This Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser is quite the treatāit’s rich and gentle, smells softly of roses, and leaves your skin feeling clean but not tight or dry. Made with sweet almond oil, fragrant rose hydrosol, and local raw honey, it has a positively decadent texture and is a delight to use. It’s also a rather neat look at how marketing can really narrow our perceptions of products; keep reading to learn how!
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The inspiration for this Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser was a message from a patron (thanks, Taraneh!). She asked if I had anything similar to a Lush product that was marketed as a gentle facial cleanser, and upon closer inspection of the ingredient list… it was really just a lotion. A simple lotion with a large oil phase, but a lotionāmeaning the “cleanser” part was much more of a marketing thing than a formulation thing. Cool!
I started my experiments by just using a lotion to wash my face, and that worked really well. Cool! And it makes sense that it would workāthe emulsifier in the lotion not only emulsifies it, but also contributes rinse off when we decide to use it as a cleanser.
When I set out to create this product, I made a few choices I might not make for a leave-on lotion. The oil phase is pretty big, at 45%, making this cream cleanser really thick and richāas a lotion, this also translates to heavier/slower absorbing, but I love that richness in a rinse-off cleanser. I also kept things a bit on the simpler side, focussing on less expensive ingredientsāsomething I usually do for wash-off products, preferring to save more expensive ingredients for leave-on formulations. You absolutely can use this as a leave-on lotion as well as a cleanser (and vice versa, you could use other lotions as a cleanser), but you might find it to be a bit heavy/tacky. Try it and see what you think, though! You might just end up finding out that this products works as both a cleanser and a night cream for you 😊
For scent, I just used a small amount of rose hydrosol from Plant’s Power, but you could easily customize the scent to your tastes. You could use water instead for an unscented product, or use a different hydrosol for a different scent. You could also incorporate an essential oil or fragrance oilācheck out the links in the substitutions list below the formulation for details.
If you’ve ever made lotion you’ll find this comes together very easily. It thickens faster (and more) than lotions with smaller oil phases, so make sure you’re coming back to it fairly frequently to blend and stir as it cools. Once it’s done, package it up in a wide-mouthed tin or jar and enjoy!
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Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser
Heated water phase
16.5g | 16.5% distilled water
10g | 10% vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)
3g | 3% honey
25g | 25% rose hydrosolHeated oil phase
10g | 10% Emulsifying Wax NF (USA / Canada / AU)
5g | 5% stearic acid (USA / Canada / UK)
30g | 30% sweet almond oil (USA / Canada)Cool down phase
0.5g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plusā¢ (USA / Canada)Prepare a water bath by bringing about 3cm/1″ of water to a bare simmer over low to medium-low heat in a wide, flat-bottomed sautĆ© pan.
Weigh the heated water phase into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup. Weigh the entire lot (measuring cup + ingredients) and note that weight for use later. Weigh the heated oil phase into a second heat-resistant glass measuring cup. Place both measuring cups in your prepared water bath to melt everything through.
After about 20ā30 minutes the oil part should be completely melted and the water part should be thoroughly dissolved. Remove the water bath from the heat and weigh the water phase. Add enough hot distilled water to the heated water phase to bring the weight back up to what it was before heating, and then pour the water part into the oil part. Stir with a flexible silicone spatula to incorporate.
Grab your immersion blender and begin blending the lotion, starting with short bursts so the still-very-liquid lotion doesn’t whirl up and spray everywhere. Blend for about a minute, leave to cool for ten, blend for another minute or two, and repeat this blend-cool-blend cycle until the outside of the glass measuring cup is barely warm to the touch and the lotion is thick and creamy.
When the lotion is cool it’s time to incorporate our cool down ingredients. Because cool down ingredients are typically present at very low amounts you’ll need to use an accurate scaleāpreferably one accurate to 0.01g. As these more accurate scales tend to have fairly low (100ā200g) maximum weights you won’t be able to put the entire batch of lotion on that scale without blowing it out. Soāgrab a smaller dish. Add a scoop or two of lotion, and then weigh the cool down ingredients into that, using the more accurate scale. Stir to thoroughly incorporate, and then stir all of that back into the master batch of lotion. Doing it this way minimizes the amount of cool down ingredients lost to the secondary container.
Once that’s done, all that’s left is packaging it up! You’ll want to use a wide-mouthed jar; this is too thick for a pump bottle and I doubt it would work well in a squeeze tube (you can certainly try if you really want to, but it’s so thick after cooling that filling it will probably be quite frustrating). I used a 120mL (4oz) jar from YellowBee, which was a bit big for a 100g (3.5oz) batch.
To use: you can either work up a dollop of the cream with water, massage that into the skin, and rinse it off with a damp cloth (more like a foaming cleanser) or you can massage it into dry skin and then wipe that off with a damp cloth (more like a cleansing balm or oil). It’s up to you!
Shelf Life & Storage
Because this cream cleanser contains water, you must include a broad-spectrum preservative to ward off microbial growth. This is non-optional. Even with a preservative, this project may eventually spoil as our kitchens are not sterile laboratories, so in the event you notice any change in colour, scent, or texture, chuck it out and make a fresh batch.
Substitutions
As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.
- As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 100g.
- To learn more about the ingredients used in this formulation, including why they’re included and what you can substitute them with, please visit the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia. It doesn’t have everything in it yet, but there’s lots of good information there! If I have not given a specific substitution suggestion in this list please look up the ingredient in the encyclopedia before asking.
- You could try propanediol 1,3 instead of glycerine.
- You could use more glycerine instead of honey. You could also try agave nectar or maple syrup as an alternative.
- You can use a different hydrosol instead of roseāchoose something you love! You could also use more distilled water for an unscented end product.
- You can use Polawax or Olivem 1000 instead of Emulsifying Wax NF.
- You could try cetearyl alcohol or cetyl alcohol instead of stearic acid.
- You can substitute another lightweight oil, inexpensive carrier oil like apricot kernel, grapeseed, or sunflower seed instead of sweet almond oil.
- If you’re like to use a different preservative, please review this page.
- If you want to incorporate an essential oil or fragrance oil, please read this.
Gifting Disclosure
The rose hydrosol was gifted by Plant’s Power. The 120mL (4oz) jar was gifted by YellowBee.
Maāam can we use dimethicone in place of Isopropyl Myristate
I generally wouldn’t; please look them both up in the Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia (https://www.humblebeeandme.com/diy-encyclopedia/) to learn more š
Ooh I like the sound of this, and I have all the ingredients. I am coming to the end of my Estee Lauder Micro cleansing foam, which my skin really likes, but its expensive:-( So I will give this a try. Thank you for all your hard work and gorgeous recipes Marie š
I hope you love it! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
Hi Marie I just tried to make this using lavender hydrosol and Olivem 1000, it has split any ideas why? Is there anyway to salvage it?
That’s odd, though I haven’t tried Olivem 1000 with an oil phase this large before so that might be why. You can try blending it more, but usually a split emulsion is destined for the garbage š
Oh, my goodness. This came together so well, and I love how it feels! My daughter requested a facial cleanser that would be gentle, as well as moisturizing. This fit the bill perfectly! I subbed aloe vera juice for the hydrosol as she had requested no scent. She thought she wanted a gel, but with very few ingredients. I told her if this didnāt work the way she wanted we would work on a gel, but I think she will love this!
Would it be possible to use this as a body wash? Or would it be too gentle for BO and such?
And if I did want to turn it into a stronger body wash, do you have any tips on how to do that? Maybe just add a surfactant, I’m assuming? Thanks!
Hmmm. I think it would probably work for me, but knowing how thick the end product is… I don’t think it would be that great of a full-body experience, if that makes sense? It would also be a pretty expensive way to wash your entire body. I’d probably look at something like this as a better starting point š
Wow, I think this is the first time ever I actually have all the ingredients! So is this essentially a cleansing balm with added water and humectants? This seems like it would be great for people with dry/sensitive skin who don’t wear a lot of makeup. Do you think it’s cleansing enough to remove mineral sunblock from the face? Thanks Marie, this looks decadent!
Essentially this is a lotion, not a balm (which is usually an anhydrous product).
I should have been more clear; I meant in terms of function. Do the humectants add any benefits (when using this as a cleanser instead of a lotion), since contact with the skin is minimal before it’s washed off? I just wondering what’s the difference between using this and a cleansing balm, other than difference in texture.
I do find it to be gentler than a cleansing balm; the humectants are likely part of that, and the emulsifier is also present at a lower rate than I’d usually do in a cleansing balm.
Yeah, that’s basically it, ha! I’ve heard from other readers that have already made this that it works to take off makeup, but I really don’t wear mineral sunblock so I’m not sure I can offer much advice there š
I am a new follower and I found you just in time! I actually have a cleanser like this that is handmade by a small business. I love it so much but have wanted to try to formulate a version myself. I will definitely try this!
Welcome! I look forward to hearing how this cleanser works for you š Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
For once I have all the ingredients so I will be trying this today! I love your blog and have been following it for a year now. I made a rich cream (my own formulation) that was a bit tacky and not that great on the skin, but as a cleanser it was perfect. So the point being.. don’t be afraid to repurpose your botched jobs. You may end up loving the end product.
Hooray! And a huge YES to repurposing formulations! Learning to look at formulations as things that can have many uses rather than just the one they’ve been marketed for is a bit of a low-key superpower in my opinion š
I love the scent of rose in facial products. I can’t wait to try this.
Thank you so much! Happy making š
Wow! This is unbelievably awesome. I think his may become my favorite cleanser of all tome. I canāt wait to gift it to my Mom. I followed
The recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Thank you Marie!
I am SO thrilled! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
I just made this, adding a touch of sea buckthorn oil just to give it a warm cream color and added the barest amount of Raw Honey fragrance oil. Oh my goodness, the texture is like a silky buttercream. It’s totally luxurious! I’m definitely going to be using this for Christmas gifts later.
Hoooray! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, and I LOVE the inclusion of some SBO to warm up the colour ā¤ļø
I just made this and I am amazed! This is so beautiful and luxurious. It feels so good on your skin. Thanks Marie for another amazing formulation!
YAY! Thanks for DIYing with me, and happy making š
Having made this as a face cleanser I am really enjoying using it. I also find it great on flaky (sun dried) skin: my arms look soft and brown in a way that exfoliating and moisturising has failed to do. Itās richness is really good for my mature skin. Really pleased, also, to be able to use the contents of my cupboard instead of scouring the internet for ingredients that are sometimes hard to find.
Loving your recipes, and have made several! Have you ever used smc taurate paste surfactant? I bought some now don’t know what to do with it.
I need to replace the stearic acid. But i have both cetearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol! which one is best please?
Thank you
It really depends on what sort of end feel you wantālet your familiarity with both guide you… or make it both ways and see what you like best! Both will work š
Do you think that this would work fine for making multiple at once? I want to make some to gift to my friends, but I’m not sure I’m up to the challenge of making them one by one.
Woops, I just found your blog post about scaling. Sorry!
Dear Marie,
Let me start by saying that your you tube channel has literally saved my life- by that I mean skin š I have never thought of myself as a skincare freak, yet, I have already been thinking about changing my profession š ..which brings me to my ‘problem’.. I did want to start from the beginning, thus I would really like to make your amazing honey cleanser. And the problem is- the preservative. I did read all the encyclopedia entries and the preservatives list, however, I need your ‘Amen’ to use Euxyl PE 9010 instead of Liquid Germall Plus here. If not, pleeeease advise, for I can’t get my hands on Germall in my country.
Thanks in advance, and THANK YOU FOR THE KNOWLEDGE you share with all of us!
Hi Anna! Really all I can say is “maybe” and “try it” as I have not tried it and have limited experience with this preservative. I have a few FAQ articles that are relevantācheck out the one on using a different preservative + how to know if your preservative is working. Whatever you do, make sure you are comfortable testing + adjusting pH as that will be more important with non-LGP preservatives. Happy making!
I love how this turned out! I used buckwheat honey and made a bit room for propolis tincture and unrefined beeswax (~,5). I used 6,5 % xyliance and a bit more oil (33,5 %). Scent is amazing, even better than I expected. It reminds a bit of my rose honey lip butter. I’m liking it as rich cream as well.
I tried to formulate cream masks with xyliance last summer and found them being skin nourishing cleansers rather than rinse off mask. This is somehow a bit similar.
Hooray! I’m very nearly done the 100g batch I made for the video (though I only started using it as my daily facial cleanser a month or so ago). It really lasts a loooooong time.
Oh wow – that is a lot! Fantasic! It would be difficult for me to finish 100 g batch so I use it like a modern day’s cold cream. Fabulous part of my bodycare routine. I like to remove eye and lip makeup with this and use separate antiflammatory oil cleanser.
Hi Marie, another beautiful formulation from you, thanks for that. I had 2 queries here what if I want to increase % of honey as well include coconut milk liquid or powder or maybe yogurt powder can I do that, if so , please could you tell me the % of it in the Water Phase I suppose? Thanks girl your a beautiful soul inside out.
Hi Marie! This looks amazing and I am excited to give it a try! My question is about the rose hydrosol. I don’t have any. š But I do have rose water made from my mom’s miniature roses (smells divine!). I’ve been keeping it frozen because I didn’t have a preservative at the time. I have no idea if home made rose water has any of the same properties as a hydrosol, but I’d like to try it. I’m wondering if I need to use a little more preservative for this recipe, given that the rose water wasn’t preserved before I froze it. (In other words, should I preserve the rose water first and then make this recipe…..) Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Why is it that you blend so many times, even after it’s thickened up? The first time I made lotion, I blended it three times. The second time, I just blended twice. The third time, I made face cream, and I blended once. All of them seemed to thicken up over the course of several minutes to overnight, regardless of the number of blends, and they stayed emulsified. Is there another reason why I should be blending several times?
Hi Marie:
Can I substitute Coco Betaine for honey?
Hey Marie:
I made the Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser and I love it! This cleanser is so creamy and leaves your skin very soft! I made extra so that I can use it as shaving cream. I added less almond oil so that I could add some essential oils to it. This is my favorite cleansing balm formula!
Hi Marie,
I love your work, your formulas your instagram, just everything! Thank you for inspiring me everyday. Formulating is my passion. I was just thinking this would be a great exfoliator. Could I add some exfoliant for the face in and how much % would you recommend? Would it suspend alright in this consistency? Many thanks from Australia!