Cerave's New Cleansing Balm IS Clinique Take the Day Off... But Even More Affordable
If you ask me, the best way to remove makeup and sunscreen is with a cleansing balm, and the best cleansing balm is Clinique’s. I follow up with my favorite cleanser, Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser, so when I learned that Cerave was making their own cleansing balm, I was immediately intrigued. Could it possibly live up to Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm??
When I first saw Cerave’s Cleansing Balm on the shelf at Target I was shocked. It’s so small, I thought it must be a travel size, but no, 1.3oz is the full size. This led me down a deep research rabbit hole where I compared the cost of Clinique and Cerave’s respective cleansing balms in every size (Clinique offers three) and sure enough, Cerave is the better bargain, even if the tub seems miniscule. (I also was shaken to find that Clinique is now charging $36 for the regular size balm - I remember when it was $28… and I still kind of thought it was!)
So Cerave’s Cleansing Balm is cheaper, easy to pick up on a Target trip or to add to an Amazon order, and it’s from a brand I know and trust? This could very well unseat Clinique as my favorite. So I put them to the test, and they’re virtually identical.
On my hand above, we hae Cerave on the left, Clinique on the right. They look basically the same! I used each on just one side of my face so I could compare them as I’d really use them, and the only difference I could find (and I had to really try to find one) is that Clinique Cleansing Balm is maybe 10% oilier than Cerave Cleansing Balm. Both are fragrance free, both offer amazing cleansing with just a small amount of product, and both rinse off so well, you don’t necessarily need to double cleanse.
I never thought I’d find any cleansing balm I liked as much as Clinique (Naturopathica is the only one that’s come close, but since I discovered it they reformulated AND it’s harder to find), but Cerave went and did it. I honestly don’t know if I’ll buy Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm again, Cerave’s is THAT good.
