REVIEW: The Face Shop Cleansing Oil Balm

Cleansing oil balms have been all the rage lately, and I've been trying to decide if they are more effective than regular liquid oil cleansers.  I decided to test the efficacy of beauty balms versus my regular oil cleansers that just come out of a pump. The one I'm reviewing here is from The Face Shop and its star selling point is "seed fermentation" and "seed oil" and is recommended for all skin types. A balm cleansing cream, this product uses highly concentrated seed oils to remove and melt makeup off and out of your pores while simultaneously providing moisture.  

The packaging is simple, aesthetically pleasing, and in one of my favourite colours, purple! :o)  There's quite a large amount of the balm inside at 100 ml per container, so I expect that this will last me at least 2-3 months with daily use.  Users will only need about a quarter sized amount to fully remove their makeup.  

Notable ingredients:

Chickweed seed oil, sweet almond oil, mistletoe leaf extract, barley seed fermented filtrate, soapberry peel extract, bean fermented extract, imperata extract, calendula flower oil, barley seed oil, rosemary leaf oil, chamomile flower oil, lavender oil, rose oil. 

Full Ingredient List:

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Polyethylene, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ceresin, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Oil, Borago Officinalis (Borage) Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Rose Flower Oil, Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Leaf Extract , Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Fragrance

The balm itself has a natural scent and I want to say it reminds me of a herb-ish Vaseline or a petroleum based moisturizer.  It's nice to see such a natural formulation free from synthetic chemicals.  The primary ingredient, chickweed seed oil, has been used in Chinese medicine quite extensively to treat wounds, itchy and sore skin conditions, acne, psoriasis, eczema, and other minor skin problems.  The seed oil works well as an emollient for the skin and is gentle enough to be used on sensitive skin.  It contains Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, and potassium. Vitamin B complex contains the 8 essential vitamin Bs.  Vitamin B3 (aka Niacin) has been studied in clinical dermatology with findings that suggest it assists in treating and improving rosacia, acne, eczema, dermatitis, sun damage, aging, dry skin, and hyper pigmentation.  Another real beneficial part of the chickweed seed oil is its Vitamin C, which has anti-oxidant properties.  It also has a small molecular weight, so it is easily absorbed into the skin's epidermis.  Vitamin C (sometimes listed as ascorbic acid or other derivatives) has several benefits, including photoprotection, reduction of photodamage, and healing effects on wounds and acne.  

Another very beneficial ingredient in this list, something that I was a bit surprised to see, was barley seed fermented filtrate (a particular strain of yeast in the Saccharomyces family) and bean fermented extract.  Both ingredients reduce oxidative stress and improve skin conditions.  Other plant oils, such as rosemary and lavender, round up this nicely formulated cleansing balm. 

The balm itself looks like this! 

When testing this balm's efficacy, I used it under two conditions: 1) without makeup remover beforehand; and, 2) with makeup remover.  What I found under the first condition was that the balm failed to remove all traces of my foundation and setting powder from my skin, particularly around creases like the nose area. Under the second testing condition, I used a cotton swab to remove my makeup with a makeup remover first, then I applied the cleansing oil balm to my face. In this second test, all the makeup from my face was completely removed.  From these tests, I can say that this is not 100% effective in removing heavy makeup from your skin and I'd advise users to combine it with a makeup remover on a soft, cotton swab beforehand, or that you clean your face thoroughly with a regular cleanser after this balm.  Don't rely on this balm alone or you might get pesky pimples and blackheads from left over makeup sitting on your skin! 

This balm hasn't caused me to break out yet either, despite my combination skin type that's susceptible to comedones and cystic acne.  So that's another plus for this product. It's also very well priced and you get a good amount of the balm too! However, it is unlikely that this balm will become my permanent oil cleanser largely because I still prefer the simplicity of my regular oil cleanser in a pump format.  I find that the cleansing balm requires extra steps (i.e. screwing and unscrewing the lid, scooping out the balm with my fingers) that a simple oil cleanser in a pump bottle avoids.  

	Efficacy	Price	Formulation	Design	Total
The Face Shop Cleansing Oil Balm	3.75/5	5/5	4.5/5	4.25/5	17.5/20

You can purchase this product from the following trusted, online retailers:

http://en.koreadepart.com/item/1384924879/the-face-shop-seed-fermentation-cleansing-oil-balm - $12.10 USD 

http://www.roseroseshop.com/en/30-sale/280522--the-face-shop-seed-fermentation-cleansing-oil-balm-100ml.html - $10.95 USD (currently on sale from $15.65, a 30% savings!)