Skincare Review: Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm
Oh, hallelujah: I thought that the glorious Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm was on a limited run, once-it’s-gone-it’s-gone, but I’ve just seen that it’s now a permanent addition to their Pro-Collagen line. (It took me four attempts to spell “hallelujah” correctly, just in case you were wondering. It’s on a par with “diarrhoea” and “manoeuvre” in terms of complicated, non-sensical letter groupings.)
The Elemis rose cleansing balm falls into the “treat to self” category, I think, because it’s a want product and not particularly a need. There are far cheaper cleansing balms that do the job perfectly well…they just don’t do in such a luxe-feeling and divine-smelling way as this one. And sometimes I want a luxe feel and a divine smell.
The ultimate luxe-feel-divine-smell (LFDS) cleanser being, of course, Darphin’s Aromatic Cleansing Balm. One of my all-time favourites. The aromatherapy blend has a scent that’s truly relaxing and mind-transporting and it’s difficult to get to the stage where you want to flannel the balm off. The Elemis Rose Cleansing Balm has a rose scent (funnily enough!) rather than an aromatherapy blend, but the same sort of “special occasion effect” on the mind.
In terms of texture the Elemis is very similar to Darphin’s cleanser; a perfectly smooth, easy to spread balm that’s neither too waxy nor too quick to melt. You get a good old massage in before it begins to really break down, then it flannels off easily and without residue once you add water. Gentle and effective over the whole face, it has no problem dealing with mascara and eye makeup, though I tend to use an actual eye makeup remover (bi-phase) for heavy-duty mascara, because it’s so hard to get it all off. And I worry about pulling out my lashes when I’m doing that press-press-press-on-your-eyeballs thing with the flannel. (I seem to have eyelashes that aren’t properly attached to my lids – it’s like they’ve been temporarily stuck on with a bit of lash glue rather than actually grown from inside my face. I sometimes think that if someone blew hard on my face, they’d all detach themselves and fly away like the seeds from a dandelion clock. Worrying.)
The ingredients list for the Rose Cleansing Balm reads like a fairy’s Ocado order; sweet almond oil, elderberry seed oil, oat kernel oil, orange peel wax, beeswax, starflower seed oil, mimosa flower wax, rose wax, rosehip fruit oil, jojoba seed oil, geranium oil, rose oil… Gorgeous. There’s other stuff in there too (full ingredients list at the bottom of the page) but the general gist is very nice indeed. And spring-like.
If you’re not familiar with cleansing balms and have, until now, only used washes or foams then you’re in for a treat; balms – and the thicker cleansing creams – give such an unctuous, comforting experience that you actually tend to look forward to makeup removal time. It’s the opposite of a quick splash – the oils in the balms really break down grime and makeup and allow you to slide the cleanser around and work it into the eye area. It’s the slow, “take time out” cleanse rather than the “must dash” cleanse – though I should point out that you can cleanse with a balm or thick cream just as quickly as a face wash and you’ll likely get a much more thorough cleanse.
You can browse more cleanser reviews here – but if you wanted a totally unscented, simple cleansing balm then Clinique Take The Day Off (here, £24 for 125ml) would be a good place to start. For a double-whammy version, there’s the Caroline Hirons for Pixi Double Cleanse with both a thick cream and a slidey balm in one handy pot – that’s also unscented and you can find it here* (£24 for 100ml).
The Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm is £43 for 105ml (here*) which makes it the definite treat in this particular line-up, but there’s a limited edition 200ml for £68 at Harvey Nichols here* which brings down the price per ml considerably, should you be up for a bit of an investment. 200ml would last an absolute age – this is not the sort of product you need to scoop on by the handful. A little goes a long way.
And as a comparison, the Darphin Aromatic costs £35 for 40ml (read review here), so if you’re addicted to that stuff and want something slightly less spendy (but equally luxurious) for the in-between days then the Elemis Rose Balm could be just your bag.
A quick vote, please, because rose scents seem to be like marmite! Can we have a simple “No” or “Yes” in the comments? “No” if you hate rose, “yes” if you love. Important market research for my own purposes, you see…
Full ingredients list:
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, PEG-8 Beeswax, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sorbitan Stearate, Sambucus Nigra (Elderberry) Seed Oil, PEG-60 Almond Glycerides, Fragrance (Parfum), Silica, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Cera (Wax), Glycerin, Lecithin, Borago Officinalis (Starflower) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Citronellol, Geraniol, Acacia Decurrens (Mimosa) Flower Wax, Rosa Multiflora (Rose) Flower Cera (Wax), Tocopherol, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rose Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens (Geranium) Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Extract, Padina Pavonica Thallus Extract, Citric Acid.
Normally dislike fake rose scents, but Elemis cleanser I adore. Smells so beautiful.
Thank you for the review! never heard about this product before. after reading this post i’m thinking to buy it.
yes!
No.. :) not a big fan of rose scented cosmetics.
Yes! Love rose and already using the Elemis balm. Beautiful!
YES! Love rose scents. I don’t find this too over-powering either.
I actually bought the 200ml tub on amazon, had it in my saved basked for ages and then all of a sudden it went down to £35 so I snapped it up. Lasts forever!
x
Wow, that’s a deal and a half!!!
Ooh most definitely YES to Rose!
Love the standard version of this balm so will have to try out the rose one as well.
Yes. Love rose. Love By Terry rose products
YESHowever it must be REAL ROSE OILS not “fake toilet cleaner smelling, I couldn’t be bothered/ too tired / too busy!!! Cleaning house So I’m just going to spray some rose spray from supermarket around randomly smell… that’s headache inducing “ ….. Diptyque ( OMG spelling?) rose room spray and candles and Jo Malone on the other hand are evocative transporting ethereal gems after a crap day at work… sorry that started as a simple “ yes”
YES to rose.
On the subject of hard to spell words, I’d only just got to grips with the tricky Irish names my friend gave her first two kids when she called the third Saoirse.
I got the 200ml one for £28 off Amazon when they had an insane sale. Love it.
I think I’m going to have to pick this up, people seem to love this balm!
Danielle xx
https://www.fashionbeautyblog.co.uk/
Yes.
Yes! I bought this from Look Fantastic a few weeks ago on offer and I adore!
Yes!
Didn’t used to be a particular rose fan, but when I was pregnant I got quite picky about scent, and a lot of heavier and headier things I used to like made me ill, and I’ve never really come back to them. A lot of popular fragrances that claim rose are mostly something else and not a very nice rose, but a high-quality, convincing rose scent—like Jo Malone Red Roses for instance or the Heritage rosewater—is always welcome, and to me strikes a nice balance of being clean and relaxing, while still feeling feminine and sophisticated. This balm sounds most lovely.
Yes. I love the By Terry foundations for their rose scent.
Yes but had the 200ml and couldn’t wait to use it up so I could go back to the original…this is too strong and fake.
Yes, for a lush rose scented balm then the Aromatherapy Associates cleansing balm is delicious
Yes, as long as its subtle.
Hope you & the family are feeling better.
YES YES YES please!!
Yes yes yes!
Yes! I usually love rose scented skincare or beauty product. I have an Anna Sui eye palette I’m keeping just because of the scent.
No. Artificial rose scent gives me a headache. Love the real thing though.
Yes! I love the Pixi rose range & the Body Shop shower gel for more budget friendly rose hits!
No
Yes
Yes yes yes
Yes,
I was never a fan of rose scented anything but in beauty products I absolutely love it. It is calming and luxurious.
So, definitely YES.
Yes, to anything rose-scented. I will put this on my list of treats to buy once I have finished my pot of Take the Day Off – which I love love love!
Yes! Love and use this and managed to get the supersize from QVC which was a brilliant price for something so luxurious!
No! Especially rose geranium that makes me feel nauseous!
Why on Earth have Elemis added fragrance to it! Grrrrrr!
yes
Yes! And I have the same issue with “hallelujah” and “diarrhoea”…I’m off to Space NK!!! I’ve won a £150 voucher, yeah!!
Yes I adore real rose scent!
Yes
Yes
YES, omg, yes
big yes
Yes!
Yes, yes, yes! (Think Harry met Sally)
Absolutely no
No
Sometimes a little luxury is very much needed to cleanse after a long day. Yes, we don’t need it, but we want it just the same.
Anne – Linda, Libra, Loca
Yes!
Love a rose scent. Perhaps I shall treat myself to this next time I have a few spare pennies, although I really will need a larger bathroom cabinet at this rate
Yes!
Very much a yes, but as long as it is a good one and not a cheap nasty one. x
yes!
Hi yes as long as it is not a fake rose smell,can be lovely
A definite NO – love the original though!
Yes! I love this balm it’s a true rose scent not synthetic or smells like your grandma. It’s a proper 1000 petal rose scent. Gorgeous!
Yes to roses!
Yes I like rose , proper rose that you get from Elemis or Jo Malone type products
I love Rose scent. I took your reccomendation on the Indeed Labs Bakuchiol reface pads. Really glad I did, my skin looks better and seems to retain moisture better than it did. My skin will not tolerate Retinol at all. Thanks Ruth
They are SO good aren’t they?!! x
No! ( but I adore the scent of actual rose flowers)
There is rose and rose, kinda like there is jazz and jazzzzzz. Some of the rose products smell like they were harvested in the Reagan administration i.e. dusty and just generally old-smelling. And some are light and fresh and just delicious smelling. Is it something to do with the kind of rose? No idea, but I prefer to pre-smell rose stuff before buying, just in case!
Yes
No to rose scents. Have tried to like it, but not for me.
Yes! As long as it’s a true, soft rose, not a fake, overly perfumed one.
Yes
Yes, love it – as long as it’s a real, fresh rose scent, not granny’s bedroom! X
Yes!