Review: Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

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I haven’t talked much about cleansing balms, have I? The truth is I just don’t use them as much as my other cleansers, but why? I have two main criteria, I prefer more solid texture and it needs to actually cleanse. Over the years, I’ve used quite a few balm cleansers and most were merely ok, it’s always a struggle to finish them. You can tell a good (or bad) one from first-time use and if it doesn’t work out, it’s so hard to carry on compared with other types of cleansers which can be more forgiving. Let’s just say I’m less willing to take risks with balm cleansers.

Emma Hardie’s Moringa Cleansing Balm, this OG of cleansing balms has a cult following from beauty editors, celebrities to skincare enthusiasts and has won many beauty awards over the years. Everyone is raving about it with 5-star reviews. Is it really that good?

Spoiler alert, this is my 2nd tub!

What is it?

On Emma Hardie’s website, “A purifying botanical cleansing balm that removes all traces of face and eye make-up, deeply cleanses the pores, as well as balancing, hydrating and moisturising all skin types. ”

What it does

In a nutshell, this balm-to-oil cleanser nourishes, hydrates and deep cleanses especially good for removing make-up.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the ingredients list and see how they all work together.

Grape Seed Oil: A great source of antioxidant, barrier repair fatty acid – linoleic acid and skin-protectant Vitamin E.
Sweet Almond Oil: It is loaded with skin-nourishing fatty acids and contains several other skin goodies such as antioxidant Vitamin E and B. It has great smoothing, softening and moisturizing properties.
Moringa seed extract, Wild Sea Fennel and Vitamin E balance, purify and help to minimise the appearance of open pores
Essential oils of Orange, Neroli and Mandarin rejuvenate and revitalise the skin whilst calming the senses
Jasmine and Rose help to recondition dull, dry, dehydrated and mature skins

Like the entire Emma Hardie range, this product is formulated with natural botanical ingredients and without Parabens, SLS, Dimethicone, Synthetic Colours, Synthetic Fragrances, Petrolatum and Mineral Oil. This is a vegetarian-friendly and cruelty-free product.

Full Ingredients list

Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-8 Beeswax, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Sorbitan Stearate, Palmitic/Stearic Triglycerides, Limonene, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Silica, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Aqua (Water), Lecithin, Linalool, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecyl PCA, Menthyl PCA, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Disodium Phosphate, Citronellol, Citric Acid, Geraniol, Citral.

As you can see, the list is long and there are also a lot of essential oils, so if you are sensitive to these ingredients then be careful.

Who’s it for

Suitable for all skin types. I think anyone with dry and dehydrated skin would benefit from this the most. While anyone who has very sensitive and inflamed skins should avoid or at least be very careful because you need to remove this with a washcloth and so this might irritate.

Everything else

Packaging

This comes in a tub/jar with a little spatula along with a dual-sided cleansing cloth — Muslin side 100% Cotton Microfibre Side: 80% Polyester, 20% Polyamide.

Colour, Texture & Scent

This balm is slightly golden in colour, much like the lid. The texture is quite solid and it melts in my hands very easily. Something to note, while most people have a similar experience as mine, some have received theirs a little softer, even separated. I think this could be down to the environment, if you are in a hot and humid climate, this product might react differently.

As for the scent, there’s a prominent floral citrusy smell coming from essential oils such as bergamot, bitter orange and rose. It reminds me of a spa, very calming. Not everyone is a fan of this scent from reviews though, so it’s worth having a sniff test before purchase, if possible.

How to use it

Take a hazelnut size piece of Moringa Balm and massage thoroughly into dry skin in order to break down all traces of face and eye make-up and to lift away daily pollutants. To remove, soak the Dual-Action Cleansing Cloth in warm water, squeeze out the excess and use to gently remove the product using the Emma Hardie ‘lines not circles’ technique. Use the microfibre side first for removal, then repeat using the exfoliating muslin side for skin polishing.
Emma Hardie instruction

I pretty much follow the instructions above except I use a pea-sized amount which I find it’s more than enough. The product is rich and smooth that has a more creamy, buttery finish once it’s melted. I have been using it on my entire eyes area and haven’t experienced any stinging or irritation. Makeup is removed very well without any traces left. I massage my face with it for about 30 seconds. While my skin feels cleansed and moisturised at the same time, I do follow up with another cleanser.

The dual action cloth feels very luxuriously soft and it’s great for pressing over your eyes to help remove mascara, or for sensitive areas of your face, and the muslin side can be used to for taking off makeup and leaving skin with a ‘polished’ finish.

Final thoughts

As my skin is dehydrated and prone to being flaky at times, I find this balm cleanser leaves my skin feels smooth, supple and hydrated.

Having said that, I can imagine that it would be slightly too heavy for anyone with extremely oily skin even though the formula is said to purify the skin and minimise open pores. It would perhaps be worth trying to get a sample before purchasing a full size. If you have dry, dehydrated skin, then this luxurious balm might just be what you’ve been looking for!

While there are tons of balm and oil cleansers out there that do a similar job, what makes this worth the extra money for me is the texture, its effectiveness and how luxurious it is to use.

Have you tried this before? What is your experience?

Available £47/100ml – UK (FeelUnique)*

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