Two Cleansing Oils: three balancing Cleansing Oil and DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

Here’s another item that I gotten in Japan last June – I made a decision to open up the three balancing Cleansing Oil and bypass some other cleansing oils in my stash because it consists of no preservatives and I didn’t want it to spoil.

This product has a lot of hype around it, and I wanted to see for myself how a luxury cleansing oil performs. I’ll spoil the review here now because you’ll notice that the title pointed out two cleansing oils – the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil pertained to the rescue when the three oil failed to deliver.  I have a question for you – when people ask if you want to hear the bad news first or the good news first – which do you usually say? I always want to hear the bad news first…

THREE is a high-end Japanese brand that reminds me a bit of the line Prescriptives but with an emphasis on natural ingredients (side note: I had no idea that Prescriptives was back in service but online only!). When I checked out the three counter, I was of course immediately drawn to the makeup :

But no, I had to stay focused. I asked the SA about the cleansing oil and she encouraged that it was their a lot of popular item.  I gotten it, then pawed at the makeup one last time and went on my way.

It is made of 88% naturally derived ingredients and claims to “purifies the skin by thoroughly removing makeup and excess sebum”.

I don’t read Japanese but I’m going to assume the first line is about the naturally derived ingredients! Also, note that like a lot of Japanese cosmetics, the price is printed ideal on the product, it’s shown as “4,000 円” ideal next to “200mL”. I do like how sleek the packaging looks with the unbleached paper and the frosted bottle (it’s plastic, not glass).

Fast forward to November, I tried this cleanser for 2 weeks and then I gave up.  I won’t mince words – this oil cleanser stinks badly – like herbal tea left to ferment in an athlete’s sneaker.  Also, it doesn’t do its primary function well: clean off my makeup! My foundation and eye makeup are not removed thoroughly, no matter how much of the product I use. It also doesn’t rinse / emulsify completely off so I feel a film left on my skin. Lastly, and the worst aspect of all – this stings the heck out of my eyes!

A demonstration of how a cleansing oil works – on dry skin it’s just plain oil (left) which is massaged into the skin to melt off makeup. once water hits the oil, it emulsifies – turns milky – and rinses off (right).
I will say one great thing about the formula – it’s a thicker consistency which is what I like in a cleansing oil.

This is 2 weeks’ worth of usage, plus using it to clean makeup brushes.
Why is this so popular and highly reviewed?! I suspect it has something to do with its large price identify of ¥4,000 (~C$50 for 200ml) – a lot more expensive skincare need to be better, surely?  Also, I think that if you paid a lot of money for a product, it’s less of a cognitive dissonance to want it to work well.

Here are the ingredients:

Vitis Vineffera (Grape Seed Oil), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Squalane, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Isostearic Acid, Pentylene Glycol, Rosacanina Fruit Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) peel Oil, PEG-12 Isostearate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamina (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) leaf Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Origanum Majorana leaf Oil, Beeswax, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter, Ascorbyl palmitate, Lecithin.

I must note that it consists of some oils that are potentially irritating, such as orange peel oil, bergamot oil, and rosemary oil (essential oils in general can cause irritations). Thankfully, I did not react to them, I think generally because I always follow up oil cleansing with a micellar water to remove any residue.

Pros:
• sleek packaging and bottle
• natural ingredients

Ulemper:
• smells terrible
• Doesn’t clean well
• Stings eyes
• Doesn’t rinse well
• consists of potentially irritating oils
• Dyrt

Stash worthiness: 2/10

This bottle now sits in my vanity as a cautionary tale… and I am trying to use it up to clean makeup brushes. While it’s never fun posting a negative review about a product, I feel that it’s needed to balance some of the blind hype sometimes. Spar pengene dine!

Now let’s chat about another cleansing oil that’s pretty awesome! similar to THREE, the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil has a lot of hype. It is a bit on the pricey side compared to other Japanese cleansing oils at C$35 for 200ml bottle. It might be just me, but I always found the packaging of the DHC cleansing oil to look quite cheap:

So I was really psyched when I learned that DHC released a limited edition collection featuringAlice in Wonderland illustrations:

Now I had an excuse to get this! It cost the same price as the regular bottle so I gotten it online in late 2014 where it has sat in my closet since.

Just look at it! *squee*
After the disappointing experience with the three balancing Cleansing Oil, I made a decision to finally open this up.

What I interpret from this illustration is that the cleansing oil lifts out sebum and dirt from inside pores.
DHC states:
• In a scientific study, 92% of participants agreed Deep Cleansing Oil worked better than a leading cleanser at removing complexion makeup
• special water-soluble formula rinses thoroughly
• rich in vitamins and antioxidants
• Nourishes and hydrates for younger-looking skin
• 1 sold every 10 seconds worldwide

The consistency of this cleansing oil is one of the thickest I’ve ever tried – which I love! It smells mostly like olive oil – not in any way offensive, but fairly utilitarian (and no added fragrance). as for its performance, it’s generally the complete opposite of the three oil – this one cleans thoroughly (even waterproof eye makeup), rinses well, and doesn’t sting my eyes! After cleansing, my skin did not feel tight or stripped.  This reminds me a lot of my much-loved cleansing oil, the MUJI sensitive Skin Cleansing Oil, which is a good thing!

The ingredient list for the DHC cleansing oil is much shorter:

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Pentylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Stearyl Glycyrrhetinate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) leaf Oil.

The rosemary oil can be a possible skin irritant – but a least it’s the last ingredient – and my skin didn’t react at all.

And let’s not kid ourselves, the Alice in Wonderland artwork is a big part of the appeal of this product for me!

I love the mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat!
The artwork is just a plastic shrink-wrap but I think I could reuse the bottle as long as I’m careful when washing it up.
Look at the detail they put into both the outer box and the bottle itself.

Look at the artwork for UPC code!
The main negative about the DHC cleansing oil is the price identify at $35 – if you’re trying to find a more affordable alternative for the DHC, I highly recommend the MUJI sensitive Skin cleansing oil, which is less half price of DHC at $14.50 for 200ml. They’re both olive oil based and do pretty much the same for me.

Pros:
• pretty bottle (this LE version, anyway)
• No added fragrance
• cleans well
• Rinses cleanly
• Does not sting eyes

Ulemper:
• A bit pricey
• consists of potentially irritating oil

Stash worthiness: 9/10

Here’s a quick comparison of the performance of the two cleansing oils.  The makeup to be removed are:

L to R: Maybelline SuperStay better Skin foundation in 250 nude beige (review here), Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard (review here), KATE Stick Concealer in natural beige (review here), MAC Mineralize blush in early Morning, Bourjois Eyeshadow in #74 Brun Somptueux, Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon eyeliner in #48 Ro(Cocoa), Joe Fresh fine idea liquid eyeliner in Dark Brown, and CoverGirl LashBlash volume mascara (shown here)
I applied each product to bare skin and allowed everything to dry thoroughly for 15 minutes.

Each cleansing oil rubbed over dried makeup 3 times using a cotton bud.  THREE did not remove the eye makeup very well, compared to DHC.
So here’s a case of 2 hyped up products – one lived up to the hype while the other did not.  Even with at this price point, the DHC cleansing oil has edged out a couple of other cleansing oils to make it into my top 3. I’ve been using oil cleansers for lots of years, ever considering that Japanese skincare regimes starting making the North American appeal rounds in mid-2000’s. My first cleansing oil was the Origins clean energy Cleansing Oil because that was what was available to me at the time. I then branched out to the cheap and cheerful Softymo quick Cleansing Oil. After trying various cleansing oils, my preference is for cleansing oils that are olive oil based, and my current top 3 are: MUJI sensitive Skin Cleansing Oil, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, and MAC Cleanse Off Oil.  Incidentally, although MAC is a North American brand, their cleansing oil is made in Japan!  Are you a fan of cleansing oils?

What was a hyped up product that disappointed you? and what hyped product actually lived up to the hype?

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