UpCircle Cleansing Face Balm Review

I’ve tried quite a few different balms at this point, my favorites being from Elemis (click here for my review), but I also really like the Body Shop offering for a more purse-friendly option. So when I’ve discovered another (kinda) affordable option in fully recyclable packaging by UpCircle, I had to give it a go.

Let’s start with a few words about UpCircle as a brand. They advertise themselves as a natural, sustainable brand where they upcycle different by-products, therefore, reducing waste. On top of these amazing claims, their line is fairly affordable and I decided I have to start with their cleansing balm since I love balms so much.

Their balm costs £18.99 for 50ml which might sound a lot, but next to my Elemis that is £44 for a 105ml it is still a slightly more affordable option.

When it comes to the ingredients it contains apricot powder (super finely ground apricot stones), which is a by-product of the apricot oil industry and is rich in Vitamin E. It also contains nourishing and soothing ingredients like blackcurrant seed, blue tansy, and sea buckthorn oils.

It has a really pleasant apricot smell and you straight away notice that the consistency is a lot thicker than a lot of other cleansing balms or butters that I’ve tried in the past. And this is where I have a problem with this product… the thickness of it is too much. No matter how little I use it always ended up leaving a really heavy greasy/oily feel on my skin that is really hard to get rid of. It does a good job of removing my makeup, but I am not a fan of the greasiness. I tried removing it with a wet cloth, but my skin still felt greasy, and the only way to get rid of it was to double-cleanse with a second more creamy cleanser.

Unfortunately because of this, the UpCircle balm is a no for me.

Have you tried anything from UpCircle before? What was your experience? I would love to know if you have any recommendations as I love what the brand stands for.

Thanks for reading & have a lovely day!