La Vie En Rose: Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick Review

Wow, I have been incredibly MIA lately. For all of you who’ve sticked around even though I was gone for several months, thank you! You da real MVP’s *-*

Thing is, recently, I have been working on some time-consuming personal projects, while at the same time going through major changes at work that required a lot of my attention and time. Sometimes in life, we have to make important decisions and be able to prioritise, which is the main reason why I haven’t been around much. I’m happy to say that everything is sorted now, so I can finally go back to doing what I love – writing.

Today, let’s talk some sweet, rosy stuff:

The prettiest, rosiest, most delicate of them all: Su:m37 Miracle Rose Stick Cleanser

After what seemed like ages, I managed to finally use up my trusty Su:m37 Skin Saver Essential Cleansing Foam.  I’m a big fan of Su:m37. I like their approach to natural, fermented ingredients, the efficacy of their products and – admittedly – the beautiful packaging. This was the first cleanser I’ve bought from the brand and it did a pretty good job at cleansing my face without making feel like the Sahara Desert. However, as I later found out, the pH of this cleanser is about 7 so I won’t be likely to purchase again as my awareness of pH-dependent products has been steadily growing since adding actives to my skincare.

And so began the long and difficult journey of finding a cleanser that is efficient but gentle, low-pH but with a good foam, and beautifully packaged yet affordable….

Except it wasn’t a long or difficult journey.

In fact, I didn’t even had to leave Su:m37 homepage to find this prince charming of cleansers.  The SU:M37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick promises to fulfil all of the above mentioned criteria, with an added bonus of smelling like a freshly picked bouquet of roses. Not the overbearing, sickeningly sweet, artificial kind of rose, but more like the essence of real roses, squeezed out of their delicate petals and moulded into a stick. And to reinforce that actual roses were used, there are little pieces of rose petals inside the stick which help to gently exfoliate when used directly on skin.

This is the foam texture I got from only a little rubbing my hands together because, uh, I was kind of lazy that day. But still not bad!

In terms of ingredients, the Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick comprises a rather short ingredient list (which can be a good thing as it means there are less chances acne triggers and irritants appearing in it) featuring mostly natural ingredients such as oils and fermented rose extract (if roses are good for you and fermentation is good for you, imagine both of them together). This cleanser is based on coconut oil, which works well for me but can be an acne trigger for some people, so make sure you are compatible with it before purchasing this.

This is the complete list of ingredients:

Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Water, Stearic Acid, Lauric Acid, Lauryl Betaine, Potassium Hydroxide, Betaine, Rose (0.5%), Fragrance, Camellia Oil, Tocopheryl, Green Tea Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Apricot Seed Oil, Yeast/Fermented Rose Extract Filtrate (0.01%), Basil Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Lime Oil, Pot Marjoram Oil, Orange Seed Oil, Ylang Ylang

*acne triggers

All in all, the list is pretty clean and there are no major irritants. COSDNA only flagged coconut oil and auric acid, an emulsifier, flagged up as being potential acne triggers, both scoring a 4.

This is the first time I’ve ever used a solid second cleanser but after only a short time, the rose stick had be hooked for various reasons:

• It’s practical: Just take off the lid, give the bottom part a little wist and run it over pre-splashed face as if you’re applying paint to it. It’s quick, mess-free and there’s no danger of getting too much product as with cleansers that come in tubes. Plus, because it’s solid and the packaging isn’t bulky or heavy, you can take it everywhere, including airports! Weeee!
• It’s got a low pH: Using a low pH cleanser has become one of my new rules as the pH of products we use on our skin can actually have a big impact on it, such as influencing the growth of bacteria (eek!) or the strength of our natural skin barrier. Since our skin is naturally slightly acidic, the cleanser we use should also be acidic and possess low pH in order to defend against acne-causing bacteria and keep the acid mantle healthy.
• It’s gentle: This cleanser does not completely strip my skin and leaves it feeling soft and clean, which I appreciate. The short and predominantly natural ingredient list also means it doesn’t irritate my skin.
• It foams decently: Ok, if you’re into really thick, bubbly, luxurious foam, the S:UM37 rose stick might let you down a little. However, considering it’s a low pH cleanser, I think the foam it generates is pretty decent!
• The smell: If you like the smell of roses, you will love this. I really enjoy the light, soothing smell, specially in the evenings after a long day, when I just want to  unwind and wash off all the makeup and dirt my skin has accumulated during the day.

There is a lot to love about this cleanser, so it’s not surprising that it is actually one of Su:m37 best selling products. The low pH, the gorgeous, practical packaging and the soothing smell of roses actually make me look forward to cleanse my face in the morning and evening.

Rating: 4.8/5.0

I only took 0.2 points off because I felt as if the stick cleanser does not last me as long as my usual foam type cleansers, which means I have to restock it slightly more often.

Would I repurchase? Yes, specially if I know I’m going on a trip.

Where can I buy it? Luckily, the S:UM37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is so popular that it’s relatively easy to find, and at pretty good prices. I bought mine at Stylekorean.com for $19.75 but you can also get it at Testerkorea.com ($22.52) for example.

Have you used the Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick or know any other good low-pH cleanser? Make sure to tell your opinion or ask your question in the comment section 😉