The short answer
Gentle Deep Cleansing Oil is a first-step cleansing oil: 81.6% of the formula is a complex of 21 plant oils, and sunflower seed oil alone is 76.4%. Use it in the evening on a dry face to dissolve makeup, sunscreen and the day’s oil, add a little warm water until it turns milky, rinse, then follow with a water-based cleanser. A bottle is 200 ml and costs $24.90.
What it is and who it suits
A cleansing oil removes what water alone does not: sunscreen, makeup and surface oil. It does this by dissolving them, so you do not need to scrub. This one is built on plant oils, with emulsifiers added so that it mixes with water and rinses clean instead of leaving an oily film.
It belongs to the Purple Line, VVBETTER’s extra skincare line, and it reflects the brand’s approach of clean and thoughtful formulations: a plant-oil base, a short list of skin-comfort ingredients and a texture that rinses off. It is the first step of a two-step cleanse, and it suits you if:
- You wear sunscreen daily and want it properly removed at night.
- You wear makeup, especially a longer-wearing base.
- Your skin feels tight after cleansing and you want the first cleanse to be an oil rather than a foam.
- Your skin tends to be oily or congested and you prefer to dissolve oil rather than scrub it. A cleansing oil works as long as you rinse thoroughly and follow with a water-based cleanser.
It is listed for dry, normal, combination, oily and sensitive skin. If your skin reacts easily, read the patch test section below first.
What is in the bottle
The headline number is the plant oil complex. 81.6% (816,000 ppm) of the formula is 21 different plant oils. Sunflower seed oil is 76.4% (764,000 ppm) of that on its own, and the other 20 oils share the remaining 5.2% (52,000 ppm). The rest of the formula is made up of emulsifiers and a handful of skin-comfort ingredients. This is not an oil-only product, and we do not describe it as one.
Besides sunflower seed oil, the ingredients VVBETTER highlights are jojoba seed oil, squalane and centella asiatica. They are the reason the oil is tagged HYDRATION, REGENERATION, PORE CARE and CALMING: it is meant to leave skin feeling soft and settled after rinsing, not tight.
| Ingredient | Amount | What it is and why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Sunflower seed oil | 76.4% (764,000 ppm) | The base oil, and the largest single oil in the complex. |
| Other plant oils: corn germ, olive, green tea seed, sweet almond, grape seed, camellia seed, argan kernel, macadamia (Queensland nut), jojoba seed, torreya seed, plus bergamot, orange, grapefruit peel, lavender, Atlas cedar bark, geranium flower, jasmine, rose flower and galbanum resin oils | 5.2% (52,000 ppm) combined, with sunflower making the 21 | The rest of the 21 plant oils. Several are essential oils, and limonene and linalool also appear in the ingredient list. |
| Sorbeth-30 tetraoleate and sorbitan oleate | Not disclosed | Emulsifiers. They let the oil turn milky with water so it rinses off cleanly. |
| Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and centella asiatica extracts | Not disclosed | Plant extracts included for skin that feels reactive and in need of calming. |
| Niacinamide | Not disclosed | A form of vitamin B3, included for tone that looks uneven. |
| Squalane, panthenol, madecassoside, ceramide NP | Not disclosed | A light oil-like moisturizer, a water-binding vitamin B5 relative, a compound from centella and a skin-identical lipid. Together they help skin feel soft after rinsing, not tight. |
It is a rich, concentrated oil, and it changes character once water arrives: add a little warm water and it turns milky.
How to use it, step by step
- Start with dry hands and a dry face. If either is wet, the oil cannot take up makeup and sunscreen as well.
- Press 2–3 pumps into your palm.
- Massage over the whole face for about a minute, working into the hairline, around the nose and along the jaw.
- Add a little warm water and keep massaging until the oil turns milky.
- Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
- Follow with a water-based cleanser (see below), then continue with toner, serum and cream.
Use it in the evening, on any day you wore makeup or sunscreen. On a bare-face day with no sunscreen, a single gentle cleanse is plenty. Used once a day, one 200 ml bottle lasts about two months. Use within 12 months of opening, and store it away from direct sunlight.
Patch test, nuts and other cautions
Before you use it on your whole face, especially if your skin reacts easily, try it on the jawline for two evenings and keep it out of your eyes. If the product gets into your eyes, rinse immediately. Then, from the label:
- If redness, swelling, itching or other irritation occurs during or after use, including after exposure to direct sunlight, stop use and consult a specialist.
- Do not use on broken or irritated skin.
- Keep out of reach of children.
Two ingredient notes matter to some readers. First, the oils include sweet almond oil and Queensland nut (macadamia) oil, so if you have a nut allergy or sensitivity, read the full ingredient list and patch-test on the inner arm, or choose a different cleanser. Second, essential oils plus limonene and linalool are listed, so people who avoid scented ingredients should read the list too; our fragrance label guide explains how.
The oil has completed a skin low-irritation test (irritation index 0.00*). That is a result from one test, not a promise for every skin. It is also vegan certified by the Korea Agency of Vegan Certification and cruelty free.
*Human primary skin irritation test (24-hour patch), Global Medical Research Center, 16–18 Jan 2023.
Where it fits: oil first, then foam or bubble cleanser
The oil is the first cleanse, so it comes before everything else. In practice: oil, then a second cleanser, then toner, serum and cream. Many people find one oil plus one second cleanser enough; on a heavy makeup day, you can use oil, then the foam, then the bubble cleanser.
The second cleanser is a matter of preference, and we make two. This table puts the three in order:
| Product | Role | How you use it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentle Deep Cleansing Oil | First cleanse | 2–3 pumps on a dry face, massage about a minute, add water, rinse | 81.6% plant oils; evenings after makeup or sunscreen |
| 5.5 Soothing Cleansing Foam | Second cleanse | About 1–2 cm from the tube into wet palms, lather, massage 1–2 minutes | pH 5.5, sulfate-free; morning and evening |
| Jeju Yuja Balancing Bubble Cleanser | Second cleanse, for oilier days | Shake gently, pump 2–3 times into wet hands, massage about 30 seconds | pH 5.5; registered with the Korean MFDS as a functional cosmetic for skin prone to breakouts |
If you are choosing between the two second cleansers, the foam guide and the bubble cleanser guide go into each in more detail.
Quick answers
Do I need a second cleanser after the oil?
We recommend one. The oil dissolves makeup and sunscreen; a water-based cleanser clears what remains.
Dry face or wet face?
Dry. Start on dry hands and a dry face, then add a little warm water to turn it milky before rinsing.
Is it oil only?
No. It is 81.6% plant oils with emulsifiers, which is why it turns milky with water and rinses clean rather than leaving an oily film.
Can I use it in the morning?
It is designed as an evening step. In the morning, water or a single water-based cleanser is enough.
How long does a bottle last?
About two months, used once a day.
Where to go next
- Gentle Deep Cleansing Oil: the product page, with the full ingredient list.
- 5.5 Soothing Cleansing Foam guide: the second cleanse for daily use.
- Jeju Yuja Balancing Bubble Cleanser guide: the second cleanse for oilier days.
- Cleansers: all three side by side.
- Skin quiz: a short route to the steps that suit your skin.
