Review: The Best Cleansing Oil You Can’t Buy

Well, can’t buy is an exaggeration right now. But you guys, my HG cleansing oil has been discontinued, and I am DEVASTATED. But it’s still available on Amazon, so if you get a chance, grab it. Now let me tell you all the reasons why you should shell out $38 on a cleansing oil.

Yes. I said it. $38. I’m a firm believer that cost ≠ efficacy, and there are SO MANY beautiful Asian skincare items out there that can outperform more expensive Western equivalents. But this oil is so worth it to me because so far, I haven’t found anything that works as well (which is why I’m pretty upset that it’s been discontinued).

Interestingly, this isn’t actually an oil. There are many oil-esque ingredients in this cleanser, but no actual oils. So if you’ve been curious about oil cleansing but are kinda weirded out by it, this might be a good place to start. The cleanser itself feels like a light oil, but without the oily slip when you put it on your skin – it’s a hard feeling to describe, but if you try this once you’ll understand what I mean.

If you’re not familiar with using oil cleansers as a makeup remover, here’s a quick guide:

1. Pump out some oil onto clean, dry hands
2. Rub all over your (dry) face for a minute or two
   If you have sensitive eyes then avoid your eye area, but otherwise rub the oil over your eyelids too, it will pull your mascara right off!
3. Rinse your hands
4. Emulsify: Splash some of the excess water (from rinsing your hands) on your face – you are not trying to wash the oil off at this point, but rather add a little water to “mix” with the oil
5. Continue to rub the oil + water over your face. The oil should turn white and possibly start to foam a little (depending on the formula); this is the oil emulsifying
6. Rinse your face to get all the oil off

But as I mentioned before, this isn’t actually an oil cleanser. It acts like an oil cleanser, so you’ll use the steps I just outlined, but I don’t feel the need to follow this up with a second cleanser.

This cleanser pulls off ALL of my makeup and leaves no traces of it. I mean EVERYTHING. All of my mascara is gone. All of my foundation is gone. This cleanser feels so light going on the skin that I didn’t expect much. But surprisingly, it removes my makeup significantly better than other cleansers.

And, because it’s not a true oil, it rinses off cleanly, without leaving a residue. This is the best part of the cleanser for me; it saves me a step in my nighttime routine when I’m already tired and just want to go to bed.

This is a very neutral cleanser; it doesn’t feel like it’s stripping my skin of any oils, and doesn’t feel like it’s significantly adding moisture back to my skin. For this reason, I think this is a great cleanser for all skin types, including sensitive skin. Dior wasn’t kidding when they put “gentle” in the name.

It has a floral scent thanks to the lily extract, but it’s light and not very noticeable when you’re cleansing your face.

This is my #1 HG cleanser, and it sets the standard for all other oil cleansers I try. It’s phenomenal at removing makeup, it allows me to remove a step from my routine, and a little goes a long way. I seriously can’t say enough good things about it, and I’m going to be really sad if it’s been discontinued.

Disclaimers: I purchased this product 100% myself. This post contains no affiliate links.