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The Secret Skincare Cleansing Balm: Our Honest Review

It might sound a bit Groundhog Day but putting this beauty step on repeat could be the secret to a healthier complexion and better self care.

We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas
We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas

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As a beauty-obsessed gal, I never miss a beat when it comes to my skincare routine. Give me all the creams, all the serums, and especially all the cleansers.

I’ve been an avid double cleanser for about four years and now I can’t imagine not doing it. Because, if there’s one step in a skin-care routine that might bear repeating, it’s cleansing. It would be ‘stupid’ not to.

Think of double-cleansing as a one-two punch to tackle both surface and deep-down impurities. The ideal routine to follow for double cleansing is using an oil or balm based cleanser first, massaging it into your skin to remove your makeup, sunscreen, dirt and grime. Then you go in with your second cleanser to really deep clean the skin and leaving it feeling totally clean.

I’ve tried so many cleansing balms and oils over the years, both high-end and budget-friendly. But this one from The Secret Skincare really stood out to me for its amazing formulation and luxurious texture.

1-MINUTE REVIEW: THE SECRET SKINCARE THE CLEANSING BALM

The Cleansing Balm, $65 at The Secret Skincare

What You Need To Know:

The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare is a luxurious balm-to-oil cleanser that’s designed to be used on dry skin, morning or night, for all skin types.

It’s the best way to elevate your double cleanse routine and turn it into the ultimate self-care ritual that you’ll never want to miss.

The formulation works hard to cleanse the skin – it removed my makeup in seconds – and left it feeling nourished, soft and totally hydrated.

Jump to our full review below


HOW WE TESTED THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM

When trying out new skincare products, you usually need to give it some time in order to properly test the effectiveness. However, this isn’t the case with cleansers. As the main purpose of them is to cleanse the skin, you should be able to see the effects straight away.

I used The Secret Skincare’s Cleansing Balm every night as part of my double cleanse routine for about two to three weeks – this means I used it as my first cleanse product, to remove my makeup, then followed it by cleansing my skin with my normal gel cleanser.

HOW WE EVALUATED THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM


FULL REVIEW OF THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM

When it comes to cleansing oils and balms, I have plenty of favourites, but I was very excited to try out this fabulous pick from The Secret Skincare.

I’ve never tried anything from the brand before, so this was a lovely introduction to Australia’s first prescription skincare range.

THE FORMULATION AND INGREDIENTS

The Secret Skincare’s Cleansing Balm is all about cleansing the skin without stripping it dry.

It contains Caprylic/Capric triglyceride and a bunch of emollients, designed to help protect the skin’s protective barrier and retain moisture. It’s also packed with vitamin E to said to provide antioxidants and extra hydration. Same goes for olive squalene – this works to boost your barrier function, while the camellia oil will soothe and soften your complexion.

We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas
We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas

HOW TO USE THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM

The Secret Skincare Cleansing Balm is super easy to use. Every night, I massaged one scoop of the product onto dry skin – over the top of my makeup and sunscreen.

I really like to enjoy this process and soak it all in, so I massage my skin for a minute or two, getting into every nook and cranny, as well as using the product to - gently - remove my eye makeup too.

It quickly adopts an oil consistency, especially when you add warm water to it.

Then I rinse my face, gently pat it dry and follow up with a gel cleanser as part of my double cleanse routine.

We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas
We try The Cleansing Balm from The Secret Skincare. Picture: Supplied/Marina Tatas

PRICE: HOW MUCH DOES THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM COST?

The Secret Skincare’s Cleansing Balm will cost you $65 for 50ml. While it’s not exactly budget-friendly skincare, if you do like to splurge on an item or two in your overall routine, I highly recommend trying this out for yourself.

Once you use it, you can really feel how luxe this cleansing balm is. And, while I do think $65 is a little steep, I can see why it’s priced at that.

I also thinks it would make a fabulous gift idea because it’s the kind of beauty product anyone can use, no matter what their skin type is.


VERDICT: SHOULD YOU BUY THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM?

Overall, I really liked The Secret Skincare Cleansing Balm.

It’s not the kind of product that I’m going to rush to restock once I run out because of its price point. But if I feel like treating myself, this is a fabulous pick that’s going to sit high up on my shopping list.

How luxurious the product feels, how well it works at cleansing, all while leaving your skin feeling so nourished and hydrated, makes this is a great buy from an Aussie beauty brand.

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WHAT PRODUCTS ARE LIKE THE SECRET SKINCARE CLEANSING BALM?

I’ve tried so many cleansing balms and oils that it’s hard for me to keep count.

If I had to compare The Secret Skincare Cleansing Balm to another product, I would say it’s most similar to the Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm – both products work as a balm-to-oil cleanser that’s buttery soft and super nourishing, whereas the Alpha-H cleanser will cost you $69.95 for 90g.

Looking for something more budget-friendly? While they are cleansing oils instead of balms, two of my personal favourites are the Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil (which you can grab from Amazon for $32) and the MCoBeauty Hydrating Cleansing Oil for a mere $25.


To save some of your hard-earned cash, head on over to the news.com.au Coupons page, where you can find discounts on ghd, Adore Beauty and Priceline.

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Marina Tatas
Marina TatasShopping writer

Marina has been helping Australian shoppers find products that are actually worth buying for more than five years. Since joining news.com.au’s shopping team in 2021, she has become an expert in sales and deals and curates news.com.au checkout’s must-read weekly shopping and deals article. For the past five years, she has covered mega sale events like Black Friday and Boxing Day, sifting through hundreds of deals to find the biggest discounts on the products worth adding to cart. She is also passionate about all things beauty having tested hundreds of serums, eye creams and moisturisers to provide first-hand reviews. She has previously worked at comparison site Finder as a Shopping Writer and has written for popular titles including Marie Claire, Women's Health and The Carousel.

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/checkout/beauty/skincare/cleansers/the-secret-skincare-the-cleansing-balm-review/news-story/ad2c08561e8757d16e0d4390c07b45d6