Ah cleansing oils! Probably my favourite stage of my night time skin care routine. It signifies the end of a long day and the begin of sweet slumber~ (how poetic!)
Cleansing oils in general have been a bit of an obsession for me since discovering them a few years ago. I tend to have a range of brands in my stash at any one time. I enjoy rotating through them just to see if there is a difference and I thought I would give 5 mini reviews / comparisons between the 5 you see pictured above. Please note the prices are what I personally paid / found, but they can vary depending where you go.
General Comments
All cleansing oils listed below did what they were suppose to do well, they did a fantastic job at cleansing my skin, that includes removing any heavy makeup I was wearing. Think Book of Fables mask like makeup, and each of these did the job perfectly (though I’d recommend double cleansing if you were planning to go to bed soon). So each of my comments below will focus on other aspects.
Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Cleansing Oil *
One of Shu Uemura’s signature products is their cleansing oil range, they have a number of different choices to suit a variety of skin types. This particular type is best for dry skin, which I suffer from so it was perfect. I love how thick the oil was here because I felt like it gave better coverage for less. Not to mention, it wasn’t harsh on my eyes if some accidentally got in.
At 450ml, you can purchase this online for $131AUD
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
Another lovely thick cleansing oil, it worked wonderfully and left my skin feeling amazing but it did have a tendency to sting my eyes if any got in. Not a pleasant experience, left my eyes appearing a little red after my shower.
At 200ml, you can purchase this online for $37AUD
Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Oil
Always had good experiences with Clinique cleansers and this was no different, it was a little on the thinner side. I felt like 3-4 pumps was enough to cover my entire face (full face of makeup), it did sting a little on the eyes, but generally not as bad as DHC.
At 200ml, you can purchase this online for $45AUD
SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil
This felt like luxury in a bottle, it actually felt a bit like the Shu Uemura cleansing oil, it was very thick so only 2 pumps is needed, maybe 3 if you have a lot of makeup. Very gentle on my eyes, great experience overall.
At 250ml, you can purchase this online for $70AUD
Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil
Despite Shu Uemura’s fame in the cleansing oil market, Bobbi Brown’s was actually the first I’ve ever tried. I love that this doesn’t have any notable smell and works a treat, but I wish the formula was a little thicker because it does run on the thin side so I feel like I need around 5 pumps to do a good job, which just isn’t very economical. Does sting the eyes a tiny bit, but again nothing like DHC.
At 200ml, you can purchase this online for $60AUD
Final Verdict
For me, I’m willing to spend a bit more for good skin care that leaves me in a good mood and makes me happy. So if I had to choose, I’d go either with SK-II or Shu Uemura, both was equally as lovely and are sold at a similar price point. Unfortunately yes at the more expensive end, it takes me about 2-3 months to get through a 200ml bottle, and that’s with everyday use so these bottles do last a very long time.
I will note that I’ve also tried MAC’s Cleansing Oil and NARS, I wasn’t a fan of either. While both did a great job at cleansing my skin, they both smelt strange to me, wasn’t a fan.
Products marked with a * were provided for consideration.
My pet hate is that all cleansers/make up removers has to be sting free for the eye area. Why bother creating cleansers that stings the eyes? Gotta try that SK-II one next!
Totally agreed!! I want to try the one from La Mer!
Holy – I haven’t even finished my first 450ml SU bottle in over a year. Admittedly, I only use it 3-4x a week… Do you use this even if you haven’t worn makeup?
Wow! Yeah, I use it every single day which includes days I don’t wear makeup. Admittedly I use only one pump if I haven’t worn makeup, and then I always use another cleanser in the shower afterwards.
I’ve used Dermalogica pre cleanse for years .. it’s expensive, about $36 USD but it’s good and doesn’t sting my eyes.
Monica.
Great recommendation thanks!
I need to try the Shu Uemura oil. Everyone’s been raving about it, but it’s so hard to get here. Not many shops carry this brand.
Aww! yeah I don’t imagine it being very available in europe 🙁 Hopefully you find a bottle to try 🙂
I can also vouch for the Dermalogica Pre-Cleanse, I love everything about it, the smell, how effective it is… I’m using the Moogoo Combo Oil Cleanser as my night time cleanse at the moment, and while I’m enjoying it, I’m kind of half waiting for it to run out so I can get back to my beloved Emma Hardie cleansing balm, it’s the bomb!
oooh! I’ve heard lots of bloggers mentions Emma Hardie! I need to try it out! I can relate on trying to finish stuff asap so I can move on to something I love more 😀
I’ve been curious to try the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, especially as it seems relatively affordable, but that’s too bad it stings the eyes if it gets in. Guess I’ll have to stick with the Shu if I’m ever considering buying a cleansing oil.
Yes, I really do recommend the Shu 🙂 If you don’t wear too much makeup, you can probably get the bottle to last a lot longer than me 😀