Sisley - Milk Cleansers

Cleansers are an important part of a skin care regime.  If skin is not clean, one cannot achieve the full benefits of the moisturisers, serums and masks applied to the face. Therefore, each individual needs to find a suitable cleanser for their own skin care regime, as there is no one product that works for everyone!


Cleansers are usually the cheapest product within a skin care set.  It contains the least ingredients that benefit the skin, as the primary goal is to wash off all the dirt and pollutants. Go to the supermarket and you can easily purchase a $9.95 cleanser, which will satisfy many consumer's needs! However, when cleansers are priced at $50-60AUD and above, one really questions whether it is necessary to spend a hefty amount on a product, which just washes off the dirt!


Giorgio Armani, Dior, Givenchy, YSL are considered to be the elite luxury labels in the fashion industry. Each of the respective skin care lines have cleansers that suit certain types of skins.  Although the range may not be as diverse as Clinique, Kiehls, or Clarins, customers are still given a choice as to the cleansers they purchase! In respect to the price, most of the cleansers are priced at around $50-60AUD, which is already considered to be expensive. 


When it comes to designer labels, nothing comes cheap.  When you spend large amounts of money, you expect to have a choice as to what you buy.  However, Sisley products seem to follow a much narrower path, as their products not only exceed $100AUD, but are also very limited in their range. For an everyday cleanser, Sisley only produces two milk textures, Sage and Lyslait, for normal/combination and dry/sensitive skin respectively.  


Sisley is a French owned company, and have a long reigning history.  Most, if not all of their products contain [large amounts of] fragrances, which is arguably a BIG no in skin care.  Despite the BIG no, Sisley is still considered to be a top luxury skin care label, and usually compared to other major brands such as La Mer, La Prairie and Chantecaille.  So, competing with the big names, and setting extreme prices.. do their products really live up to the prices set?

1. Sisley Milk Cleanser - with Sage @ $116 AUD/250mL

Priced at $116AUD, it is no doubt one of the more expensive cleansers in the market. Milk cleansers are lightweight, therefore they can remove makeup, and be used day and night. As with most milk cleansers, water is not required. 

Sage is a cleanser targeted for normal/combination skin consumers. Infused with strong fragrances, this cleanser should not be recommended to consumers with sensitive skin. The texture is a thick white milk, and is easily spread around the whole face.

As for myself, i would consider my skin to be combination/sensitive.  After using Sage for two days, i returned it to the store as the cleanser was clearly not the right for me.  My cheeks would turn red and itch for about 10 minutes or so after cleansing.  Although my face had an allergic reaction to the cleanser, if put aside, my face did feel quite clean afterwards.  Pores were also minimised from the minimal use! It really is disappointing as it would have become a daily cleanser for me, if not for the allergy.

Rating (based on cleaning quality) : 7.5/10

Rating (overall quality and worth) : 3/10

2. Sisley Milk Cleanser - Lyslait: with white lily @ $125 AUD/250mL

More expensive than Sage, Lyslait is targeted for those with dry/sensitive skin. Containing white lily, the cleanser not only cleans the skin, but also smooths and moisturises.  For such a hefty price, one should expect more than smoothing and moisturising benefits! 

The texture is the same as Sage, however the fragrance is noticeably reduced.  

Lyslait had the same cleaning effects as Sage, clean, smooth and refined pores. However, the allergy remained; itching reduced to about 4-5 minutes after cleansing.  The cleanser is already designed for those with sensitive skin, therefore it was not expected that the itchiness returned. 

Rating (based on cleaning quality) : 7.5/10

Rating (overall quality and worth) : 2.3/10 

Sisley can only be defined as being hyped up! It's cleansers do not live up to the expectations, and are incredibly overpriced.  For a cleanser priced at ~$120, one would expect much more than clean, smooth and moisturised skin.  Also, there are no actual lab results which prove the worth/effectiveness of their products!  

Will i try other Sisley products? Yes. The Sisley reign would not have lasted if their whole range was disappointing. However, their cleansers are a clear indication of their narrow path, as it only suits a limited number of consumers.

Overal Rating: 3.8/10

Note: all images are property of Sisley Paris and Givenchy. All prices are set by Sisley Boutique, David Jones limited.