The popularity in cleansing balms has become quite the trend ever since “K-Beauty” skincare and products hit the United States like wildfire about a year or so ago.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that Asian women have some of the most beautiful skin in the world and that their beauty regimens and tips are some of the most sought after globally.

Korean products have some very unique, original, and natural formulas that fall in the “green beauty” realm and you can usually recognize them because they are in the form of pure botanical oils, serums in solid stick form, and cleansing balms that are textured like sherbert ice cream all in transparent glassy pastel colors of blue, pink, yellow, and green.  There are so many benefits to cleansing balms as far as the ingredients in them that contain things like vitamins C and E, anti-oxidants, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, manuka honey, elderberry, glycerin, royal jelly peptides, shea butter, and wheat germ, olive, rosehip, and almond oils and the list goes on as well as being convenient for travel and less messy to use.  They are great for removing even the toughest waterproof makeup and good for using during the winter months because of how hydrating they are and won’t strip your skin while maintaining a healthy PH balance.  They also usually have very anti-aging formulas with lots of botanicals, humectants, and peptides to prevent free radicals from the environment from harming your skin.

When looking for a balm just following a few simple steps and knowing what you are looking for in a balm for your skin type will help you find the one you need.  If you have sensitive skin it is good to look for one that has calming ingredients in it like green tea, chamomile, and coconut oil and one that is low in irritants or fragrances.  For dry or mature skin, look for a balm that has hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and humectants as well as anti-aging properties.  For oily or acne-prone skin find one that is in a less oily formula and has soothing ingredients like “linoleic acid” (or sunflower, grapeseed, rosehip, or almond oil) which is a polyunsaturated omega 6 fatty acid that is less likely to clog pores, one with charcoal or mud in it, as well as one that minimizes redness.   You also might want to use the double-cleansing method by cleansing with a water-based gel after the cleansing balm to make sure that you removed any excess oil that could cause a breakout and then follow with your usual beauty regimen.

As far as applying cleansing balms all you need is to apply the balm to a dry face and then add warm water massaging it into your face with your fingertips (which will activate it to emulsify it into a milky consistency) then use a muslin cloth or wipe to remove any additional residue from the face.  A tip to do for extra hydration that is like giving yourself a steamy facial is to apply the balm and then apply a hot cloth leaving it on your face for a few seconds both before and after the cleansing balm application which will provide extra steam, exfoliation, and hydration.

There are some really great cleansing balms out there with one of the most popular being the Banila Companys “Zero Cleanse It” Balm (that comes in 4 different formulas like “Original”, “Nourishing”, “Purifying”, and “Revitalizing” formulas and is the fastest-selling cleansing balm), the Farmacy “Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm with Echinacea”, the E.L.F. “Hydrating Gel Melt Cleanser”, the Juice Beauty “Goop Luminous Melting Cleanser” or the new Ponds “Cold Cream Cleansing Balm” (not to be mistaken with the original Ponds Cold Cream that has a cult following).  Some others are the Naturopathica “Manuka Honey Cleansing Balm”, The Body Shop “Chamomile Cleansing Butter”, the Sunday Riley “Blue Moon Tranquility” Balm, and the Clinique “Take The Day Off” Cleansing Balm.  Some K-Beauty brands that also have cleansing balms are Yesto, Peach & Lily, Missha, 3CE, Saturday Skin, and Innis Free beauty brands.  Some of the top Korean cleansing balms says Allure magazine are the “Then I Met You” Cleansing Balm by Charlotte Cho which is a sunshine yellow gel with a grapefruit, olive, and seaberry oil formula (with a skin brightening cleanser for the second step with rosemary, persimmon, and grapefruit in it),  the COSRX “Low PH Good Morning Gel” Cleanser, and the Neogen “Real Fresh Cleansing Stick with Green Tea”.

There are also some balms that come in different forms like the Julep “Love Your Bare Face” Cleansing Stick, The Face Shop “Rice Water Foaming Cleanser”, Glamglows “Galactic Cleanse Hydrating Jelly Balm Gel”, the Boscia “Charcoal Makeup Melter Cleansing Oil” Balm, and The Organic Pharmacy “Carrot Butter” Cleanser (with a relaxing lavender scent).  The “Nutri-Pure Comforting Balm (that has a yummy rose scent) from By Terry and the Innis Free “Real Cleansing Oil”.

So, as you can see, there are many brands out there with cleansing balms and many various formulas of cleansing balms to try whether it is in the K-Beauty skincare trend or products from the United States give the cleansing balm a try and see how it fits into your beauty regimen.  I plan on getting the “Zero Clean It” Cleansing Balm this weekend to try and who knows, depending on how that goes I may be using them permanently in my skincare routine.