I haven’t used a cleansing oil in well over 2 years now. Coming from someone who used to be a strong proponent and user of cleansing oils, it is quite something! But the reason I stopped was not because I no longer double cleanse. On the contrary, it was because I’d switched over to using cleansing balms.
This was after realising that cleansing oil, while far more convenient than balms, were stripping my skin and drying it out, resulting in my breaking out. So, when I was invited to try the Tatcha Camellia Cleansing Oil I felt a little concerned.
I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to go down that route again, because overly dry skin results in me breaking out. But because this was such a highly raved product and brand, I took the plunge.
Tatcha is a luxury skincare brand based in the USA, but built on the backs of Japanese skincare philosophy, and as founder Victoria Tsai will tell you, inspired by the beauty rituals of geisha. I must say that the packaging of their products are beautiful. there is a lot of attention to detail and surprise. For example, the fairly simple looking wood-print box that houses the Camellia Cleansing Oil opens up to reveal a beautifully designed blue tray with a grosgrain ribbon pull-tab. The bottle housed within, is wrapped like a scroll, with lovely washi-type paper, with a message from Victoria printed on it. The product itself is housed in sturdy bottles and tubs, with good heft, and a minimalistic design.
I haven’t seen this sort of aesthetic in a long time from any brand, and suffice to say, my attention was captured from the get go! Yet, how did this cleansing oil fare?
