DHC Cleansing Oil

Beauty editors swear by Asian cleansing oils like Shu Uemura’s signature. It’s great, but it retails for $80. (True story: I used to have a bottle on my bathroom counter and SHREIKED when I found out some clueless boy visitors had been mistakenly using it for hand soap and were cutting into my PRECIOUS SUPPLY — “Kathleen, that hand soap you have is really weird, it doesn’t bubble up but my hands feel super soft.” Ugh. Boys.) DHC, a direct skincare company which is like the Avon of Japan, has a signature cleansing oil, which is just as great and retails for about 1/8 of the price. 2000+ 5-star reviews on their site don’t lie.

The key to good cleansing oil is that it emulsifies quickly after you add water and DHC’s Cleaning Oil does—once on your face, it quickly transforms from a slick oil into a creamy, smooth cleanser that melts off all your makeup. A few splashes of water plus cleanser later and even Lady Gaga would morph back into Stephanie Germanotta. If you visit any skincare counter in Asia, the salesladies will tout double-washing, meaning washing your face twice.

Most suggest using a cleansing oil or milk (not nature’s milk) to first remove all makeup residue. They consider those American one-swipe makeup remover wipes to be too harsh on the skin (as they usually contain alcohol) and laugh in your face if you suggest that a two-in-one makeup remover and cleanser may be effective. This routine may be a ploy by the Asian beauty industry to sell twice as many products. But ask yourself, how well do two-in-one products like shampoo-and-conditioner really work? Get it here.