Also, if you are a longtime reader of this blog, then you know that I'm kind of obsessed with cleansing oils and I'm always excited to try new options. I was hoping that this one would be a better fit for me than the Garnier Cleansing Oil (click HERE for my review) and maybe even comparable to my Holy Grail cleansing oil by DHC (click HERE for my review). Oh and before I forget, I'll also be reviewing the new Eclos Cleansing Oil (by Freeman) so check back soon for that one, if you're curious about how it worked for me.
NOTE: If you're new to cleansing oils and you're not sure what they're all about, please take a look at my DHC Cleansing Oil review HERE. I go into detail in that review about cleansing oils in general and I explain why they're actually a great option for those of us with OILY SKIN (I know that seems counter-intuitive, but they're awesome for oily skin, as well and normal and dry skin).
So let's take a closer look at this one:
The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil
(retail: $18, 6.7 oz)
Again, you'll never have to pay $18 for this product as long as you're a little patient! The Body Shop frequently runs 40% off and 50% off sales on their skincare, and another sale is always right around the corner. If you wait for a sale, you'll only have to pay about $10 for it.
WARNING: This product comes in a basic pump bottle. My biggest complaint about using this product is the pump itself. It has a tendency to shoot the product straight out (instead of downward into the palm of my hand) and I've stained several of my pajama tops while dispensing this product. If you're not careful, it shoots straight out to your stomach if you're pumping the bottle on your bathroom counter. So you have to kind of cup the opening with your hand to ensure that the oil goes into your hand, and not your clothing. Consider yourself warned!
The directions are pretty basic and similar to many other cleansing oils. You massage this product onto DRY skin, and then add some water to your face to emulsify and rinse.
Ingredients: Glycine Soja Oil/Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil/Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil (Emollient), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (Emollient), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (Emollient), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Isohexadecane (Emollient/Solvent), Polysorbate 85 (Surfactant-Emulsifying), Sorbitan Trioleate (Surfactant-Emulsifying), Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil/Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Octyldodecanol (Emollient), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil (Fragrance/Essential Oil), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster).
Right off the bat, I like that this product doesn't contain mineral oil. I'm not generally one to shy away from products that contain mineral oil, but I personally don't care for cleansing oils that contain mineral oil because they don't rinse cleanly for me. I'm always left with a thin coating of oil on my face when I use cleansing oils that contain mineral oil and since I already have oily skin, that's a no-no for me personally. The other oils in this product don't tend to break me out (soybean, sweet almond, sunflower seed and sesame seed) so again, we're off to a good start here.
In terms of the formula, it's basically a thin, colorless oil that starts to run down your hand the minute you dispense it. The fragrance is quite lovely. I get hints of chamomile here, as well as a bit of a fruity note. Altogether, this cleansing oil smells quite "natural" as opposed to smelling like something synthetic. I would consider the fragrance level to be mild-to-medium. It's not a strong or overpowering scent by any means.
What I like: The scent is lovely, and I love how this product starts to break down my makeup (including multiple coats of mascara, waterproof liner, face primer, sunscreen and and long-wear foundation) the moment I start to massage it onto my face. This is probably my favorite thing about cleansing oils in general--I love that they "melt" your makeup off your face with minimal effort. I also love that, unlike the Garnier Cleansing Oil, this one rinses pretty easily after you emulsify it a bit with some water. I don't have to keep rinsing at my skin for several minutes--I can rinse once and I'm not left with oily residue on my face afterward. My skin feels quite soft and moisturized after rinsing, but not oily. Also, I have not experienced any breakouts while using this product (aside from my normal time-of-the-month breakouts).
What I don't like: This product doesn't remove all of my makeup the way that the DHC Cleansing Oil does. On light makeup days when I'm only wearing a BB cream, concealer, powder, blush and mascara, I don't have any issues with lingering makeup residue. However, when I'm wearing a full face of makeup (eye makeup, face primer and long-wear foundation) I've noticed that this cleansing oil never passes the "toner test". In other words, after I'm done rinsing, I will pat my face dry and then apply some toner to a cotton pad and apply that to my face. The goal, of course, it to see a completely clean pad after doing this. But whenever I use this cleansing oil to remove a full face of makeup, I find that there's quite a bit of foundation residue on my cotton pad. So it fails the toner test for me on full-makeup days. And for the record, I take my time with this product (as you should with all cleansing oils) and gently work this cleansing oil into every nook and cranny of my face. But it still doesn't quite seem to penetrate heavier makeup. I also think that this product leaves a bit too much moisture behind after rinsing, but that's because I have oily skin to begin with. And as I stated above, I don't like the pump for this bottle because it tends to shoot out and stain my clothes if I'm not careful.
FINAL VERDICT: After using this product for a few months now, I can tell you that I think this product would work best for those of you with normal-to-very-dry skin. It leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft and moisturized, but I have oily skin and it actually leaves my skin a bit too moisturized if I use it in the morning--it works best for me as a nighttime cleanser. If the DHC Cleansing Oil leaves your skin feeling too dry (a complaint I've heard from some of you with dry skin), this could be a very nice alternative. However, if you're looking for a product that you can use by itself to remove all of your makeup (even stubborn, long-wear makeup) this might not satisfy your needs. I think it works best if you have already removed most of your makeup with a towelette first, or if you tend to wear very light makeup in general. I like this cleansing oil but I don't love it. But that's only because it doesn't suit my own personal needs (I'm a one-product-only type of gal when it comes to cleansers). I DO love that it doesn't leave that oily coating on my skin like I've found with cleansing oils that contain mineral oil, but I really do think this one's best for those of you who don't have oily skin and generally don't wear a lot of makeup (or don't have issues with multiple steps when it comes to facial cleansing).
Do you already own the TBS Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil? If so, how is it working for YOU?
The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
I totally agree with you. It feels great, smells great, the pump is annoying, and it def does not remove all my makeup. Especially eye make up. But I also bought it when TBS had B3G3Free deal... so I can't complain about the product when I got it for so cheap!
ReplyDeleteI've been using a cleansing oil for over a year now and haven't looked back. In my experience, cleansing oils are fantastic because they really do break down all of my makeup in one step. They don't strip my skin of its own oil and leave me feeling slightly moisturized. Love them! Thanks for the great review, I will give this a try next time TBS has a sale. I do use the Garnier, which I know didn't work out for you. But I like it and it is a pretty affordable option, otherwise I use jojoba oil.
ReplyDeleteI'm a super huge fan of their other cleansing oil from the Shiso line. I happened to find one in stores and tried it out. I immediately bought a backup because I loved it so much. It removes all of my makeup and I like to use a bit of my regular cleanser to make sure my waterproof mascara is all gone.
ReplyDeleteI just know now that The Body Shop also has a cleansing oil in Camomile line. I'll check it out soon.
ReplyDeleteIf you put a little liquid dish soap on the oil stains before you wash your pajamas, the stains will come right out!
ReplyDeleteI am currently trying the Garnier cleansing oil. So far I like it. The only thing that it doesn't get off my face is the Benefit Their Real Mascara, but practically nothing gets that off without a little intense scrubbing. So far my adventure into the cleansing oils is a good one and when the Garnier is gone I may branch out to a more luxurious brand.
ReplyDeleteGreat review G., I am using Garnier right now and it does a good job for me. But didn't you say once there is a Palmer's facial cleansing oil on the market? I have been looking for that to try. I will be looking more thoroughly now that my Garnier is getting low!!! Thanks for the info on this and since there is not a Body Shop any where near where I live I won't be trying this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review - I really want to try this one now. I am currently using the Garnier, and I actually do like it. The pump on that one (and you may have mentioned this in your previous review) does the same - shoots straight out and is very runny and messy. My bottle also leaks from the pump and I have to keep a tissue under it on my counter; definitely couldn't travel with it. I love how it makes my skin feel though! (very dry skin) And it has helped a lot with my KP I have along my jawline, something nothing else has ever helped!
ReplyDeleteAs a cleansing oil fan, the Hada Labo one is worth a try too. I think it's really good value for the money. One pump does it all too. It has a good consistency that's easy to message in, emulsifies easily and rinses clean.
ReplyDeletei've had the same sort of issue with the pump shooting the product or leaking out with the garnier oil cleanser. and i just bought myself an empty soap pump dispenser, pour it in the new dispenser and problem solved! have you tried the sumptious cleansing butter? its the same concept except its solid at room temp and melts on contact. its wonderful for traveling!
ReplyDeleteI just started using this a few weeks ago. You are so right about the darn pump! lol
ReplyDeleteI don't wear heavy makeup and have normal/dry skin so I think it works great for my needs. However, I always wondered, do you need to wash your face with your regular face wash after this? It just doesn't feel right if I don't.
Cleansing OIL? Gah, no can do. I'll stick with my Aveeno cleanser.
ReplyDelete