Benton Tea Tree Cleansing Water Review

Disclaimer: This product was provided by Benton for review purposes. Any links marked with an asterisk * is an affiliate link which means I earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Any money generated goes back towards the blog and other products so I can continue reviewing them. These conditions do not affect my opinion of the item.

Yoohoo Benton is back with another product! This time it's a cleansing water, and with this new addition the only product that they're missing now is a cleansing oil that I hope isn't too far away~ Cleansing waters are an essential part of my AM routine since they save a lot of time and are a far less messy ordeal than properly cleansing my face. This latest release boasts the following:

Claims
- Naturally derived mild cleansing water infused with tea tree leaf water and oil made in Korea
- Refreshing & calming effect on tired skin while mildly cleansing
- Revitalises irritated, stressed-out skin with redness
- Leaves skin clear and smooth
- Free of PEGs, sulfates, fragrance and colorant
- Changes skin over time
- Can be used as a makeup remover or AM cleanser

Recommended for
- Skin tired from impurities and external stressors
- Oily and acne-prone skin
- Delicate skin afraid of 100% tea tree oil
- Those wanting a naturally-derived cleansing water
- Angry skin from heavy makeup
- Skin with a water-oil imbalance  

Packaging 
Clear plastic bottle that in a cardboard box fully labelled in both Korean and English, as well as an authentication sticker. Also, they're cruelty free! The label doesn't completely wrap around the bottle so it's easy to see how much product is remaining. 

Ingredients 
Tea tree leaf water (70%), water, butylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, tea tree leaf oil, polyglyceryl-6 caprylate, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, sodium chloride

CosDNA indicates all the ingredients have a safety level of 1 whereas butylene glycol has an acne rating of 1. Tea tree water makes up the bulk of the cleansing water - it's an antioxidant capable of soothing the skin and improving acne-prone skin and breakouts. As an essential oil, it can sensitise the skin but I don't think this is very likely for this product, even with the addition of it in its oil form, since it's been heavily diluted. Benton has taken care not to include sulfates, fragrance and colourants. My only complaint is that it's oddly prone to leaking, even when I think the cap has been twisted shut, so I'm careful with how I store this.

Texture & Scent
Watery. Smells faintly of tea tree but definitely isn't as strong as the Cosrx low pH morning cleanser.

Experience
I've been using this product for a little over a week and I'm happy with the results. In the AM it removes whatever gunk builds up at night and refreshes my skin. It's not stripping, nor does it cause breakouts, and it is mildly hydrating. The finish is slightly powdery and tacky immediately after usage.

Now let's get to how it works in the PM, when the makeup finally comes off. Note that it's really rare for me to remove my makeup with cleansing water as I'm a devout double cleanser, but I tested it out anyway for the sake of this review. My main request of a cleansing water, when being used to remove makeup, is that it effectively removes makeup swatches from my hands and that it is effective as a point makeup remover for my face.When I first used this product, I only read the review guide that Benton had sent us and I thought they recommended not using this on our eyes because it wouldn't be very effective (I totally misinterpreted what they meant by 'mild cleansing water'). On the actual packaging however, underneath the Caution section it clearly says to avoid contact with eyes which is probably referring to the potentially sensitising nature of tea tree. Well, silly me didn't bother checking the box packaging until halfway through the review period so I tested its abilities as an eye makeup remover anyway. I found that even holding a drenched cotton pad over my eyes for several seconds, before wiping it off didn't cause any irritation. The ultimate test for me is being able to remove Peripera's Airy Velvet Lip Tint. My lips were quite chapped and dry already and when I used the cleansing water, there was still lots of pigment left on my lips even after 1.5 cotton pads. By then my lips were already stinging so I stuck with oil cleansing.

Full face of makeup

Gradual cleansing

Post face cleanse only. I didn't try removing my eye makeup again.

Meanwhile, base makeup comes off in thick layers and clings to the cotton pads. It takes about 4 cotton pads to remove the bulk of it; removing the residual layers proves more difficult as after the friction of the cotton pad eventually stresses my skin and causes it to become red. I'm not sure what to think about Benton's claim that the product will change my skin overtime as it'll take longer for me to see if, and perhaps how, these changes occur.

Now Benton has yet to officially release this product so I'm not sure how much it costs. Judging by how it removed my lip tint, I'll designate this as a AM only product and rely on other cleansing products to clean my makeup. I think that's where it excels as even for my dry skin, it is capable of gently prepping my face for my AM routine.

Until next time,

Vivien || IG @vistillhere

Where to Buy 
Benton Website
StyleKorean*
Yesstyle