HOW TO SELECT
A CLEANSER
FOR DULL, DRY SKIN
If your skin is dull and dry, the right cleanser won't just remove impurities—it will actively replenish moisture, support your skin barrier, and leave your complexion brighter and more comfortable after every wash. OLEHENRIKSEN's Peach Glaze 2% Niacinamide Cleanser was formulated to deliver exactly this: In a 1-week clinical study on 33 people, 100% agreed it replenishes skin and does not strip essential moisture, while skin brightness improved significantly within just 8 hours.
Why Dull, Dry Skin Needs
a Different Kind of Cleanser
For some skin types, cleansing is a neutral act—you remove what doesn't belong, and skin resets to its baseline. For dull, dry skin, cleansing is higher stakes. A formula that's even slightly too harsh can disrupt an already-compromised moisture barrier, deepening dryness, amplifying dullness, and leaving skin more reactive than before.
This is why so many people with dry skin end up in a frustrating cycle. They reach for a brightening cleanser to address dullness, find it makes their skin feel tight and stripped, switch back to something bland and gentle that does nothing for radiance, and never quite find the formula that does both.
The solution isn't choosing between brightening and hydration—it's finding a formula that delivers both at the same time, through ingredients and chemistry that work in harmony with dry skin's specific needs.
What Dull, Dry Skin
Actually Needs From a Cleanser
Dull skin and dry skin are often treated as separate concerns, but in most cases they share a common root: a weakened or disrupted skin barrier. When the barrier isn't functioning optimally, skin loses moisture more readily, becomes more vulnerable to environmental stressors, and loses the plumpness and luminosity that register as a healthy glow.
A cleanser that's right for dull, dry skin needs to do three things well. It needs to cleanse without stripping the barrier further. It needs to replenish moisture actively, not just avoid removing it. And it needs to deliver brightening ingredients that address dullness without relying on harsh actives that could aggravate dryness or sensitivity.
That's a specific and demanding set of requirements, and it's why many cleansers fall short for this skin type.
How OLEHENRIKSEN Formulated for Dry, Dull Skin
Peach Glaze 2% Niacinamide Cleanser was built around the premise that clinical efficacy and skin comfort are not competing goals—they're the same goal. Every formulation decision, from surfactant selection to pH calibration to active ingredient choice, was made with barrier integrity as a non-negotiable.
Riva Barak, VP of Product Development at OLEHENRIKSEN, describes the core formulation philosophy: "There are a lot of cleansers where you feel like you have to then spend a lot of time replenishing your skin. This one cleanses without stripping and removing nourishment, and does that in a very unique, luxurious way."
The surfactants in the formula are coconut oil-derived, chosen specifically for their gentleness on skin that's prone to feeling stripped. "They are known to be better and more appropriate for people who really struggle with their skin feeling stripped and irritated," says Barak. "They treat the skin but build a really rich lather and give enhanced cleansing."
The formula is also calibrated to a specific pH range that supports the skin's natural acid mantle—the protective film that keeps moisture in and irritants out. "It was really important for us when developing this cleanser that we were marrying these ingredients that help support a healthy skin barrier through its pH range," Barak explains. "All of these factors ensure that this formula cleanses while also providing skincare benefits."
The Ingredients That Make It Work for Dull, Dry Skin
Three key ingredients work together to address the specific needs of dull, dry skin—brightening without disrupting, and replenishing without heaviness.
- 2% Niacinamide is the formula's primary brightening active, and it was chosen in part because of how well it works for skin that can't tolerate harsher brighteners. A form of Vitamin B3, niacinamide brightens skin, visibly reduces the appearance of pores, and improves skin tone and texture—through a mechanism that supports rather than disrupts the skin barrier.
- Custom-developed Peach Juice is a proprietary active developed specifically for OLEHENRIKSEN's Peach Glaze collection. Rich in antioxidants and a natural source of Vitamin C, it visibly plumps skin with juicy hydration while supporting a strong, healthy moisture barrier. "The peach juice in here is actually a custom ingredient that we developed," says Barak. "Peaches do have a natural source of vitamin C—it alone has brightening data behind it, so it brightens skin and it also supports a healthy skin barrier." For dry skin in particular, an ingredient that simultaneously brightens and supports the barrier is invaluable.
- Scandinavian Cloudberry Fruit Juice rounds out the formula with potent antioxidant protection and brightening support. Native to Scandinavia and central to OLEHENRIKSEN's Nordic heritage, cloudberry is one of nature's most antioxidant-dense ingredients. "It's super antioxidant-rich and has brightening abilities," says Barak. "It is really known as the super berry that naturally grows in Scandinavia and has these amazing properties." Antioxidants are particularly beneficial for dull skin, helping to neutralize the environmental stressors that accumulate on skin and contribute to a lackluster complexion.
What to Expect When You Use It
The experience starts immediately. The pearlescent gel-crème texture builds into a rich, plush lather that feels indulgent rather than functional—a sensorial quality that Barak calls essential to the OLE philosophy. "It looks like peach, it smells like peach, it has this luxurious experience, plus it has this light, pearlescent quality built into it. It has this glossy glow to it."
After rinsing, skin feels soft, comfortable, and balanced—not tight, not dry, not in need of immediate rescue by a moisturizer. That post-wash comfort is itself a meaningful signal, it means the barrier is intact and the skin is ready to absorb the actives that follow.
In a 1-week clinical study on 33 people, the results were consistent and significant:
- 100% had instant hydration after one use
- 100% agreed it does not strip skin of essential moisture
- 100% agreed it leaves skin soft
- 94% agreed it replenishes skin with juicy hydration
- Skin brightness significantly improved within 8 hours
- Skin tone and texture improved after 1 week
For dull, dry skin, Peach Glaze Cleanser works best as the foundation of a layered brightening and hydration routine. Use it morning and night as step one, then follow with Peach Glaze Niacinamide Serum to layer on additional brightening and plumping. Lock everything in with a moisturizer suited to your skin's hydration needs, and finish your morning routine with SPF.
Throughout the day, Peach Glaze Glow Mist offers a refreshing boost of hydration and luminosity between washes—keeping the glow going from morning to night. The full Peach Glaze collection is designed around a single idea: a glazed glow in every step, for skin that looks and feels replenished all day long.