I got this Sasatinnie Water Cleansing Balm when I was in Asia last time. It was a last minute purchase since I had just realized I needed an oil cleanser the day before going back to Canada. I had previously used Heimish’s cleansing balm and really liked it, and this product seemed pretty similar.
I believe Sasatinnie is the private label of Sasa, which is a cosmetic chain store in Asia (kind of like Sephora in North America). I got mines when it was on sale, (came to about $10 CAD I think). The line offers a Watery AND a Melting Cleansing Balm – although I’m not sure what the difference is and there wasn’t any sort of indication of what the differences were on the packaging. I went with the watery one because my skin was leaning more towards the dry side when I got this.
Packaging
This cleansing balm comes in a plastic pink container. It was cute and minimalistic, but they used white font, which made it really hard to read (they only had the directions on the container). I also found it slippery and hard to handle when you have the cleansing balm on your hands, and sometimes it was hard to close the lid properly possibly due to the placement of the spatula underneath the lid.
I liked that they included a spatula though, which you can use to scoop the product out with and makes it more hygienic to use. There’s also a plastic lid under the actual lid, where you can keep the spatula, and prevent the product from being too exposed to the environment when the actual lid is off while you’re using the product.
Product Claims
- Removes makeup and moisturizes skin
- Soft and Supple skin
- Contains 5 kinds of natural plant ingredients
- Made in Korea
Key Ingredients
If you know me, you would know that I love using facial oils 🙂 So I was happy that the main ingredients of this product are natural plant oils.
Nut oil
It doesn’t specify what kind of nut oil was used. The ingredients were in Chinese, so I tried to google it, but there is minimal information on this product on the internet and it doesn’t say on their website either.
Camellia oil
Camellia oil is from the plant which produces green tea. This oil has a comedogenic rating of 1, which means it has a very low probability of clogging pores. It is high in Oleic Acid, which is a great moisturizer and helps with anti-inflammation. Its antibacterial properties also make it great for acne-prone skin types.
Olive oil
This oil has a comedogenic rating of 2, so it has a moderately low probability of clogging pores and is also high in Oleic Acid. It is very moisturizing and helps bring down redness and inflammation for those with dry, irritated skin.
Macadamia nut oil
This oil has a comedogenic rating of 2-3, so it has a moderately low to moderate probability of clogging pores. It is high in Oleic Acid and Palmitoleic Acid, which is a great cleanser and slows down signs of ageing. It is great for supporting the skin’s moisture barrier by carrying other ingredients deep into the dermal layer.
Jojoba oil
This oil has a comedogenic rating of 2, so it has a moderately low probability of clogging pores. It is also high in Eicosenoic Acid, which helps to soften skin. It is light and easy to absorb, but some may experience purging for a few weeks before achieving clear skin.
The Product
I got this product last fall and was my go-to makeup remover and oil cleanser for most of the fall and winter season. In fact, I’m almost finished my tub.
I use the double-cleansing method, so I used this as the first step to my routine.
It has a thick, sherbert-like consistency, which melted fast enough on warm skin. I have cold hands in the winter, so sometimes I would need to rub my hands together to get it to a spreadable consistency. It gets to a pretty thick oily consistency. It doesn’t have a distinct smell.
Once I add water, the oil emulsifies into a white liquid and washes off the oil. It effectively removed my make up and does leave my skin smooth and supple.
A negative with this product is that I did get a purging period, possibly from the jojoba oil, for a few weeks when I started using this product initially. It was great afterwards though, for the rest of winter… until summer. This product may have been too heavy for my combination skin (and skin types can change with the seasons!), and the macadamia nut oil has a slightly higher comedogenic rating.
Bottom line
The product does what it is supposed to do, but may be more suitable for drier skin types.
