Cleanser Balm – Primark V. The Body Shop
Vegan and Cruelty Free Skincare has landed at Primark. The PS. Naturals range is certified Vegan and Cruelty Free, And made with 90% or more natural ingredients. They even make a Cleansing Balm!
My local Primark only had a few items from the range but the Cleansing Balm really caught my eye. Already having and loving The Body Shop version – it was definitely time for a comparison.
The Products:
Primark Ps… Naturals Balm To Oil Cleanser – £3.00 50ml
At £3, Primark’s offering is super cheap – unbelievably cheap. Unfortunatly inside its cardboard outer packaging, it is housed in a plastic tub. Not the best for anyone trying to reduce their plastic waste, it does however claim to be widely recyclable (local services depending!).
The product inside smells pretty neutral, not nearly as strong as The Body Shop one. For me personally, this is a good thing, but some people like strong smelling skincare.
Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polyethylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum (Fragrance), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice (Coconut Water), Glycerin, BHT, Aqua (Water), Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract (Kakadu Plum), Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Linalool.
The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter – £11.00 90ml
At £11, this one is considerably more expensive – although you do get 40ml more product. It comes in a reusable or recyclable aluminium tin (although I suppose you could reuse the Primark one as well). This is a great plus point for anyone trying to cut down on their plastic waste.
The product is much stronger smelling than it’s Primark Dupe. This can get a little bit overpowering at times, but it does die down pretty quickly.
Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Synthetic Wax, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/ Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopherol, Parfum/Fragrance, Aqua/Water/Eau, Linalool, Limonene, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Citric Acid.
What’s Inside:
Body Shop (Left), Primark (Right)
When you strip away the branding and just see the actual products – they look strikingly similar. Similar texture, similar smell, colour, everything. The mark in The Body Shop one comes from having used it a few times and the makeup that it removes.
Testing:
I was wearing a full face of makeup for trying this. Foundation, concealer, contour, eyeshadow, mascara – the works. I decided to use one cleanser on one side of my face and one on the other.
Starting with The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, I used my nail to take a pea sized amount from the tin. This was all I needed to remove the makeup from one half of my face. It genuinely melts everything away, effortlessly removing mascara. As always using this product, I’m super impressed!
Next I used the Primark Dupe. The same amount on my finger, the texture is exactly the same. It removed the makeup just as easily as The Body Shop version – removing eye makeup without being irritating.
I like to use a Micellar Water after using the cleansing balm, just to remove the last trace of oil.
When using the Micellar Water it’s not uncommon to also get residual makeup come off onto the cotton pads. But this result really surprises me. The Primark side has removed significantly more makeup on first cleanse, I think that picture really speaks for itself.
By the way, the Micellar Water I’m using is the Superdrug own brand Vitamin E Micellar Water.
Verdict:
I’m going to break this down into three categories; Packaging, Product, and Price.
Packaging – The Body Shop wins this category hands down. Their packaging is chic, easily recyclable and just generally nicer.
Product – This one is much trickier. Both products performed exceptionally well, removing the vast majority of my makeup. Neither caused a breakout or any other skin complaint. I would have to give it to Primark, purely for removing slightly more makeup.
Price – The Body Shops Cleanser works out at £12.22 per 100ml with Primark coming in at £6.00 per 100ml. Primark clearly wins on price.
Overall, I would say Primark has just scraped into first place. It has its flaws – plastic packaging being its main one – but it works. If you have the money to spend on The Body Shop one, then great, but I for one am just happy Primark are labelling items vegan! Plus I can pick it up when restocking their crazy good mascara!
Sophie x
This post has been re-uploaded and edited from its original posting on the 26th August 2019.