I’ve tried a lot of Good Molecules products, and have been a fan of some of them. The Instant Cleansing Balm has been languishing in a drawer, until recently I fished it out. A mistake. Here’s my Good Molecules Cleansing Balm review.
The Brand
Good Molecules is online retailer Beautylish’s answer to The Ordinary. Therefore, it has all the trimmings of a trendy skincare brand: research-based formulas, single active-based products, low pricing. It’s made in South Korea.
- More: Ranking all the Good Molecules products I’ve tried.
- More: Since then, I’ve also tried their eye patches, with middling results.
Description
Formulated with sea buckthorn oil, camellia oil, and shea butter, this cleansing balm melts on contact with skin to dissolve makeup, dirt, environmental pollutants, and other impurities. Instant Cleansing Balm rinses away with just water, leaving skin comfortably clean—not tight, dry, or stripped.
Beautylish
Good Molecules Cleansing Balm review: What it is
It’s a cleansing balm that you apply on dry skin, then emulsify with a bit of water and rinse off. Cleansing balms are supposed to be a must when you’re wearing heavy-duty sunscreen and makeup.
My regular cleansing routine
For absolute ages, I’ve used heavy-duty waterproof mascara that only a good cleansing balm will dissolve. I use Clinique’s, then use a cleansing oil for my face, remove the residue from my skin with micellar water and rinse. Done. Your mileage may vary.
- Have a look at my Cleanser 101 post to find the one that’s best-suited for you!
- Cleansing balm comparison: Clinique vs. Banila co.
- Reviews of cleansing balms that don’t cut it: PSA Cleansing Balm & The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm
Ingredients
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Polyethylene, PEG-8 Isostearate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopheryl Acetate, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil
Beautylish
Notable ingredients
Some antioxidants – sure, fine, but neglectable in a wash-off product. Otherwise, we have a lot of emollients and emulsifying ingredients.
Sustainability
Eh – nope. Nothing.
Application
I use a pea-sized amount to remove my makeup from each eye. I gently rub it in with a finger, and then remove the goop with a damp cotton round. You can also just wash it off with water, we’ll come to why I don’t do that.
Texture
This looks like every other cleansing balm I tried – a solid white waxy balm that melts between your fingers or upon contact with your skin.
Effect
This removes makeup like a dream. It’s the best cleanse I’ve ever encountered from a balm, with no oily film forming over your eyes, no residue, nothing. Just nourished, clean skin.
But: it absolutely reeks. For my nose, it’s rancid oil with a hint of vomit, and it’s BAD. I checked reviews on Beautylish, and found at least two other reviews mentioning that from the time frame I bought the balm. So either it’s a bad batch, or the balm goes bad rather quickly. I can only stand the smell if I remove it quickly with a cotton round. Getting that stuff on my whole face? Unthinkable. Which is a shame, because as you can see above, it absolutely removes everything, even the most stubborn formulas. (It capitulated at the Korean lipstain, but that’s ok. That thing will outlive cockroaches.)
The cleansing balm has a 12-months ‘good to use’ label, and I’m over that by a few months.
Comparison
I find results much better than Clinique’s Take The Balm Off cleansing balm that can leave an oily film over my eyes. It also comes in different sizes (appreciated!) with a decent price point. Comparison: Clinique’s is 125ml for around 40€ (wow, wasn’t this just 30€ until recently?!) If the smell just weren’t that bad… The smell also means that you either use this absolutely within the recommended time frame, or that batches are inconsistent. Both doesn’t bode particularly well for the product.
I’d try a small size first, then commit.
Good Molecules Cleansing Balm review: Rating
It’s an absolute shame, because the performance is stellar, but I did toss the product. It could absolutely be my fault for not finishing it quicker, so in this case, I’ll refrain from a rating.
Availability & Price
At Beautylish, 75g are 15$. 23g are 7$.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
Sorry to hear that Dorit. When I ordered your travel size of the balm i ordered a regular size one for myself.
I have opened mine at least a year ago, it is still fine and doesn’t smell funny at all. The regular one is packed in a aluminium tin.
But I had the same experience with the clinique balm, that went rancid in a few months.
Ahhhh, that’s too bad for me and good for you! Maybe it’s a packaging thing?
It’s really a pity, because I liked the performance a lot, but that smell? Just no. The CLinique one hasn’t gone bad on me since I started to buy it ages ago.