Whether you’ve recently graduated from micellar water to cleansing balms to remove your make up or you’re a die-hard obsessive who can’t wait to kickstart their morning routine with a light first cleanse, this is the place for you.
In case you need a super quick recap on cleansing balms, here it is: cleansing balms are designed to easily remove make up and daily grime whilst helping balance the skin’s pH level and protect the skin’s natural moisture barrier. It’s the first – very important – step in your cleansing routine!
What’s so great about them? First and foremost, they’re often made with creamy, hydrating and luxurious butters and oils, making them the most nourishing and moisturising type of face wash (so they’re particularly ideal for those with dry or sensitive skin).
From the best balm cleansers that melt make up and sweep away impurities to the ultra-luxurious that bring the spa to your daily ritual, we’ve rounded up six of the very best cleansers worth your precious pounds. Scroll on for gentle and natural formulas that deserve a rightful spot in your skin care routine.
The Make Up Melter
The ultimate first cleanse, Then I Met You's Living Cleansing Balm is designed to be massaged into skin – make sure you pause to appreciate the sensorial notes of rosemary, persimmon and grapefruit – to easily melt away make up and oil-based impurities. It's crafted from a luxurious blend of lightweight plant oils including sea buckthorn oil (adored for its abundance of fatty acids); olive oil (a nourishing antioxidant that boasts anti-inflammatory properties and supports your skin barrier); and finally, grapeseed oil (an antioxidant-rich emollient that nourishes as it gently lifts impurities). Cue the round of applause.
SHOP ALL THEN I MET YOU >>>Smoothie in a Bottle
Using cold-pressed antioxidants (make sure you’re massaging the formula into skin for 30 seconds to reap their full rewards), this fresh, clean and herbaceous-smelling Youth To The People's Superfood Cleanser uses kale to pump skin with phytonutrients and vitamins C, E and K. Spinach soothes and cools while encouraging moisture retention, and green tea acts as an anti-inflammatory while keeping your skin barrier healthy with essential fatty acids. Think of it as a daily green juice for your complexion, feeding the skin with good-for-you ingredients.
SHOP ALL YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE >>>The Glow Getter
Glow Recipe's Papaya Sorbet Enzyme Cleansing Balm is a lightweight, skin-nourishing balm-to-foam that grips at oils, dirt and debris to sweep away every last trace of the day. Fruity and refreshing, the star is papaya – a rich source of dark spot-diminishing vitamin C and cell-stimulating vitamin A – which refines as it helps to restore uniformity. The mix of exfoliating and calming papaya seed oil, papaya enzymes, papaya extract, and antioxidant-packed blueberry leaves skin clean, bouncy, and glowing.
SHOP ALL GLOW RECIPE >>>A Spa in a Jar
Featuring the brand's iconic three-in-one formula (it transforms into three unique textures: a balm to nourish, oil to cleanse and milk to hydrate), ELEMIS' Pro-Collagen Green Gif Cleansing Balm goes one step further. It’s bursting with the fresh and warm aromas of earthy, wooden notes, paired with freshly picked raspberries, citrus-infused bergamot and creamy coconut. Carefully designed to trigger those overseas endorphins, this cleansing balm taps into the powerful nostalgia of a relaxing getaway. So, when you get to the end of a long, hard day, and your next sun-soaked trip feels like a lifetime away, just scoop, inhale, and let your mind soar.
SHOP ALL ELEMIS >>>Slaii The Day
Free from the suspicious six(the six ingredients the brand chooses to avoid including fragrances, dyes and essential oils), Drunk Elephant's Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser is infused with antioxidant-rich fruit extracts and oils to help soothe skin while an African oil blend of marula, baobab, Kalahari melon, mongongo and ximenia, intensely moisturises, restores elasticityand helps to recover your skin’s luminosity. Designed to be used on dry skin, itremoves excess oil, grime and make up.Use the accompanying Bamboo Booster – a physical exfoliant, formed from ultra-fine bamboo and charcoal spheres, once or twice a week to gently slough away build-up and dead skin cells to help reveal a dewy complexion.
SHOP ALL DRUNK ELEPHANT >>>Daily Green Clean
A beautiful aquamarine cleansing balm, FARMACY’s Green Clean is a nourishing, solid cleansing balm that melts into oil and eliminates impurities to leave your skin velvety smooth and contented. With moringa tree extract to neutralise dirt and pollutants, alongside sunflower and ginger root oils to deep-clean and condition, this gentle formula is suitable for all skin types – including dry, stressed-out or sensitised. Papaya extract has a natural skin-brightening effect (eradicating dulling dead skin cells), while an aromatic blend of lime, bergamot and orange essential oils works to revitalise a lacklustre complexion (and inspire a feeling of wellbeing).
SHOP ALL FARMACY >>>No matter which cleansing balm you add to your bathroom shelf, there’s no doubt you’ll reap the benefits. As an everyday cleansing treat, an invigorating facial massage or as a weekly soothing ritual, our collection won’t let you down...
SHOP ALL CLEANSING BALMS >>> 
