How to Pick the Right Makeup Remover for Dry Skin

If you put makeup on a daily basis, you need to a good makeup remover to take everything off at the end of the day. Removing all the make up residue and impurities is essential to maintain good skin. With that being said, you need a makeup product that works effectively but not too drying or harsh.

How to Choose A Makeup Remover for Yourself?

Ask yourself these three questions before you get a makeup remover for yourself.

1. What is your skin type? Do you have acne-prone skin?
2. Generally, do you have heavy makeup or minimal makeup?
3. What is your lifestyle? Do you travel a lot?

Skin Type

We make a table to help you to pick the best makeup remover type for your skin. If you have dry and dehydrated skin, go for a moisturizing makeup remover. Cleansing oil, cleansing balm, and cleansing milk are great for your skin type, depends on which one fits your lifestyle the best.

On the other hand, if you have dry but acne prone skin, try cleansing balm or micellar water. Micellar water is particularly great with dry and acne-prone skin because it contains moisturizing ingredient yet does not clog your pores. Cleansing balm is really effective to remove heavy makeup without feeling greasiness on the skin afterward.

Lastly, cleansing oil and cleansing milk are excellent for people who have dry and sensitive skin. Dry and sensitive skin needs extra gentle makeup remover to avoid irritation on the skin. Cleansing oil has a thick and liquidy texture, it flows on your skin and helps you dissolve all the makeup smoothly. Cleansing milk might not able to remove heavy makeup, however, it is very mild and gentle for the skin on a daily basis.

Heavy Makeup vs. Minimal Makeup

If you have heavy makeup most of the time, opt for cleansing balm or cleansing oil. Both of them remove even the toughest waterproof makeup. On the contrary, cleansing milk and micellar water are perfect for people that prefer light to minimal makeup.

Lifestyle

If you have a busy lifestyle and constantly on the go, choosing a travel-friendly makeup remover is gonna make your life so much easier. Even though cleansing oil is great to remove all sort of makeup, it is kind of bulky to travel with. Cleansing milk is not the best choice either. In our opinion, cleansing balm or micellar water is the best travel companion. Cleansing balm able to remove waterproof makeup effectively and you also do not have to worry about it leaking in your baggage. Micellar water can come in handy when you want to remove your makeup without a basin. For example, on the plane or before you go to the gym.

Makeup Remover Comparison

We’ve put four types of makeup remover to test, we hope that it would help you to pick the one that fits you the best. We test the makeup remover based on three different aspects:

1. How Well Does It Remove Makeup?
2. Does It Dry Out Your Skin?
3. What Is The Texture Of The Makeup Remover?

The four types of makeup removers that we pick are cleansing oil, cleansing milk, micellar water, and cleansing balm. Please keep in mind that this test is for general reference only. Different brands of makeup remover might perform differently.

Cleansing Oil

What We Use: Shu Uemura Ultime 8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil (link to Amazon)

Cleansing oil is an oil-based makeup remover that can remove all makeup including waterproof makeup and lip tint. You can find a variety of cleansing oil in the beauty market now. For instance, coconut oil, olive oil, and camelia seed oil.

How-To: Make sure your hands and face are dry before you use cleansing oil. Pump 1-2 pumps of cleansing oil on your palm and gently massage your face to remove your makeup. You’ll see the makeup started to melt. Make sure all the makeup is melted then go ahead and add some water to emulsify it. Continue to massage, you will see the cleansing oil turned to a white color. Rinse your face with plenty of water until no residue is left.

Notes: Make sure you double cleanse your skin after you use a cleansing oil especially if you have acne-prone skin. Even though some cleansing oils declared that you don’t have to use a cleanser after you use a cleansing oil, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Cleansing oil is difficult to remove by just using water unless it is properly emulsified and wash thoroughly.

Cleansing Balm

What We Use: Heimish All Clean Balm (link to Amazon) 

If you think cleansing oil is feeling a bit heavy on your skin, cleansing balm might be the one you are looking for. It melts away most types of makeup, including waterproof makeup such as mascara and eyeliner but still leaves your skin feel refreshing. Cleansing balm has a sorbet-like texture when you apply it on your face, it immediately transforms into oil form and melts away all your makeup.

Cleansing balm doesn’t feel heavy on the skin at all and it is easier to use compared to cleansing oil. Cleansing balm can be emulsified in a few seconds and because of its balm texture, it is easy to add and control the amount of product that you want to use.

How-To: Use a small spatula and scoop out a small amount of the balm. Dab the balm onto your face, don’t forget to dab a small amount near your eyes and lips (if you have eye makeup and lips makeup). Gently massage your face with the cleansing balm until it completely dissolves all the makeup on your face. Add some water to emulsify the product then rinse it thoroughly with water.

Note: Make sure to put an appropriate amount especially near the eye area. If you use too much product on your eyes, it might get into your eyes and cause irritation and blurry eyesight temporarily. In case of contact with eyes, rinse your eyes immediately and thoroughly.

Cleansing Milk

What We Use : Caudalie Gentle Cleansing Milk (link to Amazon) 

Cleansing milk is designed for those who have dry and sensitive skin. Some makeup removers have a really high pH level in order to take off the makeup. For that reason, people with sensitive skin always have to be cautious when choosing a makeup remover. Cleansing milk has a thick and rich consistency so it will minimize the friction while you’re removing your makeup. It also generally has a pH level that is gentle to our skin.

How-To: Take a proper amount of cleansing milk and massage on your face. Massage gently all over your face with circular motion then use a cotton pad or tissue to wipe off the excess. Lastly, rinse with water and continue with your skincare routine.

Note: Cleansing milk is very gentle and only suitable for those have light makeup on. Generally, it does not remove makeup on the eye and lip area. In most cases, it doesn’t even remove foundation with high coverage. If you are the one that put on full face makeup every single day, this is probably not for you. If you only use lipstick plus some sunscreen, you can pair this with an eye & lip makeup remover.

 Micellar Water

What We Use:Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Cleansing Water and Makeup Remover Solution (link to Amazon) 

Micellar water might looks and feels like water but do not underestimate this transparent liquid. It contains magic ingredient – the mild surfactants that able to attract makeup and other impurities off the skin.

It is suitable for most skin types and does not cause any irritation to the skin. The formula is so gentle that you can even leave it on your skin without rinsing it off. In addition, it also breaks down the foundation and lipstick and removes them completely.

How-To: Soak your cotton pad with micellar water, then gently wipe on your face to remove your makeup. Start with your forehead, then your cheek and chin area. Take a few more cotton pads and soak with micellar water. Gently press them on your eye area and lip area, and leave it on for 10-15 seconds then gently wipe it off.

Note: Even though micellar water is mild and gentle, we do not recommend using this on sensitive skin. The reason is you might have to wipe your face a couple of times before your face is completely clean. The rubbing and wiping might cause redness and irritation to sensitive skin. Always make sure you use a soft, good quality cotton pad and do it gently and slowly on your skin when you using micellar water.

How Well Does It Remove Makeup?

Cleansing Oil > Cleansing Balm > Micellar Water > Cleansing Milk 

We apply a waterproof pencil liner, concealer, eyeshadow and liquid lipstick on the back of the hand. The result is clear that cleansing oil melts away all trace of makeup.

The result of using a cleansing balm is very similar to cleansing oil. Basically, it removes almost all of the makeup. Just a little bit of the eyeliner trace.

Micellar water did not dissolve all the makeup in one swipe (We did leave the cotton pad on top for 10 seconds). As you can see, there is still some lipstick residue and eyeliner on top of the hand. You might need to wipe a couple of times to remove the makeup completely.

It’s obvious that cleansing milk is the least powerful makeup remover in this comparison. It is clear that the eyeliner and lipstick are not removed completely. But if you only apply minimal makeup such as sunscreen or tinted moisturizer, cleansing milk is more than enough to keep your skin clean.

Does It Dry out Your Skin?

Cleansing Oil > Cleansing Milk > Cleansing Balm > Micellar Water 

To be honest, all the makeup removers do not leave your skin drying and discomfort. However, if you have dry and sensitive skin, you might feel irritation with micellar water simply because of the continuous wiping motion with the cotton pad. The formulation of micellar water generally will not cause dryness to your skin.

What Is the Texture of The Makeup Remover?

Cleansing Oil > Cleansing Milk > Cleansing Balm > Micellar Water

We also put the texture into the test because we know the texture of a skin care product will affect the whole user experience and skin condition. In this case, we just want to discuss the overall experience after you clean your face thoroughly with water.

First of all, cleansing oil and cleansing milk definitely feel moisturizing on the face. After you wash your face thoroughly with water, your face does not feel tight or dry. So it is great for people that suffered from dry and flaky skin.

On the other hand, if you prefer to have a refreshing feeling on the face, get cleansing balm or micellar water to remove your makeup. Both have a lightweight texture that removes all the makeup yet leaving skin clean and fresh.