Step 1 of 6 · reset

pHase: Daily Reset

Name: pHase: Daily Reset, pH-Balanced Gel Cleanser
SKU: phase-daily-reset
Price: 24 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (33 reviews)

pH-Balanced Gel Cleanser · 100 mL / 3.38 fl oz

Clean skin without stripping.

The reset step that respects your barrier.

When: Morning and night
Key actives: 1% PHA1% Niacinamide
How to use: 1Apply to damp skin and gently massage
2Rinse thoroughly
What to expect. Skin feels clean and comfortable, not tight.
Ideal for: Routines that layer actives
Also works for: Morning-only cleansing, or the second step of a double cleanse
Warnings: For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. If contact occurs, rinse immediately with water. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

Next step Dew De La Soil, step 2 →

Where it sits

pHase on the pH scale.

Close to skin’s own pH, and far from the alkaline wash that leaves skin tight.

Healthy skinpH 4.5–5.5
pHasepH 5.5–6.5
Traditional bar soappH 8.5–11

More acidicMore alkaline

Skin and soap ranges: Hawkins et al., Int J Cosmet Sci 2021, and an alkaline soap vs syndet barrier study.

The idea

That tight, squeaky-clean feeling isn't actually clean.

pHase is a pH-balanced, gentle cleanser with 1% Niacinamide, 1% PHA and an NMF Complex that stays behind after the rinse to help skin hold moisture.

pHase: Daily Reset

What is in it, at what strength.

Percentages shown for the actives doing the work. Everything else is named in the full list, under Details.

1%NiacinamideEvens the look of tone, calms visible redness.
1%PHA (Gluconolactone)A very light touch of smoothing, over time.
Cacay OilReplenishes moisture, calms irritation.

FAQs

Why does my skin feel tight after washing?Tightness after cleansing usually means the wash stripped the lipids your skin uses to hold water. It is a sign of a cleanser that's too harsh, not of skin that's clean.

Skin sits at a mildly acidic pH, roughly 4.5 to 5.5. Traditional soaps run between 8.5 and 11, and cleansers on the market range from 3.8 to 11. Alkaline washes disturb the lipid structure in the outer layer, raise transepidermal water loss, and leave the surface pH elevated for hours. That's the tightness. A cleanser formulated near the skin's own pH, with mild non-soap surfactants, removes oil and sunscreen without pulling out the lipids that keep the barrier intact. pHase is formulated at pH 5.5 to 6.5.

Source: Hawkins et al., Int J Cosmet Sci 2021 (L038); Alkaline soap vs syndet barrier study (L039). Consumer basis: A040, A042, A044.

Read the full answer in the Journal →

Is a gentle cleanser enough if I have acne?Yes, and it may help. Acne-prone skin has a weaker barrier and fewer ceramides than average, and stripping cleansers make that worse.

In a double-blind study of people on prescription acne treatment, adding a gentle ceramide cleanser and moisturizer kept barrier loss lower and cut dryness and redness, and inflammatory breakouts were lower too. Harsh washes feel like they're doing more. What they're doing is inflaming skin that's already inflamed. Treat active breakouts with the right active, not with the cleanser.

Source: Ceramide adjunct study, JDD 2023 (L035); Tempark et al., J Cosmet Dermatol 2024 (L036). Consumer basis: A046, A057.

Read the full answer in the Journal →

Do I need to double cleanse?Only if you wear heavy makeup or mineral sunscreen that one wash doesn't remove. For most people, pHase morning and night is enough.

More cleansing is one of the most common paths to a damaged barrier in the accounts we studied. If your skin feels tight, stings when you apply moisturizer, or has started producing more oil, the cleanser is doing too much, not too little.

Consumer basis: A040–A048; barrier symptom vocabulary A043.

Read the full answer in the Journal →

Who is pHase not for?Anyone who needs a wash that removes waterproof makeup in one pass, and anyone with an active eczema flare on the face, who should follow their clinician's cleansing advice.

Reviews

What people using pHase: Daily Reset actually say.

4.5 out of 5 from 33 reviews. Reviewers received free product through our 2025 sampling program.

Next · step 2

Dew De La Soil

Refines without disrupting the skin barrier.

Continue the sequence