Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Cleanser Review: Does It Really “Purify” Skin?

Last Updated on August 30, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask promises to do double duty: cleanse your skin every day and give it a deeper clean when you leave it on as a mask. Sounds convenient, especially if you have oily or combination skin and like that squeaky-clean feeling. But a cleanser doesn’t need to “purify” your skin to work well, and stronger cleansing isn’t always better. So, is this actually a good two-in-one cleanser and face mask, or is the purifying part mostly marketing? Let’s take a closer look at the formula and find out if it’s worth adding to your skincare routine. 

Key Ingredients in Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Foam Cleanser/Purifying Mask: What Makes It Work?

CLEANSING AGENTS

This cleanser uses a mix of surfactants and soap-based cleansing agents. Basically, they grab onto oil, sunscreen, makeup, and dirt so water can wash them away. Simple. Effective. The catch? Soap-based cleansers can have a higher pH and be more drying, especially for sensitive or dry skin. Let’s take a closer look at the cleansing ingredients here, shall we?

• Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate: A surfactant that does the actual dirty work of lifting oil and grime from your skin so you can rinse them away.
• Myristic Acid: A fatty acid that works with potassium hydroxide to create soap and lots of foam.
• Lauric Acid: Another fatty acid used to make soap. It helps with both cleansing and lather.
• Palmitic Acid: Part of the soap-based cleansing system and also helps give the cleanser its creamy formula.
• Stearic Acid: Another fatty acid that helps create soap and gives the formula its thick consistency.
• Potassium Hydroxide: Reacts with those fatty acids to form the soaps doing part of the cleansing. It’s not sitting in the finished face wash as a load of pure potassium hydroxide.

KAOLIN + MONTMORELLONITE

These are the ingredients doing the so-called “purifying.” And no, they don’t actually purify your skin or pull toxins out of it. Skincare products simply can’t reach into your body and draw toxins out through your poresYour pores are openings for hair follicles and oil glands, so there’s no mechanism for a clay mask to pull toxins from your bloodstream or deeper tissues through them. Removing waste from the body is mainly the job of your liver and kidneys.  What a clay mask can do is work on the surface of your skin, absorbing excess oil that’s already there.This Estée Lauder cleanser uses two types of clay:

• Kaolin: An absorbent clay that helps soak up excess oil. Great if you’re oily. Potentially a bit much if you have dry or sensitive skin that doesn’t produce any excess oil.
• Montmorillonite: Another oil-absorbing clay. Same basic idea: it grabs some of the excess sebum sitting on your skin so it’s removed when you rinse the mask off.

Related: Can Skincare Products Really Detoxify Skin?

Performance And Personal Experience

Part of the Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Collection, this is a thick, creamy cleanser that turns into a seriously rich foam as soon as you add water. And when I say you only need a little, I mean it. A little goes a long way. A small amount creates loads of lather, so you’re not going to burn through the tube quickly. It has a fresh, floral scent that you’re going to notice while you’re cleansing. Personally, fragrance bothers me less in something I’m rinsing straight down the sink than in a serum or moisturiser that stays on my face all day. Still, if your skin is sensitive to fragrance, it can still irritate your skin.

You can use this two ways. As a daily cleanser, massage a small amount onto wet skin and rinse. If you want to use it as a mask, apply it to dry skin, leave it on for three minutes, then rinse it off. I personally prefer to use it as a mask a couple of times a week. Why? This rich foaming cleanser gets your skin CLEAN. If you have oily or combination skin and love that fresh, squeaky-clean feeling, I can see the appeal. But that same feeling is exactly why I wouldn’t rush to recommend it daily. It can leave skin too stripped. 

Price & Availability

$32.00 at Estee Lauder, Look Fantastic, Sephora, and Ulta

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

Would I buy it? Only if you have seriously oily skin and are looking for a clay mask.Because this facial cleanser does not mess around. It foams like crazy, gets rid of excess oil, and the clays give oily skin a little extra help. But for everyone else? Meh. If your skin is dry, sensitive, or throws a tantrum when you use anything remotely stripping, I’d leave this one on the shelf. And please don’t spend your money on it because it “purifies” your skin. It doesn’t. It’s a foaming cleanser with oil-absorbing clays. That’s it.