Elemis Cleansing Balm to remove make up on Oily, Acne-prone Skin – full disappointing review

I recently decided to try a new makeup remover from my usual Body Shop camomile cleansing butter – Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm.

A nourishing cleansing balm that melts away makeup, daily pollutants and impurities for a soft and glowing complexion.

I’m extremely wary of new products like this, especially ones where reviewers describe them as ‘melts in your fingers’ as I have very oily skin, so the last thing my skin needs is more oil.

With a face full of makeup, I went in. I used about a large-pea sized amount then rubbed it together before gently rubbing it all over my face. I always start with my skin first, then move to the heavier makeup areas, such as my eyes. I don’t want to rub mascara all over my face if I scrubbed my eyes before my skin.

The smell is gorgeous – I’ve been to spas that use Elemis and it completely took me back to that calm, tranquil state. It’s a beautiful smell but not overpowering – I don’t like strong smells in face products.

How much does the Elemis balm cost?

I bought it from Elemis.com for £15 for 50ml. This price is £12 down from the usual £27 (yes I was ‘forced’ into purchasing by a tiktok video).

Is the balm cruelty-free and vegan?

Nope to both questions unfortunately, so I won’t be repurchasing.

Honest review?

I love it – really impressed. It took off my waterproof mascara and heavy foundation easily, left my skin feeling super smooth, smelling gorgeous, and the next day I didn’t notice a change in my skin’s oiliness or acne.

UPDATE 26 March 2023 – had to stop using the balm!

I originally bought this and started using it in October. In December on my holidays, my skin turned for the worst:

My skin turned sore and very spotty. This was on holiday. I did a lot of research and found out that I probably had (undiagnosed but 99% sure I’ve got it) fungal acne.

Ingredients – so much oil!

I won’t include the ingredients list (as it’s really long and will make my blog huge) but I’ve copied them into a website I’ve been using since December, called folliculitisscout.com. You copy and paste the ingredients into the website, and a checker tells you if any are bad for fungal acne. Find the full ingredients list here: https://uk.elemis.com/pro-collagen-cleansing-balm-50g.html

Elemis balm has 13 triggers of fungal acne. This is not good news. The below screenshot shows 13 ingredients are a trigger for fungal acne, starting with Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis on the left (in red).

I’m still using it on my eyes to get mascara off, but not putting it anywhere near my skin and it’s improved SO MUCH.

I’ve also started doing skin cycling which has helped my skin routine by simplifying the products I’m using, and restricting how often I’m using them.