I think people don't understand what this cleanser is supposed to do. It's not supposed to take off makeup because if you have a cleanser that does that it is far too harsh for your skin. It's not supposed to clear up acne hence how it has no acne fighting ingredients in it. What it is supposed to do is gently clean the skin and give it a good base for acne products so that your skin is not further irritated. Anyways I am a spectro gel lover. Been faithful to it for 3 years. I have sensitive acne prone skin and other cleansers always irritate me. When I went to the dentist I saw that they had bottles of spectro gel everywhere to wash hands and face. Thought that was a good sign that the medical industry is using it. So buy! Definitely good basic cleanser. If only their moisturizer was upto snuff!!

I used to use this product and felt that it did nothing for me.. Now I realized it was because I wasn't massaging in the product for 30 seconds!

After reading reviews on MakeupAlley about spectrogel, I went out and purchased the acne prone bottle (purple label) for sensitive skin. Boy, am I ever glad I did!

Although spectrogel does not get ride of current acne, it helps minimize it and stops further acne from developing! It made my skin softer and has really cleared up some of the redness I was experiencing.

However, this product does NOT take off existing makeup therefore you must use another product before you use spectrogel. It is very gentle on my sensitive skin. I took the advice of another MakeupAlley contributer and I first rub the gel in circular motions on my DRY face. After doing this for a couple of seconds I wet my fingers and continue the circular motion for about 30 seconds. Than I wash off with water.

I purchased the bottle without the pump, therefore I feel that the packaging is a little awkward and comes out quickly. I have really noticed a difference and it is super cheap! Will buy again:)

Spectro Jel does not get the attention it deserves. My doctor recommended me to use this brand 8 years ago to treat my acne-prone skin during junior high school, and I have never turned to another cleanser since.


In truth, I usually use the Combination-Skin version, but Costco only had the Blemish-Prone one on sale, so I bought 2 of them in fairly large containers. It took a while to get used to the different smell, but just as I expected, it worked just as wonderfully. The gel is a smooth, no-nonsense cleanser that gets you CLEAN. No foaming and bubbles to irritate any sores or other problems on the skin - it is incredibly gentle. Though I've used this cleanser as part of a rigorous routine, it is the foundation of what I do twice everyday, and is gentle enough for whenever I feel oily. Make sure to massage it well into your skin for about a minute to feel really refreshed - the gel-based cleanser makes it so it's not such a chore :)


Fairly-priced and gentle for nearly any skin type. DEFINITELY will repurchase again. It's a staple cleanser that should be a part of any daily routine.

I love Spectro and I feel like these gels do not get enough attention- I hardly hear anyone talk about them. I have this cleanser currently in the acne prone skin version but I have owned the sensitive skin version before and both I feel preform equally well. I really like that since I have acne prone skin I can use the cleanser that is mean for acne prone skin because the cleanser is so gentle. I'm not really sure whether or not this helps with acne but for sure it does not break me out which is of course excellent. I also love that the cleanser comes in a huge bottle for around $10 that lasts you forever. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the scent of the cleanser. It is fragrance free but the smell of the ingredients is not particularly pleasant but it doesn't smell bad. My bottle is a bit old but SLS is not listed in the ingredients which is amazing and so hard to find. I'm sure I will continue to purchase this forever.

HG. Forever and ever. I have used this for the past 15 years, and every time I stray, I regret it. My skin is sensitive, acne-prone, easily clogged, dehydrated and oily, and over the years I've tried countless products- most of which address only one of these concerns, at the expense of the others. Not Spectro.

This is a non-foaming gel cleanser, which a lot of people have a hard time getting used to, but I personally find very nice. I wet my skin with warm water, and massage about a quarter-sized dollop into my skin. As the instructions say, give your face a good 30 second (I tend to go longer) massage with your finger tips. I remove with a warm washcloth, then splash with cooler water. Never leaves me tight or dry, never aggravates breakouts, and doesn't leave any weird film on my skin. Occasionally I do need a dab of moisturizer at night (I generally don't wear night cream) but that is only in the deepest, darkest of winter, and no cleanser can ward that level of evil off! I can't, however, speak for whether this removes make-up, as I don't wear anything on my face. If I am wearing heavier sunscreen in the summer, I tend to do a quick double wash.

I don't expect miracles from cleansers, and overly complicated ones are usually just that. Spectro IS basic, but consistently dependable and effective. I do use the "Lightly Scented" version, whose scent is really negligible, and have found little difference between that one and the fragrance-free version. I generally just buy which ever one is in stock. The large pump size easy to keep in the tub or on the counter, and convenient for filling travel containers.

Loyal for life. Please don't ever change the formulation!

I have very sensitive dry skin. Unfortunately, I have had an increasing tendency for breakouts. I am so glad I reached for this last time I was at the pharmacy. It is exactly what my dry irritated skin needed. It doesn't strip you skin or contain parabens, SLS or other irritating ingredients. It gives you a clean feeling (unlike cetaphil) without the tight dry feeling. It's perfect! My breakouts/skin coloured bumps have calmed considerably when I started using this and my skin is looking better and better. All of this and it is CHEAP! I paid under 7$CAN. I really couldn't tell the difference between the breakout prone version or the sensitive version, but I went with breakout prone just in case.

Two downsides which I am willing to overlook:
1. Because it is unscented, people will say it smells bad. Which is true. But I'll take that over potentially irritating fragrances any day.
2. The packaging is pretty ugly to be honest. But, hey, it's just sitting on your shower shelf or medicine cabinet. A small price to pay for happy skin.

I truly truly love this product. It is very different from most other cleansers in that it uses a glycerine base to cleanse your skin very gently and to not upset your skins' PH which I've learned is hugely important.
Your skin has it's own natural acid mantle that protects against bad bacteria. Most harsh cleansers strip your skin of this acid mantle, allowing bacteria to invade your pores and wreak havoc on your skin. Most people that are aggressively washing their faces are actually worsening their skin problems. Since I have started using Spectro Jel, my skin has been smooth, healthy, clear, and my overly oily skin now acts "normal". I cannot see myself straying from this cleanser anytime soon and before this I was very loyal to my Bioderma Sebium. If I do get a breakout, they are very small and superficial and are gone in a day tops. This will remove your makeup if you wipe this off with a wet washcloth. I wear foundation, bronzer and blush daily and have no problems with removing my makeup. You must follow this instructions and rub it in for 30 seconds tops.

As someone with very dry scare prone acne skin, this non-foaming, SLS-free, and fragrance-free cleanser is a life saver. It has literally been my HG cleanser for 6 years!

When I properly use this cleanser and moisturize my face, I am relatively acne free except for the one or two due to my monthly cycle. This cleanser has a thick gel consistency that isn't runny like a serum, but rather has a thick hold so you don't have to worry about it running and streaking down your neck.

I find this cleanser is most effective when you apply it to a dry face, massage it like you would any other cleanser, wet your hands a bit, massage some more, and continue this cycle for two three more times until most of the product has already been rinsed away. Then just rinse your face and finish up your routine as usual. With this method I find that most the icky stuff comes out without leaving my face dried and tight.

Word of caution: this product is not meant to remove makeup or mascara. When wearing makeup, I always wash once with Shu Uemura cleansing oil first then follow up with this gel cleanser.

UPDATE: Jan 2013, i think Spectro had a bad batch or changed the formula as my bottle was super runny and smelled different from the old batch. I'll repurchase again in a month or two's time to see if it is really a new formula. If so, I will discontinue purchasing as this new runny formula has done NOTHING for my skin :(

I got this for dry skin, amazing!!!! does not bother eyes,excellent for removing all makeup, no scent, calming and skin very clear now, non drying and priced very well at I think $6.99

Holy-grail cleanser. I see little difference between the various Spectro Jel formulas, so I use the problem-prone one just in case, but once or twice I've bought the other formulas and don't see much difference. I like that this one is completely fragrance-free, though.

This is INFINITELY better than Cetaphil. Cetaphil leaves me with ever-increasing clogged pores. Spectro just leaves me with clean skin -- no residue, no extra dryness. Just skin.

It does NOT totally remove a ton of makeup or anything waterproof. You'll need eye makeup remover if you wear waterproof mascara, and you'll need a washcloth or maybe a brush if you're trying to use this to remove heavy foundation. Instead, I use this to remove any traces of residue from oil, and to "reset" my skin in the morning in the shower. Wouldn't go without it!