It’s no secret that I love using cleansing balm. I have a whole repository of the cleansing balms I’ve tried LOL! I used to come across one however, that received a lot of love online. It was the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm. Naturally, I had to see what the fuss was about!
Elemis is a spa brand that has popped in and out of Malaysian shores for a while. I remember when it was available at Parkson department stores, when I first tried samples of the brand. Then it disappeared into a spa. I don’t even know if it’s still available here anymore, and if I’m to be honest, I’m not surprised if it no longer is.
Spa brand cosmetics do tend to be notoriously more pricey than most department store brands, and Elemis was no exception. But unlike many spa brands I’ve tried before, I found the Elemis products quite good. They were effective and my skin really loved their products. I haven’t tried many of their products since, as they disappeared from view, and you know what they say – out of sight, out of mind!
But because I kept coming across the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, and how good it was, I gave it a go. I bought it online of course, as I do almost everything these days 😛
What can I say?
I LOVE THE ELEMIS PRO-COLLAGEN CLEANSING BALM!
OMG Shout it from the rooftops!!
What don’t I love about it? Erm… well, nothing except how hard it is to get hold of here in Malaysia, and the fact that you should store it in the fridge, because it is soft and will melt in our weather. Other than that, nothing. I love every damn thing about it!
2023 NOTE: Elemis is now available in Malaysia at Sephora MY, and on their own website as well as in their stores in various malls.
First, the scent. Ok, experts tell us we shouldn’t use products that smell good, or that have citrus oils, because it’s bad for our skin. But you know, a large part of our enjoyment of our skincare is to do also with our sense of smell, and boy, does this smell GOOD!
It smells like a spa. A burst of citrus, mellowing down to a warm, woody smell of spices. It is a delicious blend, that immediately relaxes me. I love melting some of the balm in the palm of my hands, and then taking a minute to deeply breathe in the scent. It is wonderful to come home to this after a long day.
Second, the texture. Oh my, the texture!
This picture shows it straight from the fridge. If you leave it outside in warm weather like ours, it will be in a semi-solid oil form, and it becomes very hard to use. The down side of keeping it in the fridge, is that I tend to forget about it. By the time I want to use it, I’m in the shower, and can’t get to the balm.
But otherwise, the texture is luxurious. It almost melts on contact with the warmth of your skin, into a soft oil-balm. This makes it easy to spread on the skin, and it just feels so comfortable and lush. I can’t get over it!
As with all cleansing balm, use it on dry hands and dry skin. Massage it all over your skin, enjoying the facial massage and the scent. It comes packaged with a lovely soft flannel, and here’s the best part.
You can rinse it off! If you aren’t into faffing about with flannel (and why won’t you?) the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is easy to emulsify and to rinse off. When you do, what you are left with is beautifully soft, clean skin. Your skin feels almost as if you have treated it to a beautiful layer of facial oil. Yet, it feels incredibly clean. It almost feels as if you have just had a mini-facial, and your skin looks beautiful, clean and glowy immediately after.
I do not use it as a makeup remover (I remove my makeup first), so I cannot say if it will remove all your makeup. If you do try, then it would be advisable to follow up with second cleanse. I sometimes follow up with a second cleanse, but sometimes I don’t, because I want to enjoy the feeling of my soft, clean skin. And it really is soft. I will not kid you about this. It just feels beautiful.
And really, I’m at a loss of words to say more without gushing LOL! 😀 Suffice to say, I thoroughly enjoyed using this Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, I still enjoy it with the same enthusiasm today as when I first dipped my spatula in, and I am quite convinced that I will always have a tub with me from now on, because I just can’t envisage not having it!
IN A NUTSHELL
The Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is a luxurious and beautifully formulated cleansing balm. In warm weather, it tends to end up being in a semi-solid oil-balm state, so it is best to keep it in the fridge. It then solidifies into a thick yellow balm. To use, scoop out some balm with dry hands, and massage it onto your dry face. It will melt into a thick oil-balm, and feel luxurious as you massage it all over. Breathe in the scent. It has a beautiful, relaxing spa scent. Light and citrus to refresh, and warm spices to calm and soothe. Emulsify with warm water, and then rinse off. Your skin will feel incredibly soft and smooth. Use a facial cloth or flannel if you prefer. It removes quite easily and makes your skin feel pampered and lush. I love this one to itty bitty bits!
PROS: Relaxing smell, Melts in the warmth of skin, Easy to spread on skin without tugging, Oils in the balm soften skin and help cleanse without stripping skin of oil, Easy to emulsify and rinse off with warm water, Skin feels incredibly soft, smooth and clean after rinsing off, A little goes a long way and a tub will last a long while
CONS: Rather pricey, Hard to find locally, Has to be kept in the fridge in warm weather
WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who enjoys using cleansing balm
PRICE: £41 for 105g
WHERE TO BUY: Sephora MY, SpaceNK, Lookfantastic, Feelunique, Nordstrom, Debenhams, Elemis.com, Asos
For those interested, here is the ingredient list for the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm.
Some of you might at this point, ask if I prefer this over Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser. My answer is yes and no. Yes, because it is easier to remove. No, because the latter is very lush, makes my skin look amazing all the time, doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and is easily available locally. It just needs a flannel to remove the product properly from the skin, and that is something I hope they package with their product some day.
Have you tried this Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm or any other Elemis products?
I must say that this has rekindled my interest in Elemis as a brand. I know they often do some deluxe trial sets, so I might pick one up one day, to see if the products are as good as I remember. Oh dear, I sense a slippery slope LOL! 😀
Paris B
Thanks for featuring the ingredient list of the cleansing balm because with more users conscious about the environment, they opt for polyethylene-free cleansing balms.
I wasn’t aware of the polyethylene-free movement, so thanks for letting me know!
Oooo~ I have been pretty curious about Elemis products since I’ve seen it pop up on the internet. It does sound totally amazing, even though it is expensive. But sadly, judging by the number of essential oils they added, it might not be the best for my sensitive skin. 🙁 I guess I will give it a go if I can get my hands on some samples to try it out first and making sure that my skin is fine with it before making a full purchase. I am very curious about other products from the brand, so if you do try them, please please please review them too! 🙂
Hi Rosalind, this cleansing balm is indeed lovely. You can try and get a travel size pot from Asos.com, I remember it costing a couple pounds and it lasted me a while before upgrading. Their Pro Marine Collagen cream is also one of their best seller and is a lovely cream if you have dry, 30+yr old skin.
I love the Pro Marine Collagen cream! I remember it was so good. Thanks for the Asos travel size pot suggestion, Lezel. Now I can get one for travel 🙂
Yes essential oils can irritate, so maybe best to stay away for now. Elemis actually makes some good skincare. But because they are sold through spas, it can often fly under the radar. Will certainly share more if I try any other products 🙂
Wow. You make this look and sound so good. I am a little tempted now! Will keep this in mind when I do my next online shopping.
Definitely try it if you can, and if you love cleansing balms. I love it so much!
I’m glad this is not readily available. I have so many cleansers to get through first. My new year’s resolution not to buy anything is an epic fail. ?
LOL! I put myself on a low low buy. So far, it’s working fairly well. I’ve gone through a couple of months without doing too much damage. But then it could also be because I’ve been caught up with current affairs, that I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to what’s new beautywise hehe…
I’m now so tempted to get this for my morning clease if I don’t need a second cleansing step! Think it will be good for my dry skin.
I first came across the Elemis brand when I was on holiday and the hotel provided their shower gel and body lotion. I loved the lotion so much i brought the leftovers home ?
I’d have asked for a top up of the shower gel and body lotion before I came home! LOL! 😀
Wow, that sounds wonderful. It’s quite hard to find, only three locations in Switzerland, none in France, two in Germany. I have to online order this.
See if you can get one of their trial sets. They often do them especially around Mother’s day or something. It’s a good way to try it, to see if it works for you 🙂
I just bought the Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser yesterday as I wanted to utilise my 25% birthday discount. This one looks lovely but pity its not available locally.
Hi Victoria, might I suggest Emma Hardie Moringa cleansing balm if you’re looking for something similar. That one is my HG and I will NEVER EVER be without it 😛 PB Knows it too hahahaha. You can get Emma Hardie from Caliata locally. They have an introductory set which is reasonably priced and includes a 50gm balm!
LOL Yes I do! I’m going to take your suggestion and keep that one in the fridge too and see if I like it any better then 🙂
Are you liking the Antipodes one? I really like that one a lot. I’ve gone through 3 tubs! The only “problem” i have with it is that I need a cloth to remove, vs the Elemis one where I can get away without using a cloth. Otherwise, I love it!
I noticed that my skin is smoother everytime I use it. I followed the tip from one of your reader and massaged the the balm into my skin. But it does leave a greasy film if I do not remove it properly with the wash cloth. So I found myself scrubbing my skin harder just to remove the balm during washing. I need to learn to be more gentle when removing the balm though. LOL. Otherwise, the balm is good, it just takes getting used to since I have been using the Clinique balm all this while.
To avoid it feeling too greasy, take some warm water and wet your skin, then massage. It won’t emulsify, but it will lighten. Keep doing it a few times before using the cloth and you’ll find the greasy feeling diminishes. I used to be uncomfortable with the feeling on my skin too, but since I learned this trick, it helps, and my skin also seems to appreciate a bit of oil on it as well. If you want to remove it more cleanly, try a cleansing gel. It strips more than a cleansing milk does and if you get one that is not so drying, it is quite nice too.
I am lazy about flannels so this sounds great!
I must confess I am sometimes lazy about using flannels too LOL! I mean, it’s nicer to use a flannel (and less rubbing of the skin too) but hey, some evenings, you just want to wash and go