Review: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil for Face

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If you're a longtime reader of this blog, then you know that I love cleansing oils, and I have reviewed several drugstore options over the last few years. So when I first posted about the new Palmer's cleansing oil back in September of last year, I just knew I had to get my hands on it eventually.

In March, I picked this up at my local Bed Bath & Beyond with an extended beauty department. You can also find it in-store at Kmart, in-store and online at Walgreens, in-store and online at Target, in-store at Walmart, and online at Drugstore.com. You can also get it on Amazon but I'm not even going to link to those options because they're double or even triple the price of other retailers.

Now that I've been testing this product for about three months, I'd love to share my thoughts with you!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil for Face 
retail: $6.50 - $9.99 depending on retailer; 6.5 oz.

When I bought my bottle at Bed Bath & Beyond, I distinctly remember that it was around $6.50 (BB&B always has competitive prices) but most retailers sell it for between $7.99 and $9.99.

Made in USA

• Dissolves dirt, oil and make-up
• For soft and brighter skin
• Ideal for all skin types

Gently deep cleanse skin with the power of Pure Cleansing Oils, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin C. Dissolves dirt, oil and make-up and rinses perfectly clean without stripping. Purifies complexion for clear, soft and brighter looking skin. Ideal for all skin types. Deep cleansing oil blend removes make-up & impurities. Gentle skin formula won't clog pores. 

Directions:
Apply morning and night to dry skin using damp hands. Massage gently into skin and emulsify with water. Close eyes to remove eye (area) makeup. Rinse clean with no residue. Once opened use within 24 months.

Ingredients: 

Glycine Soja Oil (Soybean), Laureth-7 Citrate, Laureth-4, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond), Sorbitan Oleate, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Oil, Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil (Sesame), Oryza Sativa Bran Oil (Rice), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate, Rosa Canina Seed Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil (Jojoba), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Butylphenyl Methylpropional

Standard pump applicator

Well this is the first and only cleansing oil I have ever owned that has Glycine Soja Oil (soybean oil) as the main ingredient, and after looking up the Paula's Choice rating on soybean oil (she gives it a "Best" rating) I'd say we're off to a good start.

This product does not contain any mineral oil. Many, many cleansing oils contain mineral oil as the first ingredient, which is cheap and effective, but sometimes it leaves a film on my skin that I can't stand. I'm not a big "double cleansing" person so I like a cleansing oil that can do it all--remove makeup and the day's dirt and grime, and leave my oily skin clean as a whistle without ANY residue. This is why my holy grail cleansing oil for years and years has been this one from DHC (main ingredient: olive oil). But in all fairness to mineral oil, my favorite drugstore cleansing oil for the past several months has been this one from Neutrogena (main ingredient: mineral oil). So for me, mineral oil CAN work with the proper formulation. Why am I rambling on about this? I don't know. I guess just to illustrate that I'm excited about a cleansing oil that contains a main ingredient I'm not used to (and one that is apparently very beneficial to skin).

If you are new to cleansing oils in general, let me just quickly repeat what I've said in past reviews. Generally, you can treat cleansing oils just like any other facial cleansers in your routine, except that you apply them to DRY skin, and you work them into your skin before you add any water. They instantly break down makeup, which is awesome, and a good cleansing oil will rinse away with water cleanly without leaving much (or any) oily residue behind. Cleansing oils are great for normal to dry skin, but they're ALSO great for oily skin. I know it seems counter-intuitive  to apply oil to oily skin, but it actually can HELP with skin's oil production. I have very oily skin, and if you do too, then you know that if you use a harsh cleanser that strips away all of your skin's oil, you sometimes get even MORE oily just a few hours later. That's your skin working overtime to produce the oil you stripped away. So using a good cleansing oil can actually help balance out your skin's oil production and leave you LESS oily. OK, lesson over and back to the review.

I have been using the Palmer's cleansing oil off and on for about three months now, and the verdict? I LOVE IT. It breaks down all of my makeup like buttah, even tough-to-remove mascaras. Some mascaras require a little extra (gentle) effort, but eventually, every mascara I tried with this cleanser broke down and I have never once been left with raccoon eyes. That's a MAJOR plus for me. Also, this easily removes my longwear foundations and concealers and also my primers. Basically it knocks them all out like a champ. I have done the "toner test" many times after using this cleansing oil, and I never find any lingering makeup on my cotton pad.

Rinsing is also great with this product. I have no issues with it leaving any residue behind--it rinses cleanly and perfectly every time. And after I dry my face, NO residue. My face just feels clean, but not dry or tight. It seriously isn't drying at all to me--not even a little bit--so I think it would work well for normal and dry skin as well. I also want to mention that this product has not irritated my skin or caused me any breakouts.

As for the fragrance, I think it's lovely. As stated on the bottle, this product has a "rosehip fragrance". If you're unfamiliar with rosehip, it's the fruit from a rose plant. Rosehips do not smell like roses (I've smelled pure rosehip oil before and it's sort of like a cross between olive oil and an earthy tea), but this cleansing oil does have a slight rose scent to it (probably due to the added fragrance). It's not straight roses though--the scent of this cleansing oil has an earthy quality to it, combined with the roses. It smells quite "natural" to me, and it's not a strong or heavy fragrance, nor is it irritating to my skin. I personally love it.

FINAL VERDICT: I have found my new favorite cleansing oil, and it's clawing its way to holy grail status by the day (sorry, DHC!). I haven't reached for any of my others since I purchased this one back in March, and I will absolutely repurchase. If you're still on the hunt for that perfect cleansing oil at an affordable price-point, I think this one is definitely worth considering, for all of the reasons I explained above.

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.