This review concludes my week of facial cleanser reviews!
Here are the links to the other products I talked about:
Monday
Rodial Stem Cell Cleansing Cream
Tuesday
DECIEM NIOD Sanskrit Saponins
Wednesday
The Face Shop Rice Water Bright Cleansing Light Oil
Thursday
Julep Love Your Bare Face Hydrating Cleansing Oil
Friday
philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser
philosophy’s best-selling Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser has been a staple in my bathroom for years. I don’t know exactly when philosophy started selling it, but reviews on MakeupAlley go back to 2001, so it’s been around for at least seventeen years. I’ve probably been using it for eight years or so…possibly longer. But I know I’ve repurchased it several times, usually in the 8 oz standard size that seems to last me about two or three years.
A little does go a long way, and I only use about a pea-sized dab each time, but the main the reason I take so long to go through it is that I often switch things up and use other products. If I were to guess, if I used it twice a day and every day, then the 8 oz bottle might last me around six months.
I only recently finished up a bottle I bought in 2014, so that’s the one I’ll be reviewing today. I assume philosophy haven’t gone and changed up the formula since then! I did repurchase a new, 12 oz bottle a year ago since my previous 8 oz bottle was nearly empty, but I switched cleansers around a lot last year and only finished the last bottle a couple of months ago. The photos I’ve taken are of the newer 12 oz bottle, which I got for CA$15 (reg. CA$36) during Sephora’s 2016 Boxing Day sale and no longer seems to be produced.
Currently, the sizes available are:
Size | Price | Price / oz |
---|---|---|
3 oz (Mini) | US$11 / CA$15 | US$3.67 (CA$5) / oz |
8 oz (Standard) | US$24 / CA$32 | US$3.00 (CA$4) / oz |
16 oz | US$36 / CA$48 | US$2.25 (CA$3) / oz |
24 oz | US$44 / CA$56 | US$1.83 (CA$2.33) / oz |
32 oz (with Pump) | US$55 | US$1.72 / oz |
Inexplicably, the largest size—which is also the only one that comes with a pump dispenser—does not appear to be available in Canada:

our award-winning facial cleanser is loved by all for its multitasking, 3-in-1 approach to cleansing. gently cleanses and melts away face and eye makeup in one simple step, while toning and lightly hydrating. our cleanser leaves skin feeling perfectly clean, comfortable and balanced. find purity made simple facial cleanser, the #1 facial cleanser in America.