If you worship at the altar of skincare, your least favorite months are likely incoming. As we approach cold and drying wintry weather, your daily routine might require a shift. If your peau has felt like it needed a hail Mary lately, look no further. As the angels sing, enter Dieux’s new skincare offering: Baptism, a revived take on cleansing.
Dieux’s founder’s experiences as consumers and beauty industry professionals fueled them to create a brand that was “religious about results.” But they don’t believe in miracles, only rituals. Dieux was created by a clinical cosmetic chemist, a career brand-builder, and a multihyphenate creative, all with the same goal in mind: making products that address key skin concerns and simplify routines.
Enter the brand’s gentle-yet-powerful, water-based gel cleaners. The formula thoroughly purifies skin without stripping it of moisture, and uses a gentle cleansing complex that lathers into a rich, creamy foam to remove everyday makeup and SPF. Glycerin and betaine reinforce your skin barrier, and Dieux offers both a fragranced and fragrance-free version of their new product. Four W magazine editors tried the cleanser in both versions, and gave their honest opinions about the results.
Maxine Wally, Senior Digital Editor
How’s your skin right now?
At the moment, my skin reflects my mental state: frayed, exhausted, coming off of the busiest month of my entire year. I’ve been working overtime and am feeling the stress—it’s showing up on my face, in the form of hormonal acne. But other than pimples around my chin and lip area, I haven’t been suffering any other serious skin issues.
Describe your current cleansing routine.
I always wash my face at night before bed, but a morning cleanse isn’t so much of a must. If my skin feels dirty or I sweat a lot in my sleep, I’ll wash my face when I wake up. In a cleanser, I seek two things: the ability to melt away makeup easily and, of course, clean my face, especially below my nose, where breakouts tend to happen.
What was your experience using Dieux’s new cleanser?
Baptism was a slow burn for me. Usually, I rub whatever cleanser I’ve got on hand into my face, somewhat aggressively and quickly. I tried that method with Baptism and it did not wash away all of my makeup. I learned that with this cleanser, you must work it gently into your face with just a little water at first, and build a real lather before rinsing. It was nice to take a moment to give myself a face massage at the end of the day. And with a bit of patience, all of my makeup eventually melted away, revealing fresh and clean skin underneath. I opted for the fragranced version of Baptism, and although my skin is sensitive to scented products, the Dieux cleanser did not irritate at all. I found the smell pleasing, too—pretty and floral, not cloying at all.
Will you continue to keep Baptism in your skincare routine?
Definitely. I like the fact that I need to take my time with this one. It’s relaxing and therapeutic. The cleanser didn’t clear my skin of hormonal acne, but I’m not sure any face wash without a topical antiseptic can do that. A vacation, however, sounds like just the ticket!
Tori López, Fashion Market Editor
How’s your skin doing?
My skin is good right now! During the summer, I always struggle thanks to my lovely t-zone, which likes to get very oily, making me more prone to breakouts. Now that the weather in New York is finally blissful again, my skin has reverted back to its normal state.
Describe your current cleansing routine.
My skin is ultra sensitive, so I use La Roche-Posay’s cleanser. I double cleanse at night, and in the morning, I just rinse with water.
What was your experience using Dieux’s cleanser?
I’ve never used a gel cleanser before. I liked the way Baptism felt on my skin—it’s smooth and thick. In comparison to my everyday cleanser, it removed my makeup more thoroughly. However, it left my skin feeling a bit drier than usual. I tested the fragrance-free version of Baptism since I personally prefer my skincare products to have no scent.
Do you plan on keeping Baptism in your skincare routine?
With winter approaching, I personally prefer my usual cleanser, which doesn’t leave me feeling dry. But during spring and summer, I would love to go back to the Baptism cleanser as it would work wonders combatting the oil on my face, and likely help minimize any breakouts.
Shaliqua Alleyne, Assistant Visuals Editor
How’s your skin right now?
My skin has a few slightly visible hyperpigmentation marks, and it’s pretty dry.
What’s your current cleansing routine?
I use a face wash, followed by moisturizer with sunscreen in the morning. My nighttime routine is a double cleanse, a serum from Topicals to target hyperpigmentation on some days days, and I use eye masks intermittently, plus moisturizer daily. My face tends to feel dry after cleansing, but that’s where the moisturizer comes in and makes everything feel right again!
What did you think of Dieux’s new cleanser?
I tested out the fragrance-free version, using it during my nighttime routine. It definitely made my face feel so clean after rinsing, especially on the days I wore makeup: it really took everything off. It’s not stripping, and doesn’t leave my face feeling like a desert before I apply moisturizer.
Will you continue to use Baptism in your skincare routine?
I would keep using Baptism, specifically on days when I wear makeup. It really gets the job done.
Che Baez, Visuals Editor
How’s your skin doing?
My skin is decent, with a few hormonal breakouts occurring during my luteal phase (IYKYK). I have issues keeping my breakouts calm when I use certain products, and I have combination skin that doesn’t get too dry or too oily, but it is sensitive. So I have to be pretty careful with what I use on my skin.
What’s your current cleansing routine?
My current cleansing routine consists of Rhode’s pineapple cleanser, which has been gentle on my skin. But I have to switch to a more aggressive cleanser when I get breakouts. My face feels a bit dry after cleansing because there’s quite a bit of lather, so I leave my skin a bit wet before I apply moisturizer to really seal the hydration in.
What did you think of the Baptism cleanser?
I was really keen on testing the fragranced version of Baptism because my skin is sensitive and I wanted to see if this was a gentle product (really putting my face on the line for science!). I am happy to report that Baptism did not irritate my skin at all (and trust me, I expected it to) and the fragrance is mild and smells insanely good, like you’re skipping through a verdant garden. The gel formula is rich and creamy and lathers into a foam, which is my preferred form of cleanser. When I had a breakout with hormonal acne, Baptism didn’t aggravate my skin. I don’t wear makeup, so I can’t speak to the removal of pesky mascara, but it did take off all the gross, sweaty film on my face after a concert.
Will you keep using this product?
I would absolutely keep Baptism in my skincare routine. It would be a blessing.
