What it is: An oil-based cream skin cleanser and makeup remover that can be used alone or as part of a double cleanse system. It is meant to be removed with a DRY cotton pad or cloth, not with water. A gel cleanser can be used as a second step, if needed, after first removing the cream cleanser. 

Price/Quantity: $14.99 for 4 fl oz

Availability: Cerave, Ulta, Amazon

Packaging: Squeeze tube with flip-open cap that cannot be twisted off. It arrived with a plastic seal over the cap. I noticed after a few uses, extra product gathered around the opening and would fly onto nearby surfaces as I closed the lid. Make sure to clean this off before closing it!

Smell/Fragrance: It is fragrance free but has the type of scent that “unscented” moisturizers often have.

Expiration/Shelf Life: I cannot find any indication on the packaging as to what the shelf life is for this product. 

Ingredients (from cerave.com):

AQUA / WATER / EAU • GLYCERIN • ISOPROPYL PALMITATE • C15-19 ALKANE • COCO-CAPRYLATE/CAPRATE • POLYGLYCERYL-2 ISOSTEARATE/DIMER DILINOLEATE COPOLYMER • SQUALANE • CERAMIDE NP • CERAMIDE AP • CERAMIDE EOP • CARBOMER • TRIETHYL CITRATE • SODIUM CHLORIDE • SODIUM CITRATE • SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE • CHOLESTEROL • PIROCTONE OLAMINE • HYDROXYACETOPHENONE • CITRIC ACID • TETRASODIUM GLUTAMATE DIACETATE • CAPRYLYL GLYCOL • PHYTOSPHINGOSINE • XANTHAN GUM • POLYGLYCERYL-6 POLYRICINOLEATE • BENZOIC ACID

Performance

I’ve tried this a couple of times after wearing a full face of makeup. I didn’t pay that much attention to the directions that it should be removed with a dry cotton pad or cloth until I actually went to use it. This method worked fine for removing the vast majority of my makeup but it struggled more with a waterproof brow product I was using and my mascara. It did break both of them down somewhat but required more effort. I was unable to fully remove my mascara even with a second pass and later washing with a gel cleanser. Typically, I use Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes to remove mascara and 99% of the time they remove it completely. 

Out of curiosity, I tried this another time but ignored the directions to use a dry cloth and instead went in directly with water and cleanser. I do not recommend this LOL. It becomes WAY more oily once it comes in contact with water. A gel cleanser does remove it, but it’s definitely not the way to go.

The texture of this is like a thick gel-cream. It spreads over the skin super easily and it “transforms” only a little into a slightly more liquidy gel cream but I wouldn’t say it ever becomes truly watery. Once I wipe it off, it leaves the skin feeling like it’s lightly coated in a non-greasy moisturizer. 

I don’t think I’ll use this too often on most days I wear makeup mainly for the fact that it’s not as effective as I like on mascara and I almost never skip mascara. It works perfectly fine on foundation/powder/blush/etc. and I could see myself gravitating toward this on no-makeup days as a gentle cleanser alternative, especially in the winter when my skin tends to be extra dry/dehydrated. I think it’s fine as a gentle cleanser but doesn’t work that well as makeup remover for me. 

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

• Felt gentle and non-drying.
• It didn’t leave a greasy residue as long as I used a dry cotton pad to remove it.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

• Wasn’t super effective at removing all of my mascara.
• Felt oily/heavy when it came in contact with water.

Worth Buying?

No. It wasn’t what I thought it was. I was hoping for something more like a cleansing balm and this just doesn’t work that way. If I had a true dry skin type, and wore only light makeup without any mascara, I could see this being fine for gentle cleansing. It might be a good fit for the right person. My skin type and preferences just don’t align well with it.