Last Updated on September 30, 2026 by omgbart
The Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm had a lot to live up to. It’s the first major addition to the Soy family since the original cleanser launched in 1994. It’s also being reviewed by the original Fresh groupie.
I’m not exaggerating. On a recent walk through SoHo, I told a friend how much I miss the original Fresh store on Spring Street. She was convinced the first New York location was Union Square. Wrong! The brand was born in Boston, but its first New York home was 57 Spring Street. And it was magical. I’m still bummed that Fresh closed its US stores. I have incredible memories of shopping there and discovering so many favorites in person.
So yes, I had expectations. Here’s my straight-up review.
My loyalty started with the Soy Face Cleanser. It’s a foaming gel with notes of rose and cucumber. It lathers up, cleanses beautifully, and never leaves my skin feeling tight. I still recommend it as one of the better hydrating cleansers out there. Budget permitting, of course.
The new Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm sends every cleansing balm signal while insisting it’s something different. Is it? Not really. Hear me out.
What the Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm is about
Most cleansing balms fall into one of two camps. They’re either dense and waxy or scoopable like sherbet. This jelly cleansing balm sits outside both. It’s still a solid, but it’s softer and far more forgiving under your fingertips. It scoops and spreads with zero effort. Think Coke Zero to regular Coke. Same concept, lighter body.
Fresh calls it a jelly-to-oil-to-milk. That’s two out of three. It’s a jelly in the jar, and it melts into an oil the moment you massage it into dry skin. The milk part is where the marketing gets ahead of the formula. Add water and it barely clouds. There’s no milky transformation and not even a whisper of lather. It does, however, rinse off with surprisingly little fuss.
How to use the Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm in a double cleanse
Since this is a first for Fresh (pun fully intended), the Jelly Balm is step one of a double cleanse. Scoop it with dry hands, massage it over dry skin and eyes, then add water and keep working it before you rinse. When I take it off with a warm cloth, usually a disposable face towel, a toner on a cotton pad is all I need afterward. Rinsed off in the shower, it’s a different story. I can feel the faintest film left behind. It’s not greasy or slippery. It’s more like a thin, slightly occlusive moisture veil.
So you’ll want a water-based foaming cleanser as step two. I would love it if you read my roundup of best cleansers for dry skin since all would pair excellently with this formula. Do that and your skin feels fantastic. Or pair it with the original Soy Cleanser and you have a winning routine.
Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm ingredients, decoded
The base is not fancy. It’s built on light, fast-spreading esters and a branched hydrocarbon: isononyl isononanoate, isohexadecane, and ethylhexyl palmitate. They dissolve makeup and sunscreen efficiently and feel silky rather than greasy. Fresh calls this its oil-binding complex. The jelly texture comes from an oil gelling agent, polyglyceryl-10 behenate/eicosadioate. It thickens the oils and holds a small water phase in place.
Here’s the insider detail. This formula has no dedicated rinse-off emulsifier. That explains both the missing milk and the film you feel after a shower rinse. It’s less a flaw than a design choice. Just know what you’re buying.
The story ingredients are where Fresh plays to type. Hydrolyzed soy protein, the brand’s signature, leaves skin feeling soft and conditioned rather than stripped. Chlorella extract comes with clinical sebum claims from Fresh, but in a rinse-off it’s a supporting player at best. The real workhorse is bisabolol, a proven soothing ingredient used at a sensible level. The result is practical and a little indulgent, which is exactly what a first cleanse should be.
Let’s talk about the scent
The scent is a soft citrus, courtesy of bergamot and lemon peel oils. It’s subtle, and in a rinse-off I doubt it will bother most people. Still, it slightly disappoints me. I love the aroma of the best-selling Soy Cleanser, and I think the Jelly Balm should have carried that sensory signature over. Stepping off my soapbox now.
Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm review: the verdict
I like it a lot. Do I love it? Not quite. Will I use it? Absolutely. Past the jelly novelty, it’s a solid first cleanse that delivers. Like the Allies of Skin cleansing balm in a tube, it’s designed to hand off to a second cleanser, and it does its half of the job very well. If you want a balm that rinses off without a trace on its own, look elsewhere. If you double cleanse anyway, this one is a pleasure.
But since you’re here… and you’re still reading… definitely check out my post on the Ole Henriksen B5 Boost Solid Cleanser which may be of interest to you. I love it.
$42 / 100ml at fresh.com, sephora.com as well as spaceNK.com, boots.com or cultbeauty.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm good for sensitive skin?
Mostly, yes. Bisabolol helps calm skin, and rinse-off contact time is short. It does contain citrus peel oils and fragrance, though, so fragrance-reactive skin should patch test first.
Does the Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm remove waterproof mascara?
Fresh’s instrumental testing reports 96% makeup removal after one use, and that test includes waterproof mascara. The ester-heavy oil phase is built for exactly that job.
Do you need a second cleanser after the Fresh Soy Cleansing Jelly Balm?
Yes. It leaves a light film after a plain water rinse. A water-based foaming cleanser takes care of it.
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