What am I testing?
I’m testing an eye make-up remover. In our age of waterproof everything (mascara, eyeliner etc) coupled with make-up setting spray, the humble make-up remover does have its work cut out.
It’s important that you note that this is not a micellar water or a facial cleanser. Therefore, you must wash your face, ideally with a cleanser, after you’ve used an eye make-up remover.
(You can read about the technical detail on how micellar water or facial cleansers work at this BLOG).
Before photo
After applying a plethora of waterpoof, pigmented, matte and shiny and mainly black make-up, my forearm looked like this:
(Products used are: Kay Beauty eyeliner/eyeshadow, Tom Ford under eye concealer, Tom Ford Emotion Proof eyeshadow, Maybelline colossal kajal, Givenchy waterproof mascara, Pat McGrath eyeshadow, Bobbi Brown black eyeliner (the one from the pot) and Jane Iredale eyeshadow).
I then pressed down a pre-soaked (in the make-up remover) cotton pad on the above patch and counted to 5. Finally, I wiped over this area (quite firmly) exactly 4 times.
After photo
The results are excellent: a slight film remains, but 95% of the eye make up is removed. This film easily shifts with very small amounts of a mild facial cleanser (Forest Essential’s Mashobra cleanser)
The ingredients
There are surprisingly few ingredients:
- Preservatives: methylparaben and 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol
- Solvents: water, Isohexadecane
- Emollients: Butylene Glycol, whose primary function is to increase softness and smoothness of product. Also has Cyclopentasiloxane and Cyclohexasiloxane, which both increases softness of the skin and give the skin a silky smooth feel.
- Moisturising: Glycerin (a humectant) and is more moisturising. Glycerin works by drawing water from the deeper epidermis and dermis allowing the skin to feel smoother (source: Draelos)
Would I buy this again?
If it didn’t have methylparaben, then this would be my go to eye make-up remover. If you are OK with the paraben risk then for sure, this is a great product.
See also: Chemicals to avoid: parabens, An update on parabens for pre-natal cosmetic use.
SourceL Draelos ZD, The science behind skin care: Moisturizers. J. Cosmet Dermatol. 2018; 17:138-144