Jenn

This cleansing balm is great for removing makeup and sunscreen at night if you follow up with a regular cleanser after. I used it this way for years and had no issues.

I recently tried using this as more of an oil cleanser where I...

This cleansing balm is great for removing makeup and sunscreen at night if you follow up with a regular cleanser after. I used it this way for years and had no issues.

I recently tried using this as more of an oil cleanser where I worked it into my skin and massaged for about 5 minutes. A lot of sebaceous filaments and dead skin cells came off and my skin felt super smooth! BUT - it ruined my protective skin barrier and my pores were then filled with the synthetic wax and other pore-cloggers present in the balm. I had severe irritation, itchiness, inflammatory acne, and bumps all over my face. It took months to get under control. I did always emulsify and follow up with a foam cleanser afterwards, but that didn’t matter. I think the pore-cloggers in the balm just had too much contact time with my skin.

TLDR: it’s better to use this as a gentle makeup remover rather than as an exfoliant for sebaceous filaments. Don’t massage it in for more than a minute or so and always follow up with another cleanser after.