All scans / Cleansers / Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser
Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser ingredients: is it worth it?
A competent gentle cleanser wearing an $80 luxury costume—not a transformative skincare treatment.
A competent gentle cleanser wearing an $80 luxury costume—not a transformative skincare treatment.
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The efficacy score is 4.2/5.0 because multiple mild surfactants should cleanse effectively without the aggressive sulfate/sulfonate system associated with barrier stripping, while glycerin, aloe, panthenol, and urea support a more comfortable after-feel. Salicylic acid receives only limited contact-time credit because this is a rinse-off formula and its concentration and pH are not disclosed; it cannot be scored like a properly formulated leave-on acne treatment. The formula contains no high-evidence leave-on treatment system, and the premium price is not justified by the cleansing performance alone. Safety scores 4.7/5.0: the base is mild and fragrance is not declared, but benzyl alcohol and preservatives can still bother highly reactive skin.
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DemythSkin rates Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser 4.2/5 for efficacy and 4.7/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Benzyl Alcohol. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (8)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Glucoside, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Panthenol, Urea, Lactobacillus/Portulaca Oleracea Ferment Extract, Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Salicylic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Tocopherol, Pantolactone, Sodium Benzoate
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (19)⌄
- Water
- solvent and formula base
- Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
- mild amphoteric surfactant
- Lauryl Glucoside
- nonionic cleansing surfactant
- Glycerin
- humectant and skin conditioner
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- soothing botanical humectant
- Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate
- gentle amino-acid surfactant
- Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate
- mild cleansing surfactant
- Panthenol
- humectant and skin conditioner
- Urea
- humectant and skin conditioner
- Lactobacillus/Portulaca Oleracea Ferment Extract
- fermented botanical conditioning agent
- Citric Acid
- pH adjuster and chelator
- Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative and fragrance component
- Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
- Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
- Salicylic Acid
- oil-soluble exfoliating active
- Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate
- preservative and conditioning agent
- Tocopherol
- antioxidant and skin conditioner
- Pantolactone
- skin-conditioning agent
- Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Humectant supporting short-term skin hydration
Panthenol: Provitamin B5 with humectant and conditioning properties
Salicylic Acid: Oil-soluble exfoliant with acne and pore-care evidence; rinse-off exposure limits benefit
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper cleanser that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (cleansing) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser: common questions
Is Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser worth it?
Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser scores 4.2 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.7 out of 5.0 for safety (Very Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. A competent gentle cleanser wearing an $80 luxury costume—not a transformative skincare treatment.
What are the key active ingredients in Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser?
Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Salicylic Acid.
Does Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin's analysis found no flagged irritants in Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser. It scores 4.7 out of 5.0 for safety.
How is Dr. Barbara Sturm Cleanser scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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