¡Hola, Ole! Review of Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser

It was love at first touch.

Ole Henriksen’s latest cleanser, Pure Truth Melting Cleanser 3 in 1 Cleansing Gelée ($34 for 4 oz.), starts off as a firm light gel but quickly transforms into a smooth oil as soon as you begin massaging it over your skin. It’s a great option if you like to do a pampering facial massage because your hands could glide for days with this stuff.

I was most impressed with the ease of use and makeup-removing abilities. As a solid gel, it’s far neater than an oil cleanser (no drips on the sink or down your arms!). And even put up against my waterproof eye makeup and cushion foundation, it managed to dissolve them quickly and easily. I did have to use a cotton pad to wipe off mascara and eyeliner that had melted into my lash line and under my eyes but didn’t rinse off with just splashing (I didn’t want to rub that close to my eye).

Directions: Use as you would most any oil/balm cleanser. Massage thoroughly onto a dry face with dry hands, and then splash and massage with warm water to emulsify and rinse clean.

A small scoop will suffice. Using too much made it hard to rinse off fully and left an oily residue. Using the proper amount, the cleanser emulsified into a milk and rinsed off completely. So much so that I used this as my only cleanser this morning. At night, I still do a second cleanse with a foaming cleanser, but that’s more out of habit and paranoia than because skin doesn’t feel clean.

Update: This does leave a moisturizing residue, which is evident from the melted eye makeup residue that doesn’t emulsify completely off.  I’ve compared it to cleansing balms by su:m37 and Banila Co. in this post; in comparison, the su:m37 and Banila Co. emulsify completely, whereas the Ole leaves a clean but noticeably soft, moisturized texture on the skin after rinsing.

I admit that I’m not too experienced with makeup-melting cleansers. But it blows the 3 that I have tried out of the water (out of the oil?).

S.W. Basics Makeup Remover–sweet almond, olive, and jojoba oil–is far thicker and heavier, doesn’t rinse off well, and still doesn’t remove all my makeup. And Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple Facial Cleansing Oil is messy to use because of its thin consistency. If your hands are too dry or you don’t use the right amount, there’s friction between your fingertips and your face. On the good side, it rinses pretty cleanly. Lastly, Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser was light and comfortable on the skin and emulsified and washed off cleanly. I really liked this one, but it was lightweight on the makeup-removing front.

But to sum up in a sentence why Pure Truth Melting Cleanser is worth trying: I enjoy using it. How many cleansers can you say that about?

Pros: Removes even waterproof makeup quickly and easily. Easier to use than an oil cleanser. Rinses off cleanly.
Cons: Dissolved eye makeup doesn’t rinse off well unless you massage right around your eyes.