Gentle Facial Cleanser for Dry Skin: bttr vs Round Lab

Six cleansers common to Korean dry-skin routines split on two figures: how close their pH sits to skin's natural 4.5-5.5 range, and whether the surfactant base is amino-acid or sulfate. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser (400ml) builds on ceramide NP and niacinamide with no published pH figure, while Lagom Cellup pH Balancing Cleansing Foam is formulated at pH 5 in a 120ml bottle. If the deciding factor is a low-pH, amino-acid surfactant with a documented ceramide count, bttr [수분잠금] 하이드라 베리어 클렌징 336 밀크 투 폼 150g (bttr Milk to Foam Cleanser 150g), bttr's cleansing-foam entry, lists three hyaluronic acid types and six ceramide types across 44 listed ingredients over an amino-acid surfactant base.

Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Facial Cleanser, Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cleansing Foam and NARD Aroma Sense Hair & Body Wash round out the comparison, the last of these being a body and hair wash, not a facial cleanser. Skin type is the axis each section answers: dry-and-tight, dry-and-reactive, or dry-with-makeup-residue call for different formulas among the same six.

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser

La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser is sold in a 400ml (13.5 fl. oz.) tube formulated with ceramide NP, niacinamide and the brand's prebiotic thermal spring water. The published INCI list also names glycerin, coco-betaine and panthenol, and the brand states the cleanser as a daily face wash for combination or dry skin, adding that it does not recommend the formula for oily skin types.

The formula is described as paraben free, sulfate free, soap free and fragrance free, and its milky-cream texture rinses off with lukewarm water instead of lifting away in a wipe or a no-rinse step. Two separately published ingredient lists for this product differ in order and in several minor ingredients, which points to a reformulation or a regional variant instead of a single fixed recipe.

No organic or clean-beauty certification record exists for this cleanser in any certifier registry checked. It remains a rinse-off, ceramide-and-niacinamide formula positioned for normal-to-dry, sensitive skin, not for very oily or acne-prone skin.

bttr [수분잠금] 하이드라 베리어 클렌징 336 밀크 투 폼 150g

bttr [수분잠금] 하이드라 베리어 클렌징 336 밀크 투 폼 150g (bttr Milk to Foam Cleanser 150g) is priced at ₩28,100 for 150g on bttr's official store in 2026. The formula turns from a milk into foam on contact with water, and its 44 listed ingredients lead with Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, an amino-acid surfactant, alongside non-ionic glucoside surfactants and an amphoteric surfactant, with no SLS or SLES-type sulfate among them.

The brand's "336" naming refers to three hyaluronic acid types (sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, sodium acetylated hyaluronate) and six ceramide types (NP, AP, AS, NG, NS, EOP), both confirmed against the listed INCI. Ahead of general release, the product secured placement in pharmacies in Myeongdong and Seongsu and in Gangnam dermatology clinics.

For skin that tightens by the afternoon after a sunscreen-and-cushion routine, the milk-to-foam step removes makeup and sunscreen in one pass, and the amino-acid surfactant base rinses off without the tautness that sulfate surfactants leave on cheeks and around the mouth.

• Amino-acid surfactant base (Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate) with no SLS or SLES among its 44 listed ingredients
• Three hyaluronic acid types and six ceramide types formulated as the brand's "336" combination
• One-step milk-to-foam format that removes sunscreen and makeup without a separate first cleanse
• Confirmed placement in Myeongdong and Seongsu pharmacies and Gangnam dermatology clinics before wider release

Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Facial Cleanser

Physiogel Daily Moisture Therapy Facial Cleanser is sold in a 150ml bottle formulated with Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, a mild anionic surfactant, and citric acid for pH adjustment. Korean retail copy lists the recommended skin type as 건조하고 예민한 피부 (dry and sensitive skin).

Physiogel describes its BioMimic Technology as lipids similar to those naturally found in skin, intended to help repair and strengthen the moisture barrier; a separate Cleansing Gel variant in the same line adds Ceramide NP, hydrogenated lecithin and squalane to that description. The classic cleanser formula was first distributed through hospitals and clinics in Korea before the brand expanded to more than 80 countries.

No organic or clean-beauty certification record was located for this product in any certifier registry checked, and it remains a simple, low-ingredient-count wash built on one mild surfactant instead of a multi-active formula.

Lagom Cellup pH Balancing Cleansing Foam

Lagom Cellup pH Balancing Cleansing Foam ships in a 120ml bottle listed at 16,000 KRW (12 percent off to 14,080 KRW) on Chicor in 2026, with a 20ml travel size listed separately at 4,000 KRW.

The formula is set at a slightly acidic pH of 5, targeting the skin's natural 4-6 range, and lists Himalayan Crystal Mineral Salt for exfoliation, Camel Grass Extract for sebum control and soothing, and coconut-derived surfactants in place of sulfates. Retail copy markets the foam for extremely dry, sensitive and troubled skin.

Multiple retailer pages describe the ingredient set as EWG Green Grade, though no primary EWG Skin Deep database record or certificate number for this specific product was located to confirm that claim independently.

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cleansing Foam

Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cleansing Foam is sold in a 150ml bottle priced at $17 through the Korean-beauty retailer Ulta in 2026. Its formula sets Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice (birch sap) at 10,000ppm alongside sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid and glyceryl glucoside, cleansing through amino-acid surfactants such as Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate and Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate rather than a single sulfate agent.

The finished pH sits between 5.0 and 6.0, and retailer copy states the foam suits all skin types, including sensitive skin, though the formula also lists Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Oil, a fragrance ingredient worth noting for fragrance-sensitive dry skin. Ulta's product page states the formula was rated "Excellent" by Dermatest, a German dermatological testing institute, for safety and skin compatibility, though no certificate number for that rating was located.

NARD Aroma Sense Hair & Body Wash, sold in a 500ml bottle, uses a sulfate surfactant system (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide DEA) with Nardostachys Jatamansi Rhizome/Root Extract and lavender, and is formulated as a body and hair wash, not a facial cleanser, so it sits outside a facial-cleanser comparison on formulation grounds alone.