I have pretty normal skin — neither sensitive nor oily, and maybe a blemish once in a blue moon. And I’m not complaining. That said, I do still take care of my skin with a pretty simple routine of cleanser, serum, and moisturizer, since everyone needs to give good face nowadays.

A new-to-me cleanser that I’m really in love with is the Avene Eau Thermale Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser Lotion. This is an incredibly delicate, plant-based cleansing agent that preserves the protective skin barrier. In other words, it’s incredibly gentle and doesn’t strip the skin at all, meaning zero irritation.

Formulated with minimal ingredients, there are no preservatives, fragrance, alcohol, or colorants. It helps rebalance the skin, and is great soothing and protective care for skin that’s either irritated or already really sensitive.

The product looks like a lotion (surprise!) and it’s a bit watery. Well, not watery so much as a bit runny. Put a bit on a cotton round or a cotton ball, and gently drag across your skin and you’re done.

Yeah. That’s the other thing — this is a super quick, super easy process that requires no water, and thus no mess. Just a bit on a cotton swab, swish, swash, and you’re good to go. I didn’t feel like I needed a lot of the product, and two rounds with one reapplication to a clean cotton swap was good for me, just to make sure I really cleansed the face.