REVIEW: Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil

This is the Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil from Klairs. It retails on the SokoGlam website for $23.00 USD. It is a mild cleanser that is advertised as being suited for sensitive skin. "Its hypoallergenic formula is packed with vegetable oils that gently cleanse, moisturize and protect". The product features black sesame oil (a rich antioxidant), black currant seed oil which delivers anti-inflammatory properties to the skin, and one of my favourite moisturizers; jojoba oil. On the website, it is noted the product has a pH level of 7.

First impressions

I love the packaging. Its dark amber plastic bottile is simple, minimalistic and truly looks like a medicinal product. These are some of my favourite properties when it comes to packaging. The product has a very light scent.

While it doesn’t contain any essential oils (from what I can see on the ingredient list) it does contain fragrance and we all know my thoughts about that. But at the very least, it is not a strong scent at all. The closest description I can say is a blend of Eucalyptus and Ylang Ylang (once again, barely distinguishable because it is not very fragrant).

The texture of the product is very light as it claims. I truly enjoy makeup removing cleansing oils that feel like massage oil (lol). Something that gives a lot of slip and doesn’t soak into the skin so you can massage your skin for the recommended 60+ seconds.

As you add water, it emulsifies into an easy-wash off, milky consistency.

My Thoughts

The cleanser does a decent job of removing makeup from the skin. I always follow up with a second water-based cleanser so this isn’t the last thing that touches my face. As a first cleanse, I am able to get of the bulk of my makeup, sunscreen, and eye makeup. However, while the cleanser is light to the touch and emulsifiers, I do find that it doesn’t emulsify to the extent of some other oil cleansers I’ve used (like the Green Tea Cleanser from Innisfree).

I do find that even after washing with a water-based cleanser, I have a slight film remaining on my skin. Also, the oil gets stuck in my eyes and while it doesn’t sting at all, it is a bit uncomfortable to have oil in your eyes all day. At some point, I just used micellar water to remove my eye makeup instead.

Overall, I think this is a decent oil cleanser. A lot of skincare enthusiasts have been raving about this cleanser so I wanted to try it, but alas, it is definitely not my favourite and I won’t be repurchasing it in the future.