Cee Gee Says…Okay, talk to me about DHC skin care products. Does the olive oil really make a difference? I use the olive oil cleansing product to remove make-up, but I’m not sure if it’s a waste of money.
The Left Brain Counters:
To answer this question I’ll begin by explaining that makeup is essentially composed of oily materials such as waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients. They stay on your face so well because these ingredients do not dissolve in water; if they did your makeup would run. But that also means you can’t remove them with water either. Standard facial cleansers don’t work well on makeup because they are designed to gently remove surface dirt and oil. The more gentle you make a cleanser, the less ability it has to remove heavy oils. Cleansing ingredients are generally harsh for your face. If manufacturers made the cleansers with more detergent, you could remove the makeup but you would also remove all the natural facial lipids and dry out your skin. Thus, the need for makeup remover.
How makeup removers work
Makeup removers use the like dissolves like property of chemicals. Since oils can be dissolved in oils, and makeup is oil based, the removers also have oils in them. When the oil is rubbed on the face, it mixes with the surface makeup and is then removed with a cotton swab or cloth. The makeup removers also contain a small amount of surfactant to aid in removal off the face. What’s left on the face is some residual oil but not much if you wipe it well. This small amount of oil can then be removed with a facial cleanser leaving your face perfectly clean without being dried out.
I love olives
The product you mentioned has the following ingredients:
Europaea (olive) fruit oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, sorbeth-30 tetraoleate, tocopherol, phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, stearyl glycyrrhetinate, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf oil
The formula is basically olive oil with some added lower molecular weight oils (probably vegetable oil) and nonionic surfactant. It also has a splash of vitamin E added to have something extra to say on the label and a few preservatives to ensure the stuff doesn’t go rancid. At $3.58 an ounce that’s pretty pricey. Especially considering that you could buy a gallon of olive oil for about $25.
Standard makeup removers are emulsions (mixtures of water and oil) based on an ingredient like mineral oil. Here’s an example.
Water, Mineral Oil, Lanolin, Petrolatum, PEG-15 Cocamine, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
This formula is also composed of an oil, a surfactant and some preservatives. It also has a thickener in it. Basically, these formulas will work the same.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
So does the Olive Oil based formula work better than the mineral oil based one? Olive oil is a decent oil solubilizer but mineral oil is better. And since it`s been shown that mineral oil does not cause acne, you should not fear using a formula with this ingredient. But if the olive oil based formula is working well for you and you don’t mind spending the extra money, feel free. It’s not any better for you but it’s probably not going to be bad for you either.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I have tried using olive oil as a make-up remover and it seems to work fairly well. After that, I wash my face with Cetaphyl and apply my eyecream onto dry skin. Since regular old olive oil doesn’t have stuff added to make it easier to remove, will the lingering traces prevent my eyecream from absorbing/working properly?
Thank you! I love your website by the way =).
but not all oil-based make-up removers are the same – shu uemura one is amazing, i need just s splash to remove ALL of my make-up, when usual make-up remover have to be applied up to 4 times to remove all the make-up residue. both are mineral oil, but the fact that ingredients are the same is not enough for a product to be compared as the same.
I just use rubbing alcohol. Seems to remove better then cleansers. Even after washing with my prescription stuff there’s still makeup left behind.
A couple notes:
Though probably derived from vegetable oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride is a synthetic triglyceride.
This article ignores the numerous advantages of olive oil over other natural oils (including mineral oil), in particular the high ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and biocompatibility with natural skin lipids.
I’ve used DHC products for 6 years now. I went to a facialist as a birthday present to myself (48th) and she said I had the best skin she’d ever seen in her career. I love the stuff; I have very dry skin, which has just gotten dryer as I get older, and the DHC basic set leaves my skin feeling and looking great. The price is not that out of line with drugstore sets either. A single set lasts about 12 months for me.
The DHC Olive oil skin cleanser is incredible! It goes on like an oil, and it dissolves makeup, BUT THEN IT RINSES OFF LIKE SOAP!!!!
The beauty of it is that it’s a one-step process. Plus, it does not dry up the skin. I will use nothing else, absolutely love it.
I agree with all those hooting it up for DHC Olive Oil Cleanser! I get wonderful results with it, with compliments from both dermatologists and estheticians. I follow it up with Cetaphil before I pat my skin dry and my skin looks & feels wonderful. I’m 53 but you’d never know it. It’s one of those products I’m willing to spend a little more for.
Don’t get confused, ladies: You won’t get the same results with straight olive oil!
Hola everyone!!
When I used to use Dermalogica in my salon, they used to preach how bad oils were for the skin. Then they came out with an oil PreCleanse. They claim that there are, I believe, 7 oils in this product.
It is applied DRY and then water is added–by just applying it by hand and then the oil emulsifies. Wipe off. Then you use your cleanser. ‘
I have always washed my hair twice and it makes sense to wash the face twice. I do facials all the time in my salon and believe me when I tell you that one wash does NOT remove all makeup. Especially those who pack it on! (trying to hide those large pores which could easily be done with a primer before the makeup and LESS makeup!)
Anyway, I make up my own oil pre-cleanse with olive oil and safflower plus some mineral oil. It can be scented with an essential oil of your choice.
Apply dry, you can either put water on your face or use a wet washcloth. Remove. Use your facial cleanser of choice.
BTW, using this will NOT cause you to get oily skin or cause you to get acne.
Try it! Your skin will thank you for it. (did I steal that line from somewhere?)
buenos dias
Lynnette
PS- I no longer carry Dermalogica due to the fact that they wanted me to sell an unheard of amount of retail. Being a one person salon that was not going to happen. Soooo, I hope that all the accounts they dropped are doing well and that the economy has been felt by Dermalogica. Who in their right mind would let any account go if they were selling even $100 a year?
I will not use anything with mineral oil. It lays on the skin, blocking it from taking in natural moisture. I would much rather use a beneficial and healthy oil such as almond, olive, or coconut oil.
Hi,
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Skincare and You
What will be the best remover for mineral makeup then as it’s dry/powder-based and not oil-based?
Hi, congratulations for your work on this blog, it’s very entertaining and informative. I especially like the arguments because you answer peoples rebuttals and we’re allowed to judge for ourselves.
I wanted to comment on this product because I’ve been using it for a couple of years and I love it. I can only speak from my experience but for me it’s not the same as mineral oil products or the same as kitchen olive oil. DHC claims their oil is refined specifically for cosmetic purposes. All I know is that it’s not the same as regular olive oil. That also goes for their 100% product.
In any case, I’ve tried all sorts of products for my combo skin and this olive based brand has worked wonders for me. Wouldn’t you at least agree that olive oil would have extra benefits from antioxidants etc. as opposed to a mineral product? We all hear about the wonders of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet and that the ancient Romans used the oil as a cosmetic because they knew the benefits.
Lynette you know that washing your hair twice originated as a marketing ploy by shampoo manufacturers to sell twice as much shampoo, right? there’s no need for it at all.
Which is better at removing makeup: pure mineral oil like baby oil, pure petrolatum, or oil-in-water/water-in-oil emulsions like cold creams?
Could you please explain why you say mineral oil — a petrolium product — is better than olive oil?
@Joy – When you do a laboratory test for skin moisturization, mineral oil scores better than olive oil. The fact that it is a petroleum product is not relevant.
@thebeautybrains: Which is better at removing makeup: pure mineral oil like baby oil, pure petrolatum, or oil-in-water/water-in-oil emulsions like cold creams?