The 2 minute review-Ren No 1 Purity Cleansing Balm

Ren has always been a brand that has just been there, out there but never there on my radar and on my bathroom shelf.  I've picked up some nice Ren shampoo/body wash mini hotel size samples from my travels but never been tempted to look into their skincare range.

So why did I buy this cleansing balm?  Call it the endless search for the perfect cleanser.  I've used Shu Uemura cleansing oil for a long time and I am particularly fond of products you can apply to dry skin, have a good old massage and then rinse off.  This fits that bill nicely.  And the price isn't bad at all, £20.70 for 100ml, which makes it significantly cheaper than similar alternatives such as the Emma Hardie and Elemis Pro Collagen cleansing balms.

If you have never heard of Ren, they are a company focused on 'Clean' skincare.  They are careful to differentiate this from Organic skincare as they feel this term can be misleading and confusing for consumers.  By 'Clean' they mean products that are free from skin 'unfriendly' ingredients which are routinely used in modern skincare.  So Ren is free of parabens, sulfates and silicones, petrochemicals, synthetic colours and fragrances.

This Balm contains;

• Roman Chamomile oil and Pink Violet leaf extract calm redness and soothe the skin
• Rose oil is known for its stress relieving aroma therapeutic properties
• Prebiotic Oligosaccharides protects and maintains the skin’s defence barrier by supporting the good bacteria
• Lecithin helps retain moisture in the skin 

I love using this balm.  It's delicately fragranced and transforms from the petroleum like consistency to a silken oil on contact with the skin.  It's really effective at removing make-up but personally I would use a separate eye make up remover to remove my mascara and eyeshadow-personal preference as Ren do say this is safe to use on the eye area.

When I first used it, it made my skin feel so soft I was worried it was leaving behind a residue on the skin as you can literally feel the softness as you're washing it off.  But a follow up swipe of toner revealed no traces of excess make-up or residue on the cotton pad. It doesn't feel heavy or sticky on the skin and is suitable for all skin types. 

I've used this for a month now, just in the evenings to remove my make-up and my skin has been relatively calm and blemish free-win!  Would I repurchase-am pretty much 100% yes on this.  Is it the perfect cleanser?  I can't say I can fault it at all!

I bought my cleanser from Feel Unique but you can buy it from Look Fantastic, the Ren UK site and I am pretty sure Space NK stock it too.