Good Molecules Cleansing Balm review

Cleansing balms: you either love them or you hate them. Often if they work well enough to take off your makeup, they can leave a greasy layer on your face which feels very unpleasant. If they do not work well enough they leave you with stinging eyes as your mascara remnants run into your eyes, which leaves you touching around for a towel like a blind person. In short, most cleansing balms I tried were very unsuccessful. That is, until I tried the Good Molecules Instant Cleansing Balm. This does everything I think a good cleansing balm should do.

Skincare Review: Good Molecules Instant Cleansing Balm

Good Molecules is a US skincare brand that is available through Beautylish. This US retailer of more exclusive and high end brands ships internationally, but this brand is one that is very affordable. In fact, they are the main competitors in terms of price point of The Ordinary, which is one of my favorite skincare brands. This retails for $15 and it promises to take off your makeup without leaving a greasy residue. I was sent this in PR as the company reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try their products. They didn’t require me to post anything with their products, but since I am loving this so much I know I have to write about it.

What does this cleansing balm promise to do?

This is a cleansing balm. If you don’t know what that is: it is a cleanser that comes in a solid form but when rubbed onto the skin or when adding water, it melts and can be used to take off makeup. There are a few infamous ones and I used a few in the past back when cleansing balms became a bit of a hype. However, those all left a greasy layer on my skin which felt very unpleasant. One of the ones I tried and loved for years was Lush’ Ultrabland, but that still left my skin feel too greasy, leading me to only use it in the winter time before I could use up a tub. In the case of Lush that means you can throw things away as usually their products last for about 6 months.

This balm with sea buckthorn oil, camelia oil an shea butter promises to take off your makeup but without the greasy residue while still nourishing your skin. I know, it sounds too good to be true. The name Instant Cleansing Balm suggests that this is easy to use and doesn’t require any unnecessary scrubbing. And that is great, because my sensitive skin doesn’t like rubbing of any kind, which is why I have to be very careful with the cleanser I decide to use. Additionally I have a drier skin type which means that it can use all the nourishment it can get. So I am game when a product promises to not strip the skin while still do a good job cleansing.

How to use cleansing balm

I love how this cleansing balm comes with a little cover and a little spatula. That makes this super easy to use. You just scoop up a bit of product, blend it together in your hands and then rub it all over my skin. I rub this onto my eyes and lashes as well, but not all cleansers are eye safe so you may want to be careful if you wear contacts for instance. With most cleansing balms you first need to loosen up the product before you can rub it over your skin, but not with this one. This is one that melts on contact which means it is super easy to use. After rubbing it all over my face, I go in with some splashes of water to make sure the cleanser can really do its job. I then take a face cloth (a muslin cloth in my case, found mine in the baby section) to take off all the makeup.

What makes this cleansing balm so special?

To be honest? The fact that is so easy to use. I mostly used micellar cleansing waters to remove my makeup for years as it meant ease of use, less rubbing on my skin and nothing that was too aggressive or greasy. I mostly found any solid or cream cleanser that required water to be too messy as well as too stripping. Every single cleanser I used that was meant for actual cleansing purposes made my skin feel tight and stripped. This does not. It is the first cleanser that I have tried that does not do that, yet still takes off all my make. Yes, also that waterproof mascara.

To me, that makes this close to a miracle product. This works on my dry, dehydrated sensitive skin as it doesn’t strip my face, but it also takes off all the makeup. It feels pleasant, has a nice neutral smell (this is not overly fragrant) and is easy to use. Where before I used 4 cotton rounds and three different products to cleanse my skin at night, I now use one and a muslin cloth. That is not only much more economic in use, it is also much better for the environment as muslin cloths can be reused while cotton rounds just go into the bin and I needed too many. I used 2 for my eyes and then 1 for my cleanser and then another for my cleansing water to finish it off and make sure all the makeup is gone. With this, that is no longer necessary.

Why do I like this cleansing balm so much?

It is not often that I find a product, be it makeup or skincare that I feel revolutionizes my routine. With this I feel I did. This is quick, easy, less harmful to my skin and it cuts back my skincare routine by minutes and products. It is not super expensive while it gets the job done better than much more expensive cleansers I have tried. Additionally, this is a product that lasts a good while. I have been using this product once a day for months now and I still have about half a tub left. You don’t need much in order to get this product to work. I am most definitely looking into repurchasing this when it runs out.

Would I recommend the Good Molecules Instant Cleansing Balm?

Oh yes I would! This is a product that has really made a positive change in my life. I like using it, while I usually think taking off my makeup is a bit of chore. It just makes light work of taking off my makeup and is a great product with my skin. I am glad I got to try this and if you are looking for an easy to use cleanser that takes off your makeup, even when you’re wearing a full on glam look but doesn’t leave your skin feeling like it was sanded down with a cheese grater, then this is one of the best cleansers I have ever tried.

What is your favorite cleansing balm?