Softymo Cleansers in Japan: Speedy, Deep, White or Cleansing Liquid?

I'm Irene, a Taiwanese-born, Japanese-licensed pharmacist working in a Japanese drugstore. Those colourful Softymo pumps look similar, but the most useful choice is how you want to remove makeup at the end of the day.

Start with the routine you want

Want a rinse-off remover that explicitly needs no separate face wash? Start with Speedy Oil or Speedy Liquid. Prefer an oil-free formula? Look at the blue Liquid bottle. Deep and White are different cleansing options, not automatic upgrades.

The comparison covers the four standard bottles listed by the Japanese manufacturer. Limited designs, refills and other Softymo ranges are separate choices. Shop stock and overseas formulas can differ.

Pink Speedy Oil: a simple end-of-day option

The shelf name is ソフティモ スピーディ クレンジングオイル. KOSÉ describes a quick-rinsing, smooth finish and removal of difficult mascara and pore plugs. Its formula starts with mineral oil and includes cleansing ingredients such as glyceryl isostearate PEG-8 and cetyl ethylhexanoate, alongside moisturising botanical oils.

This is the practical starting point if you already like an oil cleanser and want to skip an extra face-wash step. That is a routine-based recommendation, not a claim that it removes every mascara or suits every skin type.

Blue Speedy Liquid: a different feel, still a rinse-off product

Look for スピーディ クレンジングリキッド, not the similarly named foaming liquid. The manufacturer describes this oil-free version as fresh and watery-feeling after rinsing. Its ingredient list begins with water and DPG, includes PEG-based cleansing ingredients and ethanol, and uses botanical extracts rather than the oil blend in the pink bottle.

Oil-free does not mean alcohol-free or guaranteed irritation-free. If you dislike an oily cleansing format, this is the more relevant comparison than simply buying the strongest-sounding name.

Deep and White: what are they trying to clean?

Deep's Japanese name is ディープ クレンジングオイル. Its focus is makeup plus pore debris and roughness. The current formula includes mineral oil, rice-bran oil, sorbeth-30 tetraoleate and orange-peel oil. KOSÉ describes the finish as smooth. This is a cosmetic cleansing claim, not a treatment for acne or permanently enlarged pores.

White is ホワイト クレンジングオイル. Here, the brightening story is about washing away old surface skin cells, including those containing residual melanin. It is not a promise to bleach your natural skin colour or treat pigmentation. Its formula includes mineral oil, rice-bran oil, almond oil and orange oil. Neither the name nor the yellow bottle makes it a stronger choice for everyone.

The official pages explicitly give the no-additional-face-wash claim to the two Speedy products. They do not make that same statement for Deep or White. If avoiding a second cleanser is your deciding factor, choose a bottle that clearly says 洗顔不要 and read your purchased label.

How to use these four bottles

1. For Deep or White, start with dry hands. For Speedy Oil or Liquid, wet hands are allowed, but shake off excess water if your hands or face are very wet.
2. Dispense about 2–3 pumps into your palm and gently work the product into your makeup.
3. Rinse thoroughly with water or lukewarm water. All four require rinsing. 洗顔不要 means no separate face wash, not “leave it on”.
4. Follow your exact bottle's directions for the next step. For resistant eye makeup or sunscreen, also check that product's own removal instructions rather than rubbing harder.

If you would rather remove makeup with cotton pads, the Curél gel, oil and cleansing milk comparison explains the wipe-off and rinse-off options.

All four brand listings carry an eyelash-extension claim. Compatibility is not universal: the maker's published qualification refers to commonly used cyanoacrylate-based adhesive. Check with your lash provider if the adhesive is unknown, and avoid vigorous rubbing.

A few checks before buying

• Compare the Japanese product name, not only the bottle colour. A refill must match the bottle and formula you intend to use.
• Check the full ingredient list if you already know that particular oils, plant extracts or alcohol bother your skin. “Botanical” is not an allergy guarantee.
• Do not use on wounded, swollen, eczematous or otherwise abnormal skin. Stop if redness, swelling, itching, irritation or unusual colour changes occur; consult a dermatologist, including when the reaction follows sunlight exposure.
• If product enters your eyes, rinse promptly without rubbing. KOSÉ advises consulting an eye specialist as soon as possible, taking the product with you.
• Keep the container opening clean and store away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures and humidity.

For sunscreen-specific removal questions, see the ANESSA comparison. If you need to choose a separate face wash, the SENKA guide explains that different step.

My shopping shortcut: choose pink Speedy for an oil-based, no-extra-wash routine; blue Speedy for the oil-free alternative. Consider Deep or White only when their particular cleansing focus is what you want, and keep the bottle's own directions in charge.