It's not overly common to find cleansing balms on drugstore shelves. Whilst cleansing oils have made it into some of the more affordable lines (though watch the ingredient list - many of them seem to have pore closing mineral oil as a first ingredient) balms are still a ways behind it seems. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the new Biotherm Biosource Balm to Oil Deep Cleanser and Makeup Remover! Naturally I had to put it to the test and see if it rivalled my other favourite balms! Keep reading for my review to see how this clocks in compared to my favourite bargain buy, and my have luxury cleanser.
Biotherm's Balm to Oil is very similar in texture to my all time favourite Camomile Cleansing Butter from The Body Shop - an almost coconut oil texture that melts almost on contact and then turns to a milky when you massage it in with a touch of water. I'd say Biotherms actually melts a little faster than The Body Shop's, and has a silkier oil texture to it and cuts through waterproof mascara just as well. At $32 CND, it is twice the price of the Camomile Cleansing Butter, but there is also double the amount of product, and since The Body Shop offering is regularly sold out, I'm thrilled to find something so comparable at the drugstore.
Unlike many cleansing balms (I'm looking at you Clinique…) this does't leave a nasty haze in my eyes that seems to last hours (or in some cases the next day, yikes!) nor does it leave a filmy residue on my skin. Some warm water on a washcloth and it comes off totally clean, though I always double cleanse with a milk/cream cleanser after anyways.
Compared to another cleansing balm I hold in high regard, Emma Hardie's Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, this has a more solid texture in the pot, yet melts with more 'slip' on the skin. Plus it has an almost undetectable 'clean' scent unlike Hardie's which smells of dead flowers to me but I personally look past because it does its job so well!
I'm thrilled I found this little gem, and the cost/amount makes it completely affordable in my books. Plus a little goes a long way (a dime sized amount removes all my makeup including waterproof eyes). I'm hoping more pharmacy brands putting out cleansing balms in the future, but bravo to Biotherm for doing it right!
What is your favourite balm cleanser?
