Mukti Hydrating Cleansing Lotion

Reviewed by Gunilla on June 26, 2015

1 Comment

Mukti Organics is—as the name implies—focused on products with organic origins and has a very strict criterion of allowable inputs. The company was certified in 2006 by the Organic Food Chain in Australia and is independently audited annually. Furthermore, the company's focus is on “protecting the skin from harmful effects of free radicals, as well as to heal, regenerate and actively improve the function, appearance and overall health of the skin.”

The Mukti Hydrating Cleansing Lotion ($38.67) is non-foaming and contains a lot of interesting—and edible!—ingredients, such as macadamia nut oil (lubrication), aloe leaf juice (skin-smoothing), kakadu plum (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory), and coconut oil (excellent emollient). It comes in a very sophisticated-looking black glass bottle made from Miron glass, which seems to have very special characteristics. According to Mukti, this biophotonic (a.k.a. violet flame) glass acts as a filter to screen out the complete spectrum of visible light from red to blue frequencies that are responsible for the decomposition of living organisms.

The product is described as a “nurturing creamy cleanser that removes impurities, perspiration, makeup and pollutants. [It] leaves the skin feeling fresh, clean, supple and hydrated, [as well as] encourages a healthy function and assists with retaining the skin’s natural balance.” It is also recommended for normal/dry skin type (which is a correct diagnosis of the state of my just-turned-sixty facial skin).

In my opinion you can’t ask for more in a cleanser, neither with ingredients nor effects, right?

The application instructions read: “Moisten hands and face with warm water. Emulsify between the palms. Gently massage over the face then rinse thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.”

I’ve used this cleanser for the last four weeks to see whether it lives up to its description—so, did it? Sadly enough, the answer is not at all! The least I demand from a facial cleanser is that it cleans my face…and that’s not too much to ask, is it?

My first use was my evening ablution, i.e. the cleanser had to remove my water-soluble foundation, in addition to the non-visible impurities, perspiration and pollutants (as mentioned in the product’s description above). Luckily, I had a cream-colored towel that day, which made it possible for me to note that some of my foundation ended up on the towel and not in the drain, as I had expected. Thinking I had somehow used too little of the cleanser I did all over again—twice—and after the third wash I didn’t have any left-over foundation on the towel. The next evening, I had the same result again, even though I applied three pumps of the lotion and repeated the procedure three times, with quite a few smears of the foundation ending up on my towel…and this is NOT acceptable! And so this testing period went on with me using the Mukti cleanser, but always afterwards using my regular cleanser to be sure my face was clean.

I must say, though, that my skin feels very good after using this lotion—smooth and fresh—but it’s still a very small consolation compared to knowing that it’s not clean.

I have conducted quite a few experiments to see what visible “dirt” this cleanser can remove, if any:

  • Foundation, water-soluble—smears left on face, even after three washes. 
  • Foundation, Clinique Even Better— half of foundation left on face, even after three washes. 
  • Foundation, Jane Iredale BB cream ($48 in the shop)—forget it! Hardly anything removed, even after three washes. 
  • Kohl pencil—all removed, after three washes. 
  • Mascara, water-soluble—forget it! I looked like a raccoon, especially after three washes. 
  • Mascara, water-resistant—don’t even go there…

So, in conclusion, I must say that I’m very disappointed with this product. I have used a few of Mukti’s products in the past, and I am especially pleased with the Pink Grapefruit Body Lotion ($47 in the shop), so I was expecting quite something else from this Hydrating Cleansing Lotion than what I actually got.