Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm Review

Somewhere along the line, I temporarily became a little snobbish towards high street brands and stopped paying attention to dare I say it - budget beauty launches. I partly blame lockdown, not being out and about, meant I mostly just bought and therefore used, tried and true products. Over the last 6 months purchases of this nature in general, have been sparse and frankly my interest did somewhat wane; it simply felt wrong to spend a lot of money on such frivolous items, when financially things weren’t great for 99.9% of the population - myself included.

Said guilt has somewhat dissipated and I have been into Superdrug at least twice since lockdown restrictions were lifted (bear in mind I live in Scotland). In a way, it was nice to just fritter away a little of the day pouring over new launches but at the same time, I was conscious that I don’t need to try everything new and shiny. However with Winter now knocking on our doors, I’d be doing the beauty world a disservice if I didn’t sit down and share a few thoughts on the Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm.

Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm Review


Now that it is getting colder outside, you may be starting to re-think your current skincare routine? It is always around this time of the year, that I reconsider what I use to cleanse (and of course moisturise) my face, favouring more nourishing options. Previously I had been using a CeraVe Cleanser and as good as it was, I found combined with the suddenly chilly weather, with each passing use, my skin was beginning to feel tight immediately after rinsing clean. As such, I knew it was time to switch to a cleansing balm and with Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm sat pretty in the wings, there really was no time quite like the present.

Although described as a cleansing balm, the texture of Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm is more akin to a cleansing milk; it is a light, loose, liquid not a firm balm. In a way this sort of adds to its charm, not to mention ease of use. Sure it’s not as luxurious as say the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm but it doesn’t pretend to be, nor is it remotely close in terms of price. Due to the liquid-like texture, it effortlessly glides onto the skin, feeling both calming and moisturising. To remove you simply wipe clean with a hot flannel, taking off all traces of make-up, dirt and grime. 

Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm Review


Admittedly the Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm is targeted at dry skin types, however I’ve been using it fairly consistently for a good few weeks now and it has not caused my typically oily/acne prone skin any issues. If anything, I find it to be rather comforting on my often stressed out complexion. I also must vouch that it does entirely live up to the “no clogged pores” claim, as well as not resulting in dry or tight skin.

Rather annoyingly, Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm are a tad vague in terms of describing what each core ingredient within the product does but the heavy hitters are: Vitamin E (an antioxidant that helps strengthen the skin barrier), Vitamin B3 (helps to retain moisture) and Pro-Vitamin B5 (helps to smooth and soften the texture of the skin). There is also the addition of the rather ambiguous “caring oils” which really is open to interpretation to what they may be?

Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm Review
Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm


Now here is where I do have to be blunt in stating that you must remove every scrap of the Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm, each and every time you use it, as it contains a fairly decent amount of Petroleum (the third ingredient overall). If any traces of such ingredient is left to fester on the skin you will break out sooner or later. As previously mentioned, I have experienced no issues with this balm whatsoever but I am diligent in the removal process. 

Is Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm my all time favourite cleanser of its type? In a word no. I however, truly do believe you would be hard pushed to find a better cleansing balm suited to weather beaten skin.

 Olay Cleanse Nourishing Cleansing Balm £3.99/150ml - link.