little white truths

Verdict

This is a good product and I'm enjoying using it. The question is whether it's overtaken my Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (reviewed here) as my favourite oil/balm cleanser, and while I don't think it has, they're pretty close and this one's cheaper for those living in the UK. For us Australians they cost about the same.

It's a balm product that melts beautifully across the skin so a little goes a long way and this tube is lasting ages. Thankfully it also has a 24 month shelf-life, so if like me you tend to have too many cleansers open at once and/or often want to put something aside for a while so you can try something else, a longer shelf-life can only be a good thing.

The product has quite a strong, herbal scent: it smells quite tangy and ginger-like to me, and it definitely reminds me of some Aveda haircare I've tried. If you don't like the smell it may well bother you because it's quite strong, but I personally don't mind it.

I've tried this as a makeup remover and it does the job well so you could certainly use it for that purpose if you wanted to. However as mentioned above, I prefer to use budget makeup removers for that and opt to keep products like this for skin cleansing only.

Mostly I use this in the morning when I wake up. I whack it on and leave it there for as long as it takes to change nappies and give the kids breakfast, and it helps keep my dry skin comfortable until I have time to do my skincare routine. After it's been on for a while, I go in and apply water to emulsify it, then I massage it in before removing it with a damp face cloth.

One of the things I like about this product is that it's very easy to remove. Sometimes balm or oil cleansers take a bit of work to wash off so I tend to use them as a first cleanse before going in with something else, but you don't need to do that with this because it comes off the skin beautifully.

I also like that it leaves my face feeling soft, clean and hydrated - and indeed some days I'll use it in the evenings as well (after makeup removal) if my skin is feeling extra dry that day. I find that if I leave it on for a while before stepping into the shower, it operates as a kind of hydrating mask that targets any dryness and dehydration.

On the claims, I think I've generally covered those (it meets them) but note that I haven't tried this product for any of the alternative purposes mentioned (eg, as a body cream or pre-conditioning treatment for the hair): I've just used it as a cleanser/mask hybrid and I'll continue to do so because I don't want to waste it on other things.

All in all, this is lovely product and I recommend it. I'm also yet to see a bad review of this cleanser - presumably some exist because not every product can work for everyone - so it's safe to say that this is one of those rare products that most people really enjoy, and that's saying something.

Lovely.