Sustainable Beauty · Review
Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser
An award-winning kale-and-green-tea gel cleanser with a genuine refill system: a refillable glass bottle plus an eco-friendly refill pouch. Vegan, Leaping Bunny certified, and one of the more sustainable picks here.
🌿 Ecoxee decision: The pick with a real refill system.
A gentle, effective daily cleanser that removes makeup without stripping, and the refillable-glass-plus-pouch system genuinely cuts waste. Vegan and Leaping Bunny certified. Around $69 in the refillable format, it is a considered buy, but the refill is where it earns its place.
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Best for
Not ideal for
Before you buy: do you actually need this?
Worth buying if…
- You want a gentle daily cleanser that removes makeup
- A refill system genuinely matters to you
- You want vegan and Leaping Bunny certified
- You will actually buy the refill pouches
Probably skip it if…
- You want a budget cleanser
- You will not use the refills (the eco benefit is the whole point)
- You already have a cleanser you are happy with
The most sustainable option is often the one you already own.
Overview
Youth To The People built its name on superfood-driven clean skincare, and the Superfood Cleanser is its cult daily gel wash. Kale, spinach and green tea bring vitamins and antioxidants, glycerin and vitamin B5 keep it from stripping, and it lathers up to remove makeup, SPF and the day's buildup while supporting the skin's pH.
What earns it a place in a sustainability roundup is the packaging: a refillable glass bottle paired with an eco-friendly refill pouch, which cuts both packaging waste and cost over time. That is a genuine refill system, meaningfully better than the recyclable-plastic hand-waving so common in beauty. It is also vegan, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, dermatologist tested, and free from sulfates, parabens, PEGs, dimethicone, mineral oil and artificial dyes.
Be realistic about two things. In this refillable format it is around $69, so it is a considered buy rather than a budget cleanser, and the herbaceous scent will not suit the strictly fragrance-free. And the eco advantage only materialises if you actually commit to buying the refill pouches rather than repurchasing the bottle.
How to use it
- 1For everyday cleansing, massage 1-2 pumps onto damp skin, work the gel into a light lather, then rinse with lukewarm water.
- 2To remove makeup, massage 1-2 pumps into a dry face and neck first, then add a little water to emulsify before rinsing thoroughly.
- 3Use it twice a day, morning and night, to keep pores clear without stripping or drying the skin.
- 4For gentle exfoliation, pair it a few times a week with Youth To The People's Superfruit Cleanser, which the brand designed as a complement.
- 5When your bottle runs low, buy the refill pouch rather than a new bottle: it tops up the glass bottle you already own and costs less.
What we like
- Refillable glass bottle plus an eco-friendly refill pouch: a real refill system
- Award-winning, gentle daily cleanser
- Removes makeup and SPF without stripping
- Vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free
- Free from sulfates, parabens, PEGs and dyes
- Superfood antioxidants (kale, spinach, green tea)
Worth knowing
- Around $69 in the refillable format, not cheap
- Herbaceous scent, not fragrance-free
- The eco benefit depends on you buying refills
- A cleanser rinses off, so contact time is short
- The larger refillable format is a commitment
The honest trade-offs
The nuance most reviews leave out.
- The refill system is a genuine sustainability win, rarer than recyclable packaging, but it only pays off if you actually buy the refill pouches.
- At around $69 it is a considered buy versus a basic cleanser: you are paying for the formula and the refill system together.
- A cleanser is rinsed off, so its actives matter less than they would in a leave-on product.
- The herbaceous scent will not suit anyone who needs strictly fragrance-free.
Sustainability breakdown
Our honest read on how eco-friendly this really is. Where we cannot verify something, we say so rather than guess.
Vegan; free from sulfates, parabens, PEGs, dimethicone, mineral oil and dyes; superfood antioxidants.
Refillable glass bottle plus an eco-friendly refill pouch: a genuine refill system, not just recyclable packaging.
Vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free.
The glass bottle is refillable and reusable; the refill pouch reduces packaging over time.
Clear, specific claims (Leaping Bunny, vegan, full free-from list) on the listing itself.
Frequently asked questions
How do you use the Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser?
Massage 1-2 pumps onto damp skin, work it into a light lather and rinse with lukewarm water, morning and night. To remove makeup, massage it into a dry face first, then add water to emulsify before rinsing. It is gentle enough for twice-daily use.
Is the Superfood Cleanser the same as the 'Age Prevention Cleanser'?
They refer to the same thing. The Superfood Cleanser is Youth To The People's kale, spinach and green tea antioxidant cleanser, and the brand markets that antioxidant formula for age prevention, with green tea in particular positioned as helping fight visible signs of ageing. You will also see it searched as the age prevention cleanser or the kale and green tea cleanser.
What skin types is it good for?
All of them. It is a gentle, non-stripping gel that removes makeup, SPF and excess oil while keeping the skin's moisture and pH balanced, so it suits normal, dry, combination, oily and sensitive skin. It is also alcohol-free and free from sulfates, parabens and dyes.
Superfood Cleanser vs Superfruit Cleanser, which should you get?
The Superfood Cleanser is the gentle daily wash; the Superfruit Cleanser is a gentle exfoliating cleanser meant for a few times a week. They are designed to work together rather than instead of each other: use the Superfood daily and add the Superfruit 2-3 times a week if you want extra exfoliation and brightening. If you only buy one, start with the Superfood.
Is there a Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser dupe?
Cheaper kale or green tea antioxidant gel cleansers will give you a similar gentle, non-stripping cleanse, so if a dupe is what you want, look for an antioxidant gel cleanser with a similar free-from list. What the cheaper options usually do not match is this one's refillable glass bottle and Leaping Bunny certification, which is much of why it earns a place on a sustainable-beauty list at all.
How does the refill system work, and is it worth it?
You buy the refillable glass bottle once, then top it up with an eco-friendly refill pouch instead of buying a whole new bottle each time. The refill cuts packaging waste and usually costs less per use. That refill system, plus Leaping Bunny certification and a vegan formula, is what makes it a genuinely sustainable choice rather than just a clean one, provided you actually commit to buying the refills.
Is it vegan and cruelty-free?
Yes. Youth To The People is vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, and the Superfood Cleanser is dermatologist tested and free from sulfates, parabens, PEGs, dimethicone, mineral oil and artificial dyes.
How much is it and where can you buy it?
The refillable format is around $69. You can buy it on Amazon (linked above), as well as at Sephora and directly from Youth To The People. Prices and sizes vary, so check the current listing, and look out for the refill pouch when you reorder.
If you don't buy it
If you will not buy the refill pouches, most of the eco advantage is lost, and a basic gentle cleanser costs far less. Buy this if you want a genuinely good daily cleanser and will use the refill system that makes it stand out.
The Ecoxee verdict
The Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser is a lovely, gentle daily cleanser, but what earns it a place here is the refill system: a refillable glass bottle plus an eco-friendly refill pouch, a real cut in packaging waste rather than the recyclable-plastic hand-waving so common in beauty. Vegan and Leaping Bunny certified and free from the usual suspects, it is a considered buy at around $69, and the sustainability genuinely pays off, as long as you commit to the refills.
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