Makeup removers have developed a lot over the years with makeup wipes, micellar water, and cleansing balms currently dominating the market. Today I’ll be reviewing and comparing the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm and the Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser!

Ah, I remember the days when I first started wearing makeup. YouTube was just starting out and I was clueless about how to put on makeup, let alone how to take it off. I started with only washing my face (gasp!) to getting my hands on some makeup wipes.

Eventually, I stumbled across Michelle Phan’s video on using water and olive oil to take off makeup and that was a game-changer because I discovered my makeup wipes weren’t taking everything off (gasp #2!). After a few more years, I moved on to micellar water and then I graduated to cleansing balms, which I now believe is the best way to remove makeup.

PONDS COLD CREAM CLEANSER

WHAT IT CLAIMS TO DO 

This product claims to deep clean and remove all your makeup. Since it’s made up of 50% moisturizer, it can help soften and smooth the skin. It’s also fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, formaldehyde-free, sulfate-free, fluoride-free, dye-free, and aluminum-free.

The specific cleansing cream I bought was for sensitive skin, so it’s supposed to be safe to use on normal or sensitive skin.

INGREDIENTS

MINERAL OIL,WATER/AGUA,CERESIN,BEESWAX,TRIETHANOLAMINE,BEHENIC ACID,FRAGRANCE/FRAGANCIA,CETETH-20,CETYL ALCOHOL,CARBOMER DMDM HYDANTOIN,IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE,METHYLPARABEN.

The only ingredient that may cause breakouts is beeswax since it’s comedogenic. There are also a few slightly comedogenic ingredients such as mineral oil, ceresin, cetyl alcohol, and triethanolamine.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first thing I noticed immediately when I opened it was the fragrance. There’s very little information on the Ponds website, but on other sites, they state that it’s unscented. However, this isn’t just a light fragrance; it smells heavily perfumed. If you prefer unscented products or fragrances break you out, this is probably not the makeup remover for you.

Next was the application. It’s a thick cream that you massage onto dry skin. It did do a good job at removing all my makeup, but removing the cleansing cream was another challenge.

The website recommends wiping it off with a washcloth, but I didn’t want to commit to buying face towels and washing them every week. I tried using cotton pads, but it took several to completely remove my makeup. Even after wiping it off, I had to go in for a double cleanse. Some people say that they like to leave it on their skin and even use it as a lotion, but it felt heavy and like it was sitting on top of my face (it’s recommended to double cleanse after makeup removal anyways!).

Lastly, I couldn’t use this on my eyes. Although it claims to be formulated for sensitive skin and it can remove “stubborn waterproof mascara,” it stung my eyes. I tried it a few times, but I ended up using my Garnier micellar water to remove my eye makeup.

RESULTS

Personally, I didn’t have a good experience with this cleansing cream. I wanted something that would take everything off in one go and streamline my nighttime routine. However, I just couldn’t get past the strong fragrance and the fact that it stung my eyes.

From what I looked up on this product, I don’t think it used to be this way. Here’s a critical review from the website:

“I have been using Pond’s Cold Cream for 20+ years, and a few years ago I had to stop buying it. New ingredients were added. It wasn’t the original 7 ingredients anymore. My skin started to breakout. The product didn’t smell good anymore. It was lacking that whipped consistency – it changed to a more oily lotion feeling…The new ingredients messed up a product that was already great to begin with.”

(Source: Ponds website)

There is still a strong following for this product, but based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend it. If they have changed it, that may have been the reason why it didn’t work as well as I had hoped.

CLINIQUE TAKE THE DAY OFF CLEANSING BALM

WHAT IT CLAIMS TO DO

This product claims to melt away all your makeup by transforming from a balm to an oil and dissolving everything. It’s not greasy, won’t dry out your skin, and will rinse off completely to leave your skin glowing, dewy, and fresh. It’s also recommended for all skin types.

It is fragrance-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free. It doesn’t contain alcohol, SLS (sodium laureth sulfate), talc, mineral oil, silicone, and gluten. It’s also 100% vegan.

INGREDIENTS

Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Sorbeth-30 Tetraoleate, Polyethylene, Peg-5 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Water, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I was skeptical because even though it’s a cult favorite, I couldn’t be sure if it would really work or if it was good advertising.

Compared to the Ponds Cleansing Cream, this was a thick balm where you had to dig out the product. I know some people may not like balm/cream makeup removers because it’s unsanitary, but just make sure to use a spoon or clean hands to scoop it out! I noticed right away that there isn’t a fragrance, unlike Ponds that claimed it was unscented but had a strong fragrance.

Once I used it on my skin, I realized why people enjoyed it so much. It really did melt into an oil and removed makeup easily. I didn’t have to rub aggressively and it didn’t sting my eyes.

After removing everything, I was able to rinse it off easily, and my skin felt clean afterwards. With that being said, I still double cleansed to make sure my face was squeaky clean.

RESULTS

I felt this makeup remover was a more pleasant experience because it wasn’t fragranced, took off all my makeup without needing a separate eye makeup remover, and rinsed off easily. I also like that it’s vegan and it didn’t break me out.

THE VERDICT

When you compare the Ponds Cleansing Cream to the Clinique Take the Day Off Balm, I have to say that Clinique wins in this battle. Even though Ponds has been around much longer than Clinique, I would say that the Take the Day Off Balm deserves the hype.

If you’re looking for a makeup remover that saves you the hassle of using washcloths, cotton pads, and makeup wipes, I would recommend the Clinique Take the Day Off Balm. It’ll remove face and eye makeup, it’s fragrance-free, and it’s also vegan. It is a bit pricy compared to drugstore products, but it does last for several months so I think it’s worth it.

So that ends this post! I know this was pretty long, but I hope you found this informative and useful! Have you tried either of these makeup removers? What were your thoughts on them? Let me know in the comments!