Review and comparison of a few Manyo Factory Cleansing Oils and foams

Today I'd like to talk about several cleansing oils and foams made by Manyo Factory. I've always been interested in all-natural, plant-based skincare, and when I saw a couple reviews on Manyo Factory Galactomyces Niacin Special Treatment essence that were praising its clean ingredients and lack of preservatives, I just had to try it; naturally I got curious about what else the company has to offer. I'm always on the lookout for new gentle low-pH cleansers and I love cleansing oils, so I ended up ordering a few of them in travel size. The idea was to try everything and see if anything will work for my skin. I got 3 foams: Deep Pore Cleansing Soda foam, Blue Vita Aqua Gel foam, and Ogok Latte scrub foam; also I got 2 cleansing oils: Pure oil and Herb Green oil. As always, this post is not sponsored in any way, shape or form; I purchased all products myself and all opinions are my own. And as usual, I'm not going to discuss the packaging, since it does nothing for my skin. It will be all about the ingredients and the results I got after using those products.

Let's start with foams. As I mentioned many times before (here for example), I prefer low pH foams that are mild enough for my sensitive skin and do not disrupt its barrier function; also it's important to me that a foam will have no mineral oil, parabens and artificial fragrances and dyes, as well as no gluten, honey, and other ingredients that I'm allergic to. Few companies list pH of their foams, so I always try to get a travel size or a sampler to test pH before using a foam on my face. You can find all the foams I'm discussing here on eBay in full and travel sizes, and I think Amazon has them as well.

Let me start with Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam. After browsing Manyo Factory's website I thought it's one of their most hyped products. After scrolling down about 3 pages of infomercials on dangers of parabens and synthetic surfactants that are, indeed, bad for the skin, I was promised the next step in cleanser evolution; I have to admit I was expecting a lot from it.

Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam  company's PR; i love the typo here (jaoline instead of kaolin)

Manyo Factory states that "this dermatologist tested product is free of mineral oil, synthetic preservatives, dyes, and fragrances, and animal origin ingredients. Does not contain chemical and synthetic, surface-active substances (surfactants)."  You can read the whole concept of this foam on Manyo Factory's  official website here. However, there is some controversy when it comes to ingredients. It seems that it is NOT a gluten-free product; there is no wheat in ingredients list on website, but it appears on one of company's PR pictures. 

Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam -PR picture that has wheat oil mentioned; however, the vegetables on top of this picture do not match the names, it seems that ginseng is labeled as potato, while potato is labeled as yam

It would not be the first time a Korean skincare product has mismatching picture and text in English on its packaging; for example, Mangchee Lifting Mask has pear labeled as mango pictured on its lid, as you can see in my post about sleeping masks here.  Here's the official ingredients list for the foam so you can check it yourself: Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Myristic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lauric Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Diatomaceous Earth, Kaolin, Isoamyl Laurate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Sodium PCA, Glycol Distearate, Beeswax, Glyceryl Stearate, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf Extract, Decyl Glucoside, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Powder, Morus Alba Root Extract, Chlorella Vulgaris Powder, Red Ginseng Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Powder, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Powder, Lactuca Scariola Sativa (Lettuce) Leaf Extract, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Water, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Dioscorea Opposita (Wild Yam) Root Extract, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil (CosDNA here).

Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam company's PR claims

Manyo factory claims that it's a "soda foam that haven't been seen before"; I disagree, but that's just my opinion, and YMMV. While it's a good product, I think the claims are too high and unrealistic. I doubt it there is a cleanser that can solve all your skin problems at once and by itself; also, with half of PR materials on website touting safety and hypoallergenic properties of this foam, I would not expect seeing multiple skin irritants and potential acne triggers on its ingredient list. While there is no parabens or SLS/SLES in this foam, it contains lauric, myristic and stearic acids, that are are known acne triggers, and both potassium hydroxide and lauric acids, that are known skin irritants. Last but not least, I think its cleansing properties are exaggerated, to put it mildly.

Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam is rather liquid-y in texture when squeezed out

First think that I've noticed when I started using this foam is its smell - it smells like grasses, wild herbs and flowers in summer with some citrus notes; I absolutely love it. I wish I could get it in perfume or deodorant form. Come to think of it, that's what I like the most about this foam - its smell; I find it very calming and relaxing.

Manyo Factory Deep Pore Cleansing Soda Foam does not produce much foam

Deep Pore Cleansing Soda foam is light yellowish-green in color when just squeezed out of tube, but it changes its color to warm off-white after foaming up. It does not produce too much foam, but it is to be expected from clay-based cleanser. It has pH between 7 and 8, slightly higher than my comfort zone. Since I wasn't sure if it's a gluten-free product, I had to be extra careful when using it to prevent accidental swallowing. It's the most drying of all three Manyo Factory foams, but at the same time it's the worst performer when it comes to regular cleansing action. Granted, New York is famous for its polluted air, and I got oily skin, so at the end of a day it's a lot to clean; but other foams did much better job at cleansing my skin. It kind of surprised me, since it's a clay-based foam, and most clay-based foams that I've tried are good at cleaning; kaolin together with soda and mineral micro powders sound like a prefect recipe for cleansing, but somehow it did not work out for me.

When I tried to ignore all Manyo Factory's PR claims to greatness and just judge the foam by its performance, I was not badly disappointed, but I can't honestly say that it's the best and most unique foam I ever tried; actually, it's nowhere close to it. I'm not saying that it's terrible and no one should use it, but it's my least favorite of all three foams, and I will not be repurchasing it.

Let's move on to Manyo Factory Blue Vita Aqua Gel foam.

Manyo Factory Blue Vita Aqua Gel company's PR

Company's spiel says "Blue Vita Aqua Gel based on lemon water in combination with panthenol, hyaluronic acid and vitamins will give the skin a glow, a feeling of freshness, soothe irritation, prevent dryness and flaking, saturate cells of epidermis with vitamins" (link here). It is recommended for use morning and night for all skin types and suitable for both adults and children; it is certified organic (ECOCERT, Illead).

Manyo Factory Blue Vita Aqua Gel - company's PR

Blue Vita Aqua gel has the most impressive ingredients list of all three foams; it has 0 irritants and only 1 potential (and mild) acne trigger (CosDNA here).

Manyo Factory Blue Vita Aqua Gel has the lowest pH of all three foams

Blue Vita Aqua Gel has the lowest pH of all three foams (pH4-5, closer to pH5), and it was very gentle on my skin; I think it's the mildest cleanser of all three. It smells like a bouquet of sweet wild flowers with some fruity and citrus y notes.

Manyo Factory Blue Vita Aqua Gel

It comes out as a clear gel, and it does not produce much foam; it's definitely mild enough to be used both am and pm. It's better at cleansing than Deep Pore Cleansing Soda foam, but it does require some time and effort to cleanse my skin properly, since it's so mild. It's my favorite foam out of three I tried.

The last cleansing foam that I decided to try out was Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam.

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam company PR

Initially I was worried that the foam might contain wheat, but it turned out to be gluten-free:

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam 5 grains

According to official website (here), its ingredients are Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran water, Glycerine, Myristic Acid, Lauric Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Stearic Acid, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Powder, Coco- Betaine, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Brown Rice Powder, Milk Extract, Milk Protein, Isoamyl Laurate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran, Phaseolus Radiatus Seed Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Unshiu Peel Powder, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Glycol Distearate, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Kaolin, Glyceryl Stearate, Potassium Cocoyl Glycinate, Butylene Glycol, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Beeswax, Sorbitan Olivate, Propanediol, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Beta-Glucan, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Sodium Chloride, Caprylyl glycol, Sodium PCA, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Oil.
 

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam main ingredients

I was testing out several cleansing foams containing white clay (and I reviewed them here), but in this one clay didn't seem to be a star ingredient. You can feel it presence, but  it does not affect the texture that much. It was not drying on my skin, and I did not feel any exfoliation happening either. Official website suggests using it 1-2 times a week, but I did not have any problems using it every day. 

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam company PR

It has pH 6.5-7; it smells like oatmeal cookies with milk, not my favorite smell among all three foams, but I did not dislike it. I think all three Manyo Factory foams smell great, it comes down to personal tastes; some people will like cookies with milk better than herbs, flowers and citrus, as I said, YMMV.

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub Foam

Manyo Factory Ogok Latte Scrub foam is creamier in texture than Deep Pore Cleansing Soda foam, and it has micro-beads in it. They didn't dissolve right away, but they weren't scraping my skin off like some exfoliating beads in scrubs. This foam was very good at cleansing my skin; most of the time I did not have to follow up with peeling gel after using it.

Manyo Factory Herb Green Cleansing oil and Pure Cleansing oil in travel-size bottles

That's it for the cleansing foams, let's talk about cleansing oils next. I decided to stick with travel-size bottles for oils; one of my favorite Korean sellers on eBay had a set that included both oils in travel-size, so I got a couple in case one of the bottles will get damaged in mail; however, both sets were nicely packaged and made it without any issues. Like the rest of Manyo Factory cleansing products, the oils are in mid-range price category. Full size bottle of either Pure or Herb Green oil sell for around $30 each on eBay, or around $25 plus shipping on the official website; I'm sure you can find them on Amazon as well.

I'd like to start with Manyo Factory Herb Green Cleansing Oil, since it was the product that I was most interested in.

Manyo Factory Herb Green Cleansing Oil, company PR

First time I've heard about Herb Green oil, it was mentioned by Director Pi, one of my favorite skincare bloggers, in her review of cleansing oils; it was her top pick and one of safest to use on sensitive skin, so I just had to try it. She made multiple appearances on the famous beauty shows Get It Beauty and After School Beauty Bible, and I got so impressed with her knowledge of products and ingredients and her dedication to finding and popularizing safe, clean ingredients in skincare, that I started to follow her blog. She has dry skin, but from what I was able to understand from google translate (she blogs in Korean; shows are in Korean as well, but got subtitles in English), the oil worked very well for her and she she recommended it for all skin types. If you're interested, her posts concerning the Herb Cleansing oil are here and here. As you can see, she preferred Herb Green oil to her other top of the top picks, that included Aesop's Parsley Seed Cleansing oil (this one), which considered a gold standard by many bloggers. I haven't tried it myself yet, but it's on my wish list; it's definitely in luxury category and rather on the expensive side, but it seems to have very nice ingredients. I've tried DHC Deep Cleansing oil a few years ago and it worked very well for me; The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing oil is one of my all-time favorites and I got a couple bottles stashed in case The Face Shop suddenly decides to discontinue it.

Director Pi's favorite cleansing oils in order of preference: Manyo Factory Herb Green Cleansing oil, DHC Deep Cleansing oil, Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing oil and The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing oil (from her blog)

I did expect a lot from the cleansing oil that can stand up to such competition. You can check out their description on official website here; the main feature of Herb Green oil seems to be that it has 14 different plan oils.

Manyo Factory Herb Green Cleansing oil - main ingredients according to company's PR

The full list of oils is as follows: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Artemisia Vulgaris Oil, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, and Pogostemon Cablin Oil. CosDNA has full ingredients list here.

I have to say right away that Herb Green oil is less easy to emulsify than some of other cleansing oils that I've tried, including The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Light Cleansing oil; it cleanses well, but it takes time and effort to wash it off completely. If I spend less than 4-5 minutes of emulsifying and washing it off, I'll have some oil residue on my skin, and not every cleansing foam can get it off. It's probably best suited for a calming spa-like nighttime routine, but I find that I don't appreciate it that much when I'm dead tired, have no time and energy to devote to my face, and all I want is to take off my sunscreen and the day's worth of dust and dirt before smothering some skincare on and heading to bed.  I like it, I love its smell (rosemary dominates, but other herbs are there too), but I don't think it fits my lifestyle. I feel like I need something less time-consuming for weekdays; however, it's great for quiet evenings on my days off.

Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing oil

Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing oil company's PR

I've seen it mentioned by quite a few skincare bloggers, mostly favorably; since none of them stated that they purchased the product themselves, I assume it was send to them as a part of PR campaign. On paper it seemed to be a great mild cleansing oil, supposedly formulated for oily sensitive skin.

Manyo Factory Pure Cleansing oil company's PR

The official website (here) describes this oil as both rich and light at the same time; I got the impression that Manyo Factory tends to inflate their claims and sometimes they get carried away. According to PR spiel, "This organic cleansing oil is a rich nourishing complex, enriched with essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins. A light, nourishing, cleansing oil does not block pores, effectively treats blackheads and acne." I'm not sure how an oil can be both rich and light at the same time...

The ingredients list is not that different from the Herb Green oil. According to Manyo Factory website, Pure Cleansing oil has 11 different plant oils in it (I'm counting Squalane), 6 of them both Herb Green and Pure oils have in common: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, and 5 other oils: Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Squalane, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, and Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil. CosDNA has full ingredients list here.

When browsing their website picking products for purchase I've noticed that Manyo Factory has different cleansing instructions for Pure and Herb Green oils, which I found rather intriguing;  after I tried both, I'm not sure what to think about it. Herb Green oil's instructions are generic and vague; you're supposed to massage your face with it before and after the emulsification, and wash it off with a foam. Pure oil's instructions stress the importance of washing it off your face completely using cleansing foam for the evening cleanse, but suggest using it alone as a morning cleanser. As I mentioned, I has issues washing off Herb Green oil, but Pure oil is even harder to emulsify, and it manages to leave a film on my face if I use a mild second cleanser. I'm fairly sure it's impossible for me to use it as only cleanser, since I never managed to wash it off with water only.

Manyo Factory claims that Pure oil is "hydrophilic Pure Cleansing Oil - ideal for all skin types, the non-greasy texture leaves skin feeling moisturized - never tight or dry", but again, I find this claim rather misleading. On my skin, I definitely had some oily residue after using it, unless I went berserk with a foam; while it might be good for dry skin, it's rather annoying on oily skin. So much for oil that was formulated specifically for oily skin! Also, it didn't clean my sunscreen off completely a couple times; I never tried to take off any makeup with it, but I'm not sure it would've been able to handle it without separate makeup remover.  I would not repurchase it, even though I absolutely love its smell, fruity and flowery at the same time.

TL;DR

I would strongly suggest trying out a travel-size bottle or samples to figure out which product works the best on your skin; while I had no adverse reactions to any of foams or oils I've tried, not every product worked out for me. I loved the smell of all products; each product has its unique smell that adds a lot to the experience, creating spa-like atmosphere. I'm definitely going to try Manyo Factory's perfumes (Banilla Boutique) soon. My personal favorite of all cleansers I've tried is Blue Vita Aqua Gel foam. I am going to purchase it in full size when I'll run out of my current cleansers, and together with Herb Green oil it's on my shopping list for holiday season. I think they'll make a great gift for some of my friends who love natural skincare and have regular spa days.

I can't say I got disappointed by any of the products, but Manyo Factory has a slightly annoying tendency to over-hype their PR claims to such degree that I ended up expecting more than a nice, perhaps even a great cleanser can deliver. I know it's slightly unreasonable of me, but since it's part of experience, I thought I should mention it. A few times I've tried some little-known  and conservatively priced products with minimal PR and got great results, and it felt like I found a gem; however, Manyo Factory products are priced in mid-range rather than budget category and promise multiple miracles each, so it feels that they set up the bar a bit too high for themselves.