The Shani Darden cleansing serum is from celebrity esthetician, Shani Darden, who works on some of Hollywood’s most beautiful faces including Shay Mitchell, Kelly Rowland, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I couldn’t wait to try Shani’s cleanser which claims to be a gentle cleanser safe and gentle for all skin types. Here’s my thoughts on the cleansing serum:

*This cleanser was gifted to me in exchange for a review on Instagram back in March. This blog post review is not affiliated with the brand. All thoughts are my own.

Consistency

As you could probably guess from the name, the Shani Darden cleansing serum has a serum-like texture. When lathered onto the face, it turns into a rich, hydrating foam. This cleanser cleans my face really well and removes any makeup left over that my cleansing balm might have missed. 

I don’t find this cleanser stripping to my dry skin! I reached out to the brand to find out the pH and they let me know the cleansing serum has a pH between 5-5.5. After a bad experience with a high pH cleanser, I will always stick to low pH cleansers like this one because they don’t damage the skin’s moisture barrier or unbalance the pH of the skin.  I only cleanse my face at night time and I’ve had great results with it. 

Scent

The Shani Darden cleanser has a moderately strong floral fragrance. I don’t mind this strong of a fragrance for a cleanser because it washes off, but I would find it a bit strong for a moisturizer. The floral fragrance is nice, but I honestly think it’s unnecessary. If you or your skin are sensitive to fragrance, I would not recommend this cleanser for you. Oddly enough, there’s no fragrance added in the ingredients so I’m not sure which ingredient gives it such a strong scent.

Highlighted Ingredients

Hyaluronic Acid- plumps and moisturizes the skin

Olive and Chicory Leaf Extract- soothes redness and irritation

Oat Bran Extract- protects the skin’s moisture barrier

Price

The cleansing serum retails for $38 for 5 ounces of product ($7.80 per oz). This cleanser is definitely on the pricier side. I started using this cleanser back in March and I’m just finishing the last few pumps now at the end of July. Every night, I use about 1-2 pumps of product so I’m happy I’ve gotten 5 months out of the bottle. 

Packaging

The Shani Darden cleansing serum comes in a sleek, minimalistic pump bottle. I get a little nervous traveling with pump bottles, but luckily the pump has a twist lock that keeps the product sealed. I did not experience any issues with spillage while traveling by plane or car. 

Results

Overall, I had a great experience with the Shani Darden cleansing serum. It was so refreshing to use this gentle cleanser after the Korres greek yoghurt cleanser stripped my skin with its high pH. I would definitely love to use this cleanser again! It’s hard to find gentle cleansers that don’t make my skin drier. I really appreciated the moisturizing benefits and low pH. 

Have you tried Shani Darden skincare?

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