I Hate Elaborate Skin-Care Routines. This Cleanser Changed My Mind.

New York Times

18 hours ago

My simple skin-care routine, consisting of whatever drugstore face wash and moisturizer I could get my hands on, was perfectly adequate — until I studied abroad in Korea after my freshman year.
As much as I love my motherland, its weather is what I would consider a living hell. Between the humidity and sudden rainstorms, South Korea's brutal summers leave you drenched. As I trudged through the hilly asphalt streets of Seoul, my face became a battleground between layers of sweat and sunscreen. After class, I would meander into the skin-care aisles of AC-blasted beauty stores, seeking refuge and searching for a solution. I would typically leave empty-handed, overwhelmed with options and fraught with indecision.
Luckily for me, my childhood friend was also living in Korea at the time. So when I slept over one night and told her my sweaty woes, she opened her medicine cabinet and pulled out what would become my holy grail cleanser: Heimish All Clean Balm.
There's almost nothing this balm can't melt away. It's also lightly scented and portable.
She showed me how to scoop a small amount of product onto my fingers, lather it up, and rub it into my skin, melting away the day's dirt. As soon as I rinsed it off, my skin felt like porcelain. It unveiled a smooth surface of cleaned-out pores that had been suffocating underneath layers of grime. After I followed the balm with a cleanser and moisturizer, my skin was squeaky-clean and radiant — a hard reset. The Heimish All Clean Balm comes out of the packaging with a buttery consistency but melts into a more oily texture as you lather it on your face. Christina Lee/NYT Wirecutter
I am now a rising senior in college. Since I first encountered the balm, I've changed my major five times. I've lived on campus and off. My wardrobe has (thankfully) undergone sweeping changes, and my drink of choice has matured, too. But my skin-care routine has remained surprisingly static, and I've used the All Clean Balm every night since that summer in Seoul.
I absolutely love the All Clean Balm's shape-shifting texture — it goes from buttery to oily to milky-sudsy as you lather. I've found it to be far less messy and easier to control than oil makeup cleansers.
It also melts off my makeup more efficiently than facial cleansers like micellar water and makeup wipes. As someone who swears by waterproof mascara for its hold on my Asian lashes, I've found this balm to be the only cleanser that doesn't leave me with raccoon eyes. (That ability to melt waterproof mascara is one of the reasons why beauty consultant Michelle Lee, former editor-in-chief of Allure, recommends this balm in Wirecutter's guide to Korean skin-care products, too.)
All Clean Balm does have a lot of ingredients — 36 to be exact — which is three times as many as some of the picks in our guide to the best facial cleansers. The balm also contains several botanical oils and extracts that give it a zesty fragrance, which doesn't irritate my eyes. My combination skin responds well to the ingredients, such as the moisturizing shea butter and antioxidants like vitamin E and tea tree oil. But if you prefer products with fewer ingredients or limited scents, this balm may not be for you.
The balm is also a perfect travel companion. As a college student, I'm not often in the same place for too long, so having a cleanser that can move around as much as I do is a must. Because it's not a liquid, I don't have to worry about it spilling in my luggage or weekend duffel bag or, for the most part, being confiscated by airport security when it's tucked away in my carry-on (though it was confiscated on a layover at the notoriously strict Heathrow Airport; I was devastated). The balm can cleanly melt off a full face of makeup. Christina Lee/NYT Wirecutter
I also love it for how simple it made my (still very minimal) skin-care routine. After a long day of studying or back-to-back classes, I don't look forward to an extensive grooming routine at night, especially when it takes place in a communal bathroom. And although I routinely pair All Clean Balm with a water-based cleanser, for those especially exhausting nights spent studying into the wee hours of the morning, the balm works just fine on its own.
My only gripe is the little plastic spoon that sits atop the protective cover of the balm. Although some may prefer the Italian-ice-like scooping experience it mimics, I'm not convinced that it's actually very useful or practical. I've grown accustomed to throwing away the plastic spoon along with the protective cover as soon as I open a fresh batch because I prefer using my hands, and the spoon and cover get in the way of a quicker scoop. I always wash my hands before applying the balm, so the method hasn't raised any issues of hygiene that the spoon may intend to prevent. The packaging includes a spoon to scoop out the balm, but I find it unnecessary and prefer to use my fingers. Christina Lee/NYT Wirecutter
I'm grappling with the impending doom of post-grad life and looking back at my wide-eyed freshman self with slight envy. But my commitment to All Clean Balm remains unchanged. It's wiped off gunk after red-eye library sessions and traveled abroad on spring-break trips with my college friends. As I inch closer to graduation, it'll wipe off my makeup from plenty of last-chance dance parties and senior pictures. And the day I receive my diploma, I'll count on it to remove my runny mascara too.
This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder. We tried the glassy, the snail mucin–y, the stretchy, and the balmy to settle on 13 standouts that cleanse, treat, moisturize, and protect.
Cleansing is a key step for skin care. We lathered, rinsed, and repeated (and repeated!) our way through 35 contenders to find these eight overachieving picks.
Not all face cleansers are fit for the eyes. Tingling or burning is a red flag. When in doubt, use a makeup remover first and then wash your face.