If the internet’s love affair with matcha ever needed a skin-care counterpart, Tatcha’s The Matcha Cleanse is the perfect candidate. The Japanese beauty brand’s gel-to-foam cleanser has been steadily building a following, and new data from a NewBeauty BeautyPass survey confirms what the brand’s most devoted fans have been saying all along: this cleanser earns its cult status. The brand recently updated the formula in a new product—The Matcha Foam Cleanser ($40)—with all the same benefits, now with a foamy application.
As a beauty editor with sensitive skin who has tried hundreds of cleansers, this one remains in my cabinet because it’s proven time and time again that it expertly cleanses without irritating my skin. Our director of beauty, Britt Fallon, reports that this cleanser even helps makeup last longer. “Think of it like a cleanser with built-in primer benefits,” she writes. But don’t just take our word for it; hundreds of reviewers feel the same.
A Sensitive-Skin Winner
When asked what makes The Matcha Cleanse most appealing, effectiveness topped the list at 49 percent, narrowly ahead of Tatcha’s brand reputation and the product’s ease of use. Ingredients and texture rounded out the top five.
Reviewer Larisa K. captured why the formula stands out for sensitive skin types. “Every gel cleanser I’ve ever used has caused an allergic reaction on my face. This cleanser has not done that. [It] has helped in making my face feel very clean and refreshed,” she writes.
Elizabeth B. spoke to the standout formula, noting that the cleanser “relies on green clay and ceremonial-grade matcha to absorb excess sebum and calm inflammation, while prebiotic inulin supports the skin’s microflora,” adding that unlike harsher clarifying washes, it “leaves my skin balanced, supple and comfortably clean.” Bertha C., who has oily, acne-prone skin, says the cleanser “hasn’t caused any breakouts” and even “somewhat helps in cooling my rosacea down.”
How It Stacks Up
When asked to compare The Matcha Cleanse to similar products on the market, 69 percent of respondents rated it better, including a full third who called it “much better.” Between the survey data and the flood of five-star reviews, the verdict on Tatcha’s The Matcha Cleanse is clear: It delivers a gentle, effective cleanse that stands out among the competition.
