THE BEST CLEANSING BALMS FOR DRY SKIN, OILY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN - DRUNK ELEPHANT SLAAI, BANILA CLEAN IT ZERO AND AYOND CLEANSING BALM
Another phenomenally productive week is in the bag! I’m definitely firing on all cylinders now. And it feels great. It’s invigorating and just the sort of rejuvenating energy that I’d been longing for.
And even better news is that the migraines are definitely not firing on all cylinders now!
In the last week, I had only one shitty day with a level five migraine on Wednesday. (That’s a five on a pain level from one to ten.) The rest of the week, I felt some discomfort but no significant pain. Yeah, that’s what we call serious progress!
And, interestingly, I was just prescribed a new non-medical treatment. It’s an iPhone activated arm-band that sends electronic pulses up your arm to the back of your brain. The Nerivio device targets the exact point where the pain receptors fire up a migraine. This wildly futuristic, medicine-free pain technology was named one of the 100 best inventions of 2019 by Time Magazine.
I’m anxiously awaiting the shipment’s arrival. For me, it means fewer meds. Migraine meds either make me sluggish, nauseous or both. There are days where I ask myself if I can bear the pain rather than the queasiness and brain fog the drugs cause. Sometimes it’s literally easier to think with the migraine pain than it is with a clouded mind. How crazy is that?
I headed back up to CT this past weekend, this time to see my father and his brother and sister — my Aunt Theresa and Uncle Junie. We met up in New Haven at one of the three iconic pizzerias, all of which were founded in the early twentieth century. We had lunch at Modern Apizza, first opened in 1934. One of the coolest features of the restaurant is the original menu painted high up on the wall. A large cheese pie was just $2.25…
All in all a wonderful week. And when it ends with an iconic pizza pie, you wonder how it could get any better!
The skincare stuff starts here.
I’d been thinking last week about skincare products that are really getting me excited lately. And I featured three of them last selfcare Sunday in a wonderful ritual I referred to as “My Selfcare Sunday Obsessions.”
The video highlighted a jar of glycolic acid wipes from clean men’s brand SELF/ish; a nourishing toning mist from niche K-beauty brand Sioris; and an otherworldly cleansing balm from new natural brand, Ayond.
The Ayond Metamorph Cleansing Balm, in particular, got me quite amped up! And it got me almost, but not quite, looking forward to the colder months ahead here in NYC, where the air dries out my skin like mad. I’m never excited about the cold; but one of my cold-weather pleasures is a really rich, restorative, non-stripping cleansing balm! And the Ayond formula is pure heaven.
But it’s not the only cleansing balm I’m smitten over. There are actually three others that I love — although Ayond’s Metamorph is hands down my favorite. Among the cleansing balms that give me some relief washing my face in the cold are the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser, The Inkey List’s Oat Cleansing Balm and Banila’s iconic Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm — the first one I ever used, and considered among the best cleansing balms by its global fan base.
Let’s have a look at what makes each of them special and, well, winter-worthy…
Drunk Elephant | Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser - the best cleansing balm for all skin types
Drunk Elephant kills it with everything they introduce — at least for me. The clean skincare brand recently introduced a wonderful cleansing water, the Drunk Elephant E-Rase Milki Micellar Water. I copped myself a bottle the day it came out and reviewed it over the summer in a blog article titled, New Cleansers that Get Me Excited to Wash My Face. If you didn’t catch my review of the E-Rase Milki Micellar Water, you can find it here.
One reason I was so excited about the new Drunk Elephant micellar cleanser is because I’m a big fan of the brand’s cleansing balm, the oddly named Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser. I guess the name is very Drunk Elephant, but it’s still weird to me nonetheless!
As expected, the Slaai cleansing balm is a thick, rich and luxuriously buttery treatment that smells like olive oil — though actually there’s no olive oil in it. There is, however, a plant oil mélange that Drunk Elephant refers to as a Nourishing Oil Blend.
This replenishing complex of non-fragrant plant oils comprises Safflower Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Açai Fruit Oil and, of course, the brand’s beloved Marula Oil. All of these combine with multiple antioxidant botanical extracts for a wonderfully soothing cleansing experience.
But perhaps what I love most about the Slaai cleansing balm is something that’s not actually in the formula itself. Slaai comes with this small tube of Bamboo and Charcoal Powder. It’s so delightful and gives you the option of turning the super gentle Slaai cleansing experience into a bit of an exfoliating treatment.
I gotta say, whoever thought of that is a genius. There aren’t many exfoliating cleansing balms out there. In fact, I know of nary a single one. So the option to add a smidgen of gentle exfoliating grains to the balm is super cool.
As cool as it is, though, I have to admit I rarely use the exfoliating powder blend. It’s kind of like having a pool in your apartment complex. Nice to have, but how often do you partake? (I don’t think I've ever been swimming in any of the pools in my apartment buildings. Too many kids and onlookers!)
Why is charcoal good for skin? (or isn’t it?!)
There’s an intriguing piece on the online Beauty site Byrdie about the mixed benefits of charcoal titled, Turns Out Your Charcoal Sldncare Products Might Not Be Doing All They Claim. Here’s what Byrdie has to say:
The natural ingredient has long been used in medicine to remove toxins in the body, but the idea that charcoal can do the same for your skin isn't backed up by research—just countless theories and testimonials, and convincing ones at that.
So what do we do with all those charcoal masks we’ve all stockpiled? It’s a confusing spot to be in, so we enlisted the help of skincare experts Michelle Wong, a content creator at Lab Muffin Beauty Science with a chemistry PhD, and Melissa Kanchanapoomi Levin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Entière Dermatology, to fill us in on the facts about using charcoal for skin benefits. Scroll ahead for their expert insight.
Theoretically, the “stickiness” of charcoal works to treat acne and detoxify the skin by removing dirt and oil, but Wong says these claims lack the science and research needed to back them up. According to Levin, it’s unclear whether its ability to remove toxins can be translated to removing them from the skin through topical application.
No matter, I’m not expecting the Slaai cleansing balm to do anything but cleanse — really well. All of those replenishing plant oils not only help break down surface oils, but they leave the skin deeply moisturized. Something I can’t get enough of in the cold!
With its balance of oils and extracts, and the option to add purifying charcoal powder to your cleansing routine, the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser is the best cleansing balm for all skin types.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser for $34 here.
Banila | Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm - the best cleansing balm for oily skin
The Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm was the first cleansing balm of its kind that I’d ever tried. Which is why it will always hold a special place in my heart. But even more so today with the K-beauty brand’s new and improved formula. Banila decided to clean up their act by removing toxins and potential skin irritants — in turn, cleaning up ours!
Out are the parabens, including butyl parahydroxybenzoate, or butylparaben — an organic compound that’s been a popular antimicrobial preservative in cosmetics and skin care until recently. And good thing, too, because it’s a bit of a nasty — though the jury is still out on parabens in general.
The experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team rate butylparaben as a “good” ingredient in skin care formulas; yet, it’s rated a bright red alert nine from EWG.
In fact, “the European Chemicals Agency classifies butylparaben as a substance of very high concern due to endocrine disrupting properties and associated effects on male fertility.” Source reference: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) 2020. Substance of very high concern (SVHC).
Yikes! So, it’s gone from Banila’s new Clean It Zero Original Cleansing Balm — though its replacement preservative phenoxyethanol is hardly without controversy and has the potential to be toxic to skin over time.
Are parabens in skincare bad?
The controversy over parabens in skincare is discussed in an article published by the Paula’s Choice Research Team of experts titled, Are Parabens a Problem? Particularly noteworthy to me was this:
Parabens: Fact and Fiction
The reason there’s concern about parabens is because of research suggesting they can alter or disrupt how some biological systems work, potentially leading to health problems. There are also claims that parabens can cause skin to break down. The problem? The studies that used to make these alarming allegations didn’t take into consideration how parabens are used in cosmetics products.
In some studies, high concentrations (up to 100%) of parabens were used. Much lower amounts, usually less than 1%, are used to preserve cosmetics. In other studies, large quantities of parabens were fed to lab animals, not applied topically as they are with skincare and makeup products.
Let’s clarify a common misconception: Most ingredients applied to skin do not get into the body. They remain within skin’s uppermost layers where they do the most good. One of skin’s natural roles is to shield the body from external influences, and that includes things we apply to it. Besides, if all those ingredients sailed right through skin, nothing would be left to protect it and lead to visible improvements.
The most salient point is that most of what we apply to our skin in the form of topical skincare doesn’t actually get past the skin barrier. Hence the popularity of derma-rollers, micro-needling devices and the use of denatured alcohol in skin care — all to get actives deeper into the skin. So, the conversation about parabens continues.
Not the least bit controversial in Banila’s new formula is uber-emollient and antioxidant Tocopheryl Acetate, aka Vitamin E. There are a smattering of botanical extracts in the iconic cleansing balm, too — and very low oil content.
Oddly, and I’m not sure if this is new to the reformulated version of Clean It Zero, about mid-way down the INCI you find a bizarre sounding ingredient called, Onsen-Sui. Of course, I had to look it up! Onsen-Sui is a Japanese hot spring water believed to possess an anti-inflammatory and vasodilative benefit. Umm, okay.
Interestingly, according to INCI Decoder, Onsen-Sui is popular in K-beauty products, though not necessarily in Japanese skin care. The Japanese probably think it’s just water.
In Korean skin care, Onsen-Sui is actually found in everything from the Tonymoly Egg Pore Blackhead Steam Balm to Missha’s Near Skin pH Balancing Cleansing Oil.
Even Dr. Jart is on the Onsen-Sui bandwagon, incorporating it into many of its skincare formulas.
So what about the balm’s texture and its efficacy as a cleanser? Well, Clean It Zero has a waxier feel than the more luxuriously textured, oil-based Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser and Ayond Metamorph Cleansing Balm.
But it does melt nicely into the surface of the skin when massaged and warmed up. It also has a mildly soothing emulsifying effect that transforms the balm into a lightweight, gentle milk when mixed with warm water.
There’s also a slightly sweet scent to it that reminds me of Kool-Aid fruit punch, which I don’t mind. If your skin is super sensitive, I would avoid this one. With its low level of oils though, the Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm is really the best cleansing balm for oily skin.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm for $19 here.
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF
THE BEST CLEANSING BALMS FOR DRY SKIN, OILY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.
Ayond | Metamorph Cleansing Balm - the best cleansing balm for dry skin
In my recent #selfcaresunday video on three current skincare obsessions, I featured the fantastically sensorial cleansing balm from indie brand Ayond. Ayond is inspired by the energy and dynamism of New York and the boundless space of Santa Fe, where “the desert connects us to the artistry of nature.”
Ayond is an exquisite natural skincare brand and I have literally been blown away by the brand’s Metamorph Cleansing Balm. The stuff is otherworldly! It’s a thick, emollient-rich balm that has a texture more like a delicious panna cotta. And as often as I’ve thought of spreading panna cotta on my face, I have yet to do so!
One tiny scoop is all you need to take cleansing to the next level — in what feels more like a high-end spa experience than any cleansing balm I’ve used. Massaging it into the skin, Metamorph transforms into a rich replenishing oil that feels like liquid velvet (or panna cotta!).
At a high concentration in the INCI are two relatively obscure plant oils (at least to me!) — Babassu Seed Oil and Copaiba. Babassu oil (or cusi oil) is a non-fragrant plant oil extracted from the seeds of the babassu palm, indigenous to the Amazon region of South America.
Yet as exotic as Babassu Oil sounds, Copaiba Oil is even more so.
What is Copaiba Oil?
Unbeknownst to me, Copaiba Oil has properties similar to Cannabidiol (CBD). In fact there’s a fascinating article on the similarities between Copaiba Oil and CBD titled, Pure CBD Oil vs. Copaiba for Anxiety & Pain.
From the article:
Copaiba benefits the body and mind by reducing inflammation. In a recent research study, copaiba oil reduced anxiety-like behaviors in a maze study of rats [R]. The effect of copaiba oil was dose-dependent; the higher the dose, the bigger the reduction in anxiety behaviors was seen.
Copaiba’s main compound, B-carophyllene, at a dose of 50 mg/kg, was able to reduce anxiety, compulsive, and depression-like symptoms in a maze and forced swim test in mice [R].
While clinical studies are still needed for the specific purpose of anxiety, its benefits for the neurons, and protection from inflammation support that it may help this condition [R].
Maybe that’s why I find Metamorph so soothing!
Ayond describes the formula as a “gentle and effective balm-to-milk cleanser [that] uses natural oils, butters and soothing extracts to gently and effectively remove makeup, waterproof sunscreen and dirt without disrupting your skin's natural barrier function.”
In fact, it has a very delicate buttery aroma — reminiscent of a savory herb butter.
Indeed, when emulsified with warm water, it does transform into a light, milky cleanser that dissolves and clears skin of oils and dirt, leaving behind a clean, fresh canvas. With its high level of emollient, skin-replenishing plant oils, the Ayond Metamorph Cleansing Balm is the best cleansing balm for dry skin, hands down.
Seriously, check out my IGTV and see it in action for yourself.
SHOP THE BLOG: For a limited time, save 15% off all skincare from Ayond. Enter code SKINCARMA15 at check-out. Purchase the Ayond Metamorph Cleansing Balm for $68 (reg. $80) here.
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The Inkey List | Oat Cleansing Balm - the best cleansing balm for sensitive skin
I can’t help myself. I love cleansers! There’s just nothing more pampering than massaging the day off of your face and feeling entirely renewed. It’s truly akin to a sacred rite for me.
So I was understandably excited when The Inkey List introduced its new Oat Cleansing Balm — the most affordable of the four cleansing balms in my collection of faves, at just $9.99.
It’s also the most convenient as it doesn’t need to be scooped out of a tub! Trust me, there are times you want that. Like after a 10-hour trip to Connecticut and back. Or when I’ve been Netflix-and-chilling on the couch until late and barely have it in me to wash my face let alone stagger to the bed.
Inkey’s Oat Cleansing Balm is a thick, gooey, oily treat for the skin and a real pleasure to use.
There are many cleansing balms on the market. The most conventional of them are the semi-solids that come in tubs — including the K-Beauty icon Banila’s Clean It Zero and the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser. Another popular semi-solid cleansing balm is the popular Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. All of them are effective formulas, and all have brought me great pleasure at the bathroom sink basin.
But as pleasurable and effective as they are, they can be kind of a pain to use. I’ve often reached for one or the other and thought, ugh, I’m not in the mood to get out a spatula and scoop up a cleansing balm right now. So I go for something else, something more convenient like a cleansing oil.
Inkey solved my conundrum — or let’s just call it my all-day-on-the-couch lassitude. The Oat Cleansing Balm is just liquidy or runny enough to come out of a tube and not need to be scooped out of a cumbersome tub.
The first ingredient in Oat Cleansing Balm is Sweet Almond Oil; I imagine that comprising upwards of 65-70% of the formula. There’s also a 3% concentration of nourishing Oat Kernel Oil, rich in cholesterol and sterols — fatty acids similar to those found in the skin’s own sebum. Plus, Inkey included one-percent Colloidal Oatmeal, a phenomenal active that helps reduce redness and calm irritation.
But I gotta say Inkey really nailed the texture. It melts instantly into your palms as you massage it onto dry skin. Oat Cleansing Balm is as convenient and easy to use as just about any other cleanser in my stash!
With its high level of skin-soothing extracts and lack of irritants, The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm is the best cleansing balm for sensitive skin.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm for $9.99 here.
That’s it, guys! I hope you have a week full of joyous productivity, and equally joyous cleansing experiences! I sure plan to…
🖤 SKINCARMA
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF
THE BEST CLEANSING BALMS FOR DRY SKIN, OILY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.
The Ingredient List of the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser:
aox|emo 0 0-2, Lauryl Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Laurate emu, Polyhydroxystearic Acid emu, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax emo, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate surf|emu, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil emo, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract emo, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Extract aox, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil emo, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil so|emo, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil emo, Polyglyceryl-2 Caprate emu, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil emo, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil emo 0 1-3, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil emo, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract so, Ximenia Americana Seed Oil emo, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0The Ingredient List of the Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Original:
perf, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Water solv, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract h, Aspalathus Linearis Extract, Angelica Archangelica Root Extract perf, Malpighia Glabra (Acerola) Fruit Extract, Polydiethyleneglycol Adipate/Ipdi Copolymer, Acrylates/Ammonium Methacrylate Copolymer, Acrylates/Methoxy PEG-15 Methacrylate Copolymer vcThe Ingredient List of the Ayond Metamorph Cleansing Balm:
Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil*, Caprylic/Capric Glycerides Polyglycerin-10 Esters, Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Behenate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Babassu Oil Polyglyceryl-6 Esters, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin, Larrea Divaricata (Chaparral) Extract, Acacia Decurrens (Mimosa) Flower Wax, Boswellia Serrata (Frankincense) Resin Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Artemisia Tridentata (Desert Sage) Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyglycerin-3, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Water.
The Ingredient List of The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm:
emo 0 1-3, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides emu|surf, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Candelilla Cera (Cire De Candelilla) emo 0 1, Silica vc, Sorbitan Stearate emu 1 0, Tribehenin emo, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides emu, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour so|aox|emo|abrasive/scrub|vc, Aqua (Water/Eau) solv, Benzyl Alcohol pres|perf|solv|vc, Phenoxyethanol pres, Lecithin emo|emu, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Ascorbyl Palmitate aox 0 2, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil emo 0 0
