I’ve wanted to do an overview post on cleansers* for a while, but have been putting it off, as I’ve been unable to find my Sunday Riley Blue Moon cleansing balm. How is this possible? How can a person just lose a big tub of skincare? And of course it has to be one of my favourite cleansers, too. Anyway, I have now lost all hope and will commence without the Blue Moon. I’ll write about it anyway, but it would have looked so good on the photos…

Old-timers can skip this paragraph, but for the others, for reference: my skin is combination and dehydrated, prone to occasional hormonal breakouts (this hasn’t happened in a while! I would praise the Lord, if I was a person who would praise the Lord). For a few years now, I’ve diligently double cleansed and I also clean my face in the morning. I use the hot cloth method and therefore don’t like those milks and creams that you’re supposed to wipe off. I also don’t use foaming cleansers as they are stripping and not nice to your skin. This means that by default, my cleanser stash is pretty non-mainstream, although with a couple of lovely exceptions.

This post includes most of the cleansers I currently own and a few that I have used, but don’t have at the moment (because I have lost them, for example!). For obvious reasons, I will not do long reviews, but will give you a brief opinion and in case I’ve covered it before, link to that. I have also included a few things I’ve tried and didn’t love, in case these are well-known cleansers you might be interested in. You’re very welcome to ask for more details and of course recommend new exciting cleansers. I’m always interested.

BALMS
If I could only pick one type of cleanser to use for the rest of my life, it would be balms: efficient, gentle, multitasking, I love them. I mostly use them for the first cleanse, to take off makeup, with occasional exceptions when the formula is reaaaallly nice.

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm: the benchmark balm of recent years, this ticks all the boxes and I have seen no beauty blogger who doesn’t own one. Good stuff.
Eve Lom Cleanser: I still love this medicinal-smelling cult balm that used to reign supreme over the other, inferior cleansers. These days are gone now, there are many competing products and unlike Eve Lom, they often don’t use mineral oil.
Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm: This is a case in point. It’s expensive (as is Eve Lom), but the formula is super gentle and unique and luxurious – in a modern way. But you have to use a cloth, it’s very difficult to just wash off.
Sunday Riley Blue Moon: Well, yeah, the lost treasure of my cleansing cabinet. This is another excellent example of modern luxury – great ingredients, unique colour, a lovely experience (I love it for massage).
Clinique Take the Day Off Balm: if you just want an effective balm without any unnecessary trappings, a balm that doesn’t have a scent, doesn’t irritate, then this is it. It’s also easy to get.
Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm with Rosewood: I once called it the Emma Hardie for grown-ups (not that EH is infantile in any way) and I’m still happy with that comparison. If you like essential oils, luxurious and rich textures, this is for you.
Pixi Nourishing Cleansing Balm: this stuff is amazing for the price, it truly is. It smells like roses and the only fault I can find with the formula is that it leaves a very, very light residue on the skin. But that’s OK for the first cleanse.

Not for me: Bobbi Brown Extra Balm Rinse – not a bad balm, but too sticky for my taste. Gave it to my sister who reportedly enjoys it.

OILS
For a long time, I wasn’t a huge fan of oils – and I think the formulas weren’t that good either. But times have changed and I’ve found a few that I really like. I mostly use them for the first cleanse.

Caudalie Make-Up Removing Cleansing Oil: what Pixi is to balms, Caudalie is to oils – a reasonably priced wonderful product. I have already said everything I have to say about it and it’s still true.
Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil: my favourite high-end oil, this is beautiful. I think Caudalie is comparable to this, but Tatcha looks better and the travel size you can buy separately is genius.
Tata Harper Nourishing Oil Cleanser: another very nice oil, this is the best option if you want your skincare to be green. It works well as the first cleanse, but you may want to save it for the second.
Erborian Solid Cleansing Oil: I always think of it as a very soft balm, but it’s actually called oil and it definitely turns into one once on the skin. If you like to have a variety of textures, this is worth a try. It’s surprisingly refreshing.
RMS Raw Coconut: same here – coconut oil looks more like a balm, but behaves like an oil (because it is an oil, Annikky). If you want something like Take the Day Off, but organic, this might be your thing. People claim it’s better than your average coconut oil, but I wouldn’t really know. Love the minimal tub, though.
Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil: for years, this was the only oil I used – that was long before double cleansing reached Europe – and the formula is still very decent. It’s also easier to find than most things on my list.

Not for me: African Botanicals Pure Marula Cleansing Oil, Erno Laszlo Phelityl Pre-Cleansing Balm – I guess they are both adequate, but they seem too heavy for me and leave a residue. I do know trustworthy people, however, who love the Marula oil.

CREAMS & MILKS
That kind of cleansers are still not my favourites, but partly it’s just prejudice induced by bad memories of removing makeup with a cotton pad. A more objective reason is that I feel they often suit drier skin better.

Aurelia Miracle Cleanser: a great product if you are sensitive, as they are careful with their ingredients. I find the herbal smell and the general effect soothing and use it as a second cleanse, although it does remove makeup.
Skyn Pure Cloud Cleanser: this is super gentle (but effective), very creamy and perfect if your skin is dry or agitated. Skyn is a nice Nordic brand and not crazy expensive.
Tata Harper Refreshing Cleanser: Tata cleansers are considered to be among the best in the world and this is probably my favourite of the ones I’ve tried (I suspect I would love the purifying one even better, but it’s difficult to get). Beautifully formulated, I would not waste it on removing makeup.
Lumi Moisturising Cleansing Milk: the only Estonian cleanser I’ve actually used up. Like most milk/cream cleansers, this works better for me in the winter when my skin is dryer. Love the travel size.
Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser: it has milk in the name and it’s called ‘creamy’ in the descriptions, but I would in fact call it a soft balm. It’s possibly my current favourite cleanser, some days I use it for the first AND second cleanse. I find it comforting.

Not for me: MV Organic Skincare Gentle Cream Cleanser: many people adore it, I only like it (and will use it up). If you have dry skin and you prefer organic products, this could be perfect for you.

GELS AND HYBRIDS
For all my love of balms and oils, they aren’t usually the best for second or morning cleanse. For that, I seem to love cleansers that are difficult to categorise, but generally lighter than the ones mentioned above.

Zelens Pure Z Cleansing Liquid Balm: yes, I know it says balm on the bottle, but it’s different from the ‘real’ ones and has a unique gel-balm texture. You can tell that it’s an expensive formula and I love it for the morning cleanse.
Algenist Genius Ultimate Anti-Ageing Melting Cleanser: a lovely gel-cream-oil, this is a nice one. Among my top picks as second or morning cleanse for mature skin.
Erborian Cleansing Creme: another interesting texture, this is nice and refreshing and I need so little of it that the small tube has lasted me ages. I use it often in the mornings.
SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Gel: this has a whipped gel feel and a slightly nineties pearly sheen, but I really like it. Super for the mornings, it’s just a pleasure to use. I only have the mini version, haven’t dared to look up the price of the full size.
Ginvera Exfoliating Marvel Gel with Green Tea: if you’re oily or feeling oily or your pores are clogged, try this. It’s a really pleasant gently exfoliating cleanser that doesn’t cost a lot.
Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip: this is my favourite morning cleanser when my skin looks and/or feels underwhelming. It can sometimes be slightly drying on my skin, but it brightens, smoothes and exfoliates effectively, so I can live with a little dryness.
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser: I put it under hybrids, because while it’s a cream cleanser, it includes physical exfoliants (apricot powder). It’s the only scrub I own these days, but if you cannot have acids in your cleansers or just crave a thorough scrub, this is a good option.

Not for me: Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel – every UK beauty blogger loves this, but for me it was just good, not amazing. The balm-gel texture felt a bit greasy and… well, I just wasn’t wowed. But YMMV, I suspect again that it’s better on drier skins. (I have changed my mind, see my review here)

MICELLAR WATERS
I could live perfectly well without micellar waters, but it’s convenient to have one or two of them around. Please just don’t tell me they remove every trace of your makeup and we can all be friends.

Decleor Aroma Cleanse Soothing Micellar Water: possibly out of nostalgia, this is my favourite, although it feels a bit thicker and stickier than most micellar waters. Still, effective and nice to use.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O: a classic, I mostly buy travel sizes (adorable!) of these, as I don’t need much, but it is good to have when on the go.
Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water: objectively speaking, I think Bioderma is a tiny bit more effective than Caudalie, but I just prefer the latter. It smells better, it feels nicer on the skin and I like the brand better overall. Plus they do travel sizes too!

Not for me: Perricone MD Blue Plasma Cleansing Treatment – this is an ineffective product, but I will use it up, because a) it looks beautiful b) it feels lovely. I don’t use it to remove makeup, but when I need to re-cleanse’ the skin before applying makeup or masks.

*I have written about many of these things previously, but I just wanted to have it all in one place, for easy reference. I will link to my earlier posts where you’ll also have links to external websites, for more info.