I’ve heard negative things about this balm but still wanted to give it a try for myself since I was able to get it half off for only $5. I never even knew what the texture looked like before I bought it, but it basically comes out like thick petroleum jelly. Theres no artificial fragrance in the formula but it does have a scent, probably from the Oat kernal oil.
I like that this actually emulsifies. By looking at the texture I expected this to be sticky and impossible to remove with my water based cleanser but it does emulsify into that milky white texture. It can feel a little heavy film remains on the skin if you dont double cleanse, so I prefer to use this before I hop in the shower.
Another cool thing, this balm has instructions that state you can use this as a 10 minute calming mask!
1. I know for a fact this doesn’t properly remove makeup. I watched a YouTube video in which several cleansing balms were tested using a microscopic telescope to see which ones left behind the most residue, and this one performed the worst. I only use this to remove SPF for that reason, and I believe the double cleansing method is crucial using this product since we can’t actually see how clean our skin is on a microscopic level.
2. If you don’t shake this often and store it in a cool area, when you squeeze out the balm oil comes out sometimes. It seperates if you’re not careful but this hasnt been a major issue for me.
3. The balm is smooth although I can feel very tiny bits inside the formula, maybe oat? I haven’t really heard anyone talk about this but it irritates my eyes every time I’m done cleansing. They turn red and I have to go in with eye drops 😅
