Review: CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm

I tried CeraVe again. This time, it’s the CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm. I haven’t used a cleansing balm in a while. It must’ve been months or years? I can’t remember. But here I am, trying out a CeraVe product. *dun dun dun* It’s kind of scary because I don’t have many good experiences with CeraVe.

CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm comes in a tiny little jar. It’s really small. It’s only 1.3 oz. (36 g). I was appalled at the cost of the product. Why did I buy it? Hmmm! Because I was looking for a cleansing balm that was less messy and compact. I needed a product for travel. I usually use EVOO, but I wanted something new. I guess, haha. The purpose of this product is to remove makeup. It states that it contains 3 essential ceramides. Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this product little further…

Ingredients:

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Polyethylene, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Aqua / Water / Eau, Ceramide Np, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Carbomer, Triethyl Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cholesterol, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil / Jojoba Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phytosphingosine, Xanthan Gum, Polysorbate 20, Benzoic Acid, Peg-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil.

I noticed that it has ethylhexyl palmitate as the first ingredient. It’s a highly comedogenic ingredient, but I’ve used a few products that contained this ingredient and didn’t experience any breakouts. Seems like a hit or miss. That was the only ingredient I was afraid of, but who knows what could happen.

My Experience

The cleansing balm doesn’t have fragrance, but it does have a scent. It smells like a bunch of chemicals mixed together, lol. It smells like an unscented product. That didn’t bother me at all. The product itself felt soft to touch. It melted in the palm of my hands. I waited for the cleansing balm to melt before applying it to my face. The directions of the cleansing balm states to massage gently onto dry skin in circular motions, rinse well, and pat dry. I prefer to melt the product in my hands first. That’s what I did.

The product felt soft, smooth, and didn’t tug at my skin. I loved it for that reason. It smooths over the skin and really does remove my makeup with little effort, especially my eye makeup (eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara). The first time using it, I enjoyed it. I love how gentle and effortless it is. My makeup just came right off. Even after rinsing, my skin felt clean. It didn’t feel like I had excess residue left behind from the product. I didn’t use the cleansing balm by itself. I used my facial cleanser afterward just in case. I was afraid of clogging my pores with the cleansing balm.

This is what CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm looks like:

After the first night of using CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm, I noticed my skin was a little drier with some red blotches on some parts of my face. I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was from stress, so I kept using it. On days 2-3 I noticed similar results to the first time using it. Still, I didn’t think much of it.

On the 4th night, I noticed a few pimples. Some on my forehead and chin. I was very worried after this. Could it be from the CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm? Could it?!! Hmmm! The next day (5th night), I used it again. This time I made sure to cleanse my face even more thoroughly after using the cleansing balm. I noticed more pimples and red blotches on my face. What is this crap? What is going on??!! I was so upset after this because my skin was fully clear. I stopped using it immediately. I love how it removes my makeup, but it gave me acne. What is it with CeraVe products that cause me to breakout so much?

Yes, CeraVe Makeup Removing Cleanser Balm clogged my pores even when I used a follow-up cleanser. Sheesh, never again. I’m stuck with a whole jar (tiny jar, lol) of the cleansing balm. I guess I can use it on my body to remove sunscreen or whatever. This was one of the worst breakouts I’ve had in a long time. Even the sunscreens I’ve tried this summer didn’t break me out this badly. This was much worse. My skin looked read, blotchy, and with bumps of clogged pores that I can pick out. Yuck, this stuff is gross. I’m not trying any more CeraVe products on my face. They all seem to suck.

But, it did a great job at removing my eye makeup without tugging the delicate eye skin. I’ll finish the rest as an eye makeup remover. Just not as a face makeup remover. Will I purchase again? I’m not sure. If it works for my eyes, I might. We’ll see when I finish the whole jar.