Review | The Inkey List - Oat Cleansing Balm

My honest review of The Inkey List's Oat Cleansing Balm

At first glance I was intrigued by this product from The Inkey List. I was on a trip to USA and stumbled across this cleanser in a famous beauty store. Having read the ingredients list I decided to give it a whirl.

I really do love products with Oat Kernel in them. Oat Kernel (avena sativa) is incredibly soothing and is excellent at calming irritated skin. I have tried (and failed) to include this ingredient in my own cleanser products. It is difficult to formulate with because it doesn't dissolve well in water and tends to clump together in oil based products.

So when I saw this cleanser had managed to combine the Oat Kernel Oil and Oat Kernel Flour with some gentle cleansing ingredients, I just had to try it. Read on to see what I thought of it.

Price Classification - ££ (Budget)

Pricing

from £6.50 - £12

Sizes: 50ml, 150ml

Strengths

Good for people who have extremely dry or irritated skin and find it difficult to cleanse their face with a traditional foaming or cream based cleanser. It does also remove makeup and sunscreen from the skin.

Weaknesses

It leaves behind a sticky film. Probably as a result of two ingredients - Sweet Almond Oil & Candellila Wax. Oat Cleansing Balm would be much better if the oiliness in the product emulsified and washed away clean. I found it thick and difficult to wash with. It also seemed to clump together at the start of using the product and by the end became almost liquid.

Key Ingredients

Oat Kernel Oil & Oat Kernel Flour

Full Ingredient List

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Candelilla Cera (Cire de candelilla), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Sorbitan Stearate, Silica, Tribehenin, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Aqua (Water/Eau), Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil.

^* Whilst every care is taken to reflect the actual ingredient list, manufacturers sometimes make changes to their formulas. Therefore, always please check product packaging before purchasing.

Fragrance

None Added (Not declared).

Allergens

NUTS ! - Contains ingredients derived from nuts, so it's not suitable for those with nut allergies.

Rating

I give it 4 stars. An average cleanser that has some good capabilities. I liked that it was very gentle and also that it has 2 forms of oat (oat oil & oat flour).

My Opinion

Personally, I wasn't a great fan of this cleanser. Leaving a residue behind means that other skin care applied afterwards won't penetrate the skin. If the Sweet Almond Oil & Oat Kernel Oils were emulsified (converted into water) it would be a much more useful product. However, if your skin is so sensitive that a regular cleanser irritates the skin, then this might be an option for you. Bear in mind that other products designed to treat your dry or irritated skin might not penetrate. If you are using an oil based serum after cleansing, then this would work.

Interestingly, The Inkey List website offers a recommended serum to use after this as their Hyaluronic Acid Serum. This probably wouldn't provide much benefit as it's water based and simply wouldn't be likely to reach the right layers of the skin.

Would I buy it again? No, but I would if I had sensitive skin or wore makeup. So, I would recommend if you need it for these reasons.

Where to buy it

The Inkey List Website Click this link to purchase.