I’ve been using the generously sized sample of PureCeuticals Pumpkin Enzyme Cleanse ($30) for almost two weeks now and I definitely have a good sense about this cleanser. For starters, the cleanser has a lovely spicy pumpkin-y ginger-ish scent. The aroma is so delicious that I actually look forward to washing my face just so that I can smell it. I wanted to use the sample sparingly so that it would last me long enough to really test it out. And I learned that the tiniest amount really goes a long way. Even the smallest squirt removes makeup quite nicely, and it doesn’t leave your skin feeling dry or tight afterwards.

I wasn’t sure if the exfoliating agents in the cleanser – lactic acid, pumpkin – would irritate my sometimes-sensitive skin. But I am happy to report it is gentle enough for my skin and caused zero reactions. The formulation has some nice ingredients like ginger root oil, which according to the PureCeuticals site “stimulates detoxification and micro-circulation, and provides anti-bacterial and anti-fungal actions.” It also has lactic acid, which is “a hydrating alpha-hydroxy acid derived from milk that exfoliates, refines and perfects the surface of the skin.” And while the rest of the ingredients list is gentle and harmless, there is cocamidopropyl betaine, which gets a 5 rating on EWG’s cosmetic database, meaning it’s a moderate hazard.

For me, I don’t really expect my cleanser to leave my skin with any noticeable results. I just want something that smells nice, removes dirt and makeup without irritating or leaving me with that tight dry feeling. This cleanser definitely hits all those marks. I’m not so happy about even one ingredient with a 5 rating because I think there are options out there that are more pure. But because a cleanser is rinsed off I tend to think it’s not really doing much harm. And if you’re not an ingredient stickler like I am, I think you’ll really enjoy this face wash.

Ingredients: Aqua (purified water), decyl glucoside, sodium cocoyl isethionate, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycol distearate, glyceryl oleate, vegetable glycerin, sodium chloride, myristica fragrans (nutmeg) oil, zingiber officinale (ginger) root oil, eugenia caryophyllus (clove) leaf oil, cinnamomum cassia leaf oil, L-lactic acid, limnanthes alba (meadowfoam) seed oil, D-beta-carotene, cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) seed oil, annatto