Review: Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm

I have a love-hate relationship with balm cleansers. I love how luxurious they feel, how effective they are at removing makeup and how great they make my skin look and feel. And the Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm is no exception to all that, but… and this is where the ‘hate’ comes in, my sensitive eyes always battle with them. Sometimes it’s a sting, other times it’s a painless fogginess that lingers well after the rinse-off, but no matter where they fall on the eye irritation spectrum, it’s enough to make me relegate balm cleansers to merely a ‘skin’ cleanse and use my trusty old Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water for my peepers beforehand.

What Makes It Special:
Balm cleansers are known for their superhero makeup moving abilities, and this can do that, but it’s also incredibly gentle. Packed with nourishing actives and antioxidants like Wild Orange Leaf Extract and Sandalwood Seed Oil, the formula leaves skin feeling nourished, soft and smooth – never stripped, tight or dry. The silky balm also contains Grapeseed Oil to nourish and Bisabolol to calm and soothe.

Why I Like It:
I love the texture of this. The Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm a soft, buttery balm that can go straight on my face without needing to ‘warm’ it up in my hands. It melts into such a comfortable, glossy oil really quickly – but doesn’t become a messy liquid like I find oil cleansers can – it then emulsifies into the most gorgeous, nourishing milky liquid that rinses completely clean – leaving the softest skin behind ready for my evening routine. For me, that’s the tick/kiss of death. If a balm cleanser leaves behind a slick of oily residue or even just a slight remnant of balminess, I’m immediately unimpressed. Additionally, the scent is lovely; lush, sweet citrus notes come from the Sweet Orange Peel Oil and Tangerine Peel Oil, plus Ylang-Ylang Flower Oil and Vanilla. It also contains Grapeseed Oil which is naturally high in nourishing Vitamin E. The sunny yellow colouring comes from the inclusion of Iron Oxides and Turmeric.

On the aesthetic level, I adore the packaging (which is made from 30% recycled plastics, and is 100% recyclable), the matte white tub is easy to open and close, even with fingers covered in slippery product.

What I Don’t Like About It:
I’d love to be able to use this over my eyes without the fogginess, but as I’ve mentioned, that’s a ‘me issue’, rather than the balm’s fault.

Application:
The packaging directs to use a grape-sized amount, personally, I use about half that and it feels like plenty. I apply the Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm to dry skin and it melts almost instantly and then I gently massage it all over my face and leave it for at least a minute or two (longer if I have the time). I then rinse it off with warm water. Being a balm, it’s great as a first cleanse, but this rinses off so perfectly that I can use this on makeup/SPF free days as my one-and-done cleanser. PM only in my opinion, this is overkill for a morning cleanse.

Product Claims:
Nourishing balm-to-oil formula – very nourishing
Melts away makeup, SPF, dirt and pollution – agree
The waterless formulation does not disrupt the skin’s delicate pH – agree
Maintains and supports your skin’s barrier function – agree
Non-stripping – my skin feels really clean, but at all tight or stripped

Ingredients:
Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric, Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Fusanus Spicatus Kernel Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Peel Oil, Bisabolol, Capparis Mitchellii Leaf Extract, Citrus Sinensis (Sweet Orange) Peel Oil, Cananga Odorata (Ylang-Ylang) Flower Oil, Citrus Junos Oil, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla) Fruit Extract, Limonene, Ci 77491 (Iron Oxides), Ci 75300 (Natural Curcumin)

Available From:
Alpha-H
Adore Beauty
Mecca
Sephora

Details:
90g – $59.95

Repurchase:
I definitely would. I can see this little pot lasting a long time, but I’m really enjoying using it. Adding this to the list of Alpha-H favourites.