable plastic bottle. 100% biodegradable cardboard from sustainable forests.

I love that Antipodes gives it’s cleansers female ‘names’ (i.e. Juliet in this case, and Grace for the cream cleanser) 😀 It’s quirky and fun. I’ve probably gone through at least ten Juliet cleansers – that’s how much I love it! It’s a staple for me. It’s a low foaming gel cleanser, which means it’s much more gentle than your old ‘traditional’ gel cleansers. The addition of Kiwi fruit and Vinanza Grape, means the cleanser is lightly exfoliating. I believe this is why they also claim it helps decrease pigmentation (by removing dead skin cells, your skin will appear brighter and pigmentation lighter). I wouldn’t say it’s decreased any of the pigmentation I have, but what I love is that the light exfoliation you get, removes sebum and grime. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed, clean but balanced. Manuka honey is anti-bacterial, so along with the light exfoliation (keep blocked pores at bay) it should help reduce spots. Every little bit of help to reduce spots and blackheads is welcome in my world!
I love using the Juliet Skin Brightening Gel Cleanser with my Foreo Luna. I feel like the light exfoliation. you get from the cleanser is boosted by the Foreo Luna, because the Luna works that cleanser into ever nook and cranny! It foams up lightly – enough to spread evenly all over your skin without to much work, but also not so much that it gets into your eyes (the Luna pulsates, which means the product emulsifies and foams up super easily).
The formula of this cleanser is much more ‘rich’ (if that’s a good way to put it) and ‘sophisticated’. It also contains glycerin, to help balance the natural surfactants in the cleanser (e.g. sodium cocoamphoacetate is an organic coconut oil derived foam booster and conditioning agent; sodium cocoyl glutamate is among the mildest amino acid tensides from natural, renewable materials. Derived from coconut oil and fermented sugar, this gentle cleanser has excellent cleansing and foaming properties, is environmentally-friendly and is well-tolerated by sensitive and allergic skin types.) but also a whole host of extracts, a lot of which are antioxidants, which I love for morning use. I actually didn’t realise the cleanser contained chamomile extract and as we all probably know, this is great for soothing skin (and redness!). There is also grape seed and avocado oil in the formula, again, to counter the surfactants that cleanse skin – hence your skin never feels parched or stripped after using this gel cleanser.

The scent is really interesting – it actually reminds me of this goji juice my mum used to buy, that was sweetened with grape juice. Now that I know it’s scented with green apple and cardamon (I also only just realised this lol! 🙄) I can pick up both notes. It’s a refreshing and natural scent to me. My skin feels smooth and cleansed well when I use this cleanser.
I love that Antipodes being a New Zealand based company, uses ‘Kiwi’ extracts from their homeland 😊 It’s on the more expensive side of the ‘drugstore’ spectrum, but I think there products are worth it. In Aus, you get 200ml of the Juliet Gel Cleanser for between $26 – $36 depending on the store and promotions going at the time (you can get it in Priceline and Adore Beauty). If you want to try the cleanser, I suggest waiting for a promotion at Priceline, so you can get it at least 20% off the retail price of $33.
So that’s it Beauties! You are up to date now, regarding the cleansers I have been using 🙂 Do you have more than one cleanser on rotation at any time, or do you use the same cleanser both morning and evening? Let me know! Also let us know, if you are a fan of Essano products or Antipodes!
Catch ya next time,
Beauty Bee~
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