Product Review: Summer Fridays Super Amino Gel Cleanser

Summer Fridays has quickly shot to the top of my list of favorite skincare brands, Their cleanly-formulated, gentle yet highly effective products have been real treats for my sensitive skin, and the Amino Gel Cleanser is no exception. I have used this product off and on for about two years running but had failed to post my drafted product review of it until now. As of May of last year, however, the Super Amino Gel Cleanser underwent a repackaging (from glass pump bottle to squeeze tube) as well as a slight formulation change and a price reduction of $3 USD. So I thought it might be fun to give you a comparison as to my thoughts on both iterations and my take on the changes.

Below in italics is the majority of my thoughts on the OLD formula:

Summer Fridays is a brand that focuses on using simple clean ingredients and also on being gentle on the skin, so I was initially a bit surprised to find out that the only cleanser in the range, to date, is a gel consistency. A lot of times, gels can be very over-drying and if they aren't, they at least can make the skin feel very tight and begging for a moisturizer to be applied immediately Not so with this. For starters, there is absolutely foaming action or lather with this cleanser whatsoever, whether from sulfates or some other, more mildly lathering ingredient, and also there are some really amazing, effective skin protective ingredients cooked into this gel cleanser that I not often, if ever, have seen before.

As the name implies this cleanser's formula is rich in amino acids, and amino acids are commonly referred to as "the building blocks of proteins". While adding proteins or protein-making ingredients to the skin topically probably won't add much to the skin barrier, a formulation rich in these ingredients will certainly be compatible to the skin, glide on smoothly and encase the more actively cleansing ingredients (in this case, largely seawater) into a format that interacts with the skin gently and without disrupting its barrier and moisture levels. Likewise, the seawater itself has a dualistic effect of both cleansing dirt oil and impurities from the skin while also working to calm the skin and further reduce any harsh texture or redness that otherwise come to the skin as a part of the cleansing process. You can read more on the benefits of seawater for the face and body in my article here.

This cleanser is overall very simple in its construction, but it is such a pleasure to use. As I said before, the texture is a gel, but it is a very viscous one and goes on very silkily as you move it around the face. Though, facial massage is generally talked about when using an oil cleanser, I find this also a great formula to spend several minutes just gently massaging and giving myself a mini facial and circulation boost with a cleanser that is easy to rinse off and is less labor intensive to fully remove than many of the oil and balm cleansers out there. That being said, I definitely notice a ton of smoothness to my face after using this product, whether I massage a lot or a little or don't get to at all, but I also definitely feel fresh and like a true cleaning has happened. My pores around my nose are more refined and any acne that is inflamed often both looks and feels calmer after washing. It should be noted that this product will give a slight sting to any open sores or large acne spots, especially those that have come to a head. But, for me, this is not painful and is a welcome thing as the sea salt in the product is helping to help heal the spot and restore the balance of the skin. This being said, because of the sea salt, this is not a cleanser to use on the eye area, but it will remove light face makeup with no problem at all.

It should also be noted that this cleanser is just not very powerful in removing face makeup, even in spite of its ability to be a pleasurable and effective cleanser to massage into the skin. I typically wear mineral powder foundation, and this cleanser often struggled to remove that when I had applied the foundation in layers or more all over the skin. If I had only used it to cover up a certain blemish or two, it worked OK, but if you wear any kind of liquid makeup, even cream cheek products, or even full coverage powder products on a regular basis, I would highly suggest using a separate makeup removing cleanser, oil, or balm, and just using this on bare skin afterward or dedicating this product to morning use.

Now, as for my thoughts on the new formula, as someone who GREATLY enjoyed the old product, I am pleased to say that there has not be any drastic changes made. I do notice that the updated formula takes less time to emulsify (turn white and soap-like) than the older formula. This is likely do to the increase in the cleansing actives in the formula, and as a result, I do find the makeup removing ability of this cleanser to actually be greatly approved yet still a pleasant, non-drying process to the skin. However, if you rely on liquid face products or fuller coverage items in your routine, I would still likely recommend investing in doing a separate makeup removing step with another product. This said, I am pleased to still indulge in the silky, refreshing, sea salt-rich clean that leaves my face feeling impeccably soft and smooth and also glowing. This salty feeling is also quite calming n treating the odd acne breakout I get and seems to zap the blemishes and help them heal faster. Overall, my face feels more thoroughly cleaned, but, once again, is not at all, overdried, flaky, irritated or even really the least bit red. My skin actually feels and looks calmer, even right after massaging and rinsing, which can be rare for me. All in all, I could not be happier.

Also, though I was not the most excited about the shift to squeeze tube packaging from the glass bottle, I can see how this would be an advantageous change for a lot of people, especially for those who do their cleansing routine in the shower, making it easier to pick up and operate without fear of dropping and shattering the bottle. I was also pleased to learn that the tubes are made with recyclable plastic. So that is always a positive!

If your skin is craving a refreshing, smoothing, and fortifying cleanse, I would say definitely check out Summer Friday's Super Amino Gel Cleanser. This, and really, most everything I've tried this far from the brand, has become a firm favorite and a staple in my routine. And if you were already a fan of the product from its original formula, I hope this review offers some insight on how the changes made may affect whether it is right for you going forward. Currently, you can find the cleanser at Sephora and on Sephora.com and also the Summer Fridays website for $35 USD for the 5oz tube.