The Clinique Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm ($38, full-size – 4.2 oz.) is a very interesting product, but does the Japanese charcoal do anything for this product? I’m not so sure, but I’ll share my thoughts on that.
The “Take The Day Off” collection has been a must-have for beauty lovers for a long time.
The collection includes makeup removers for the eyes, cleansers for the skin, makeup wipes and the famous cleansing balms.
It’s been a long time since I’ve tried the original Clinique Take The Day Off Balm. The balm (at that time) left a bit of a filmy/residue on my skin so I stopped using it.
But since then, I have updated my skin care routine many times which includes double cleansing, so it’s a good time to circle back to this “holy-grail” product.
TL:DR (Too Long Didn’t Read) on the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm:
- Easy to apply and has a thin consistency
- No sticky, greasy or oily residue
- Removes makeup in 1 application
- Non-drying on the skin
- Japanese Charcoal has no visible benefits
Clinique Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm Review:
I believe this Charcoal cleansing balm sample came from Ulta Beauty as a free gift with purchase.
The 1 oz. travel size version of the Charcoal Cleansing Balm is $14.00 (USD) and I received a .5 oz (15 ml) version, so that’s about $7 (USD) in product value.
I’ve used the balm for one week and still have over half the container left to use, which means I have at least another week, if not more, on this sample size. That’s amazing.
A little bit goes a long way with this product.
I use a skincare brush to apply the balm to my skin, then I massage it in and use a makeup wipe to remove everything at once. Then, I can move on to the rest of my skincare routine.
This balm works great! It removes all of my makeup in one application, there’s no residue left behind and it doesn’t dry out the skin.
However. I don’t see (or feel) that the Japanese Charcoal ingredient is doing anything special.
I don’t feel that my skin is detoxified, or deeply cleansed compared to other cleansing balms. But, maybe over time I would see the additional benefit of the Japanese Charcoal.
I will update this review if something magical happens…
What is the difference between classic Clinique Cleansing Balm and Charcoal Cleansing Balm?
Online people are asking what’s the difference between the classic Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm and the newer Charcoal Cleansing Balm.
The Charcoal Cleansing Balm includes the Safflower Seed Oil in the original formula plus the Japanese charcoal ingredient.
The charcoal ingredient is meant to detoxify the pores and deeply cleanse the skin, while the safflower seed oil helps to break up the makeup and/or dirt on the skin.
Is the Clinique Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm worth it?
Yes, this cleansing balm is worth it. I may purchase the travel-sized version of the balm in the future, but I don’t think I would buy a full version, but that’s just the nature of being product review obsessed.
The Charcoal Cleansing Balm is a great product for all skin-types, for traveling, and for people who want to remove their makeup quickly. This stuff dissolves makeup in an instant!
Clinique Take The Day Off Charcoal Cleansing Balm Review Rating: Good
Nubelease Quick Review Rating System
*Disclaimer: My Quick Review rating system is more simplified than my full product reviews. The goal is to write down my thoughts on every product I try. Hopefully, this is helpful for you but it also helps me remember products as I am always trying new things. Head to nubelease.com for full length product reviews.
Bad – Didn’t do what it says, and was even worse on top of that.
Ok – Didn’t do what it says, but it’s decent enough to use up.
Good – Does what it says it’s going to do.
Great – Does what it says it’s going to do plus more great things on top of that.
Must Have – An excellent product that is/could be universally loved by anyone and everyone.