May 8, 2018

Turns Out Kate Somerville Cold Cream Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover Is Just Cold Cream

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Kate Somerville Cold Cream Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover ($48) is a new cleansing cream that promises to remove dirt, oil, makeup, and even waterproof mascara.

As someone with drier skin this seemed a treat especially since I typically embrace a double cleansing routine and this seemed like a great secondary cleansing step. At $48 it doesn’t come cheap but I’ve never had an issue indulging in higher end skincare. I had plans to purchase this during the Sephora Sale Event and happily enough Sephora offered a very generously sized pot free of charge if you made a $35 purchase. It was the perfect excuse to try it before I did indulge because even at 15% off that was quite costly for a cold cream.

Here’s how things went down after I tried it.

Sephora saved my ass on this one as turns out this is a cold cream and just a cold cream. Nothing more, nothing less and it doesn’t do anything that my Japanese Pond’s Cold Cream doesn’t already do (and better).

The biggest draw of this formula was the fact it promises to remove waterproof mascara. That sounded great! I haven’t met a cold cream that could tackle that task! However, I still had plans using it as a secondary cleansing step but during my testing I used it to try and remove all makeup first since a good deal of people would likely be using it in this way.

The texture has a lovely creamy consistency with a light floral scent that’s mineral oil free and contains some fairly beneficial ingredients for your skin however, since you are washing it off it’s debatable how good it is for your skin. It smooths on easily and didn’t sting my eyes. I used it on my dry skin and used a wet wash cloth to wipe it off. It did a fairly good job removing foundation, blush, and concealer but it struggled a good deal with my eye makeup and mascara. It did break down eyeshadow well enough but I had some residue that was left behind and with my mascara it was completely a bust as all it did was give me a bad case of racoon eyes with a good deal of mascara left on my lashes and around my eyes.

It rinsed away easily for me even though I read review saying it left behind a greasy, oil film. I didn’t feel that way in the least and my skin felt lightly hydrated and not stripped after using it.

As a secondary cleanser it worked quite nicely as well. In fact I liked it more as a secondary step since my cleansing oil removed more of my makeup than it did so this acted to hydrate my skin and ensure it wasn’t stripped after my initial cleansing. However, in some ways this is in fact where things failed for me though. Because as a secondary cleanser $48 is a good deal to spend as this isn’t acting to remove my makeup but merely to remove any residue left behind plus to give me a bit of lightweight moisture that my cleansing oil might have stripped from my skin. You can do this with a much cheaper cold cream in my opinion.

Turns out Kate Somerville Cold Cream Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover is just a cold cream. There isn’t anything super special about this formula in the long run and there are much more affordable options out there in the cold cream world.

Oh well!

If you are curious Turns Out Kate Somerville Cold Cream Moisturizing Cleanser + Makeup Remover is available at sephora.com.

Tried it?

Do share your thoughts!

Ingredients:
Water, Tridecyl Stearate,Tridecyl Trimellitate, Stearyl Alcohol, Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate, Steareth-2, Steareth-21, Undecane, Propanediol,Tridecane, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Flower/Leaf Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Honey Extract, Tocopherol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Polyacrylate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Parfum/Fragrance, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate.

I receive a small commission if you shop through my link.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • kjh

    Unless you need to use a buying service to re-up your beloved JB Pond’s… I could only use this as first cleanse. Sounds pretty occlusive to me, as in run for the detergent-based cleanser. Not really, but cannot imagine not washing it off before s/c.

    • kjh

      Ooh, and Benzyl salicylate, my fave ingredient for dropping the temp to 93 and fixin’ to die. Take off the last two rows of ingredients, that I see as IRRESPONSIBLE, and it’s a maybe. I did not used to have this level of ingredients issues. What I think that means, is that using the scent-based, etc, sensitizes you, and puts you at risk for real issues to develop. The industry KNOWS how harmful these ingredients can be in the future, and panders to the desire for cosmetically elegant product that smells good. And there is a way to have both. Off the soap box.

  • Sarah

    Ok, I’m probalt going to catch hell for this, but I have never been impressed with her products. I have used several, and they just don’t live up to the hype. They are very expensive and don’t deliver. I don’t mind paying the price, if it says it’s going to change my life. But hers are just, meh. Really, Olay has better products. Sorry…my rant is over.

    • Isabella Muse

      lol rant away ;-D I like her scrub but that’s about it in all honesty!

    • Christina

      Same here. I’m ok with one of her cleansers, and that’s about it.

      I’m glad I didn’t pick up this cold cream because I was seriously tempted!

  • Annie

    The only product I’ve seen other people categorize as a cold cream that actually removes waterproof makeup is Albolene. I suspect it’s the generous amount of mineral oil that cuts through the waterproof mascara, but I don’t mind using it because the research some mineral-oil-phobia was based on has been retracted because the results were based on tests done on animals which suffered greatly from those done on humans who came out just fine.

  • Carol

    So $48 for good old fashion cold cream, eh? Shame. Because you know some people are going to be paying for it thinking it’s some sort of miracle cream. I’ve always liked Pond’s cold cream. What is that, like $7 or something? So yeah, shame on her for charging $48 for cold cream!
    Getting tired of these high end brands charging outrageous prices for something that isn’t really anything special…

  • varya

    I used that deal at Sephora and felt about the same regarding the product. Actually,I was maybe even more underwhelmed. I’d rather use Clean It Zero Purity or Ponds…which reminds me. Have you tried the Clean It Zero Resveratrol?

    • Isabella Muse

      It was quite uneventful! 🙁 I have! But so far haven’t noticed much brightening! have you?

      • varya

        Haven’t tried the Resveratrol one (and now sounds like I won’t bother,thanks!). I do use the Purity one . In truth,unless you are using it kinda like a mask and leaving it on for a bit (something I do with Emma Hardie or Shu oil)I don’t know that any cleanser does all that much..except when it irritates my skin.

        • Isabella Muse

          I purchased it because I was hoping it would brighten up my skin as well as remove my makeup but no such luck. It’s still a great formula just doesn’t do anything different than zero or the original formulation. Even as a mask I’m always skeptical of anything I have to rinse off as being beneficial to my skin! You know? it’s like here’s a great mask it’ll do this and that and this but wash it off. Seems so pointless lol!

  • Anu

    Thanks for the review! For $48 it better do a whole lot more than just a cold cream! I’m still on the hunt for a cleanser/cold cream that will remove all residue of makeup including mascara. Please recommend if you know of one.

    • Isabella Muse

      Honestly, I always remove my eye makeup first with an oil-based remover because I feel like even some of the best cleansing oils still leave some residue behind! You’re better off investing in a nice waterproof eye makeup remover and using it as the first step of your cleanse 🙂

  • Silvia

    Thanks for the honest rants ladies. Lol! I truly appreciate them and was thinking to get this. Haven’t try origininal Ponds in years maybe is time again just for the nostalgia. Recently using Cera Vé facial cleanser it doesn’t remove raccoon eyes all of it exactly but is been good no redness, dryness, brakeouts. I end up using a Qtip dipped in mineral oil and it works fine.

    • Jane

      I didn’t like any of the ingredient lists for drug store cold creams, and indeed they gave me that kind of “screaming skin”� sensation after a few days’ use. I’m going to see what’s in Muse’s fave Japanese one!

  • Mariele

    Lol. I use Jergen’s pink cream and the green Ponds tub of cold cream to remove all of my makeup. I slather and buff it on, rubbing it into my eyelashes, then wipe off with a tissue. Then I put on the blue Ponds cold cream as my night cream before bed… If it worked for people back in the 1930s, it works for me. 😛 $48 is just ridiculous.

  • Predpodstolonaslijednica (Pree)

    Hi – I still have mine and pretty much a full container still. My sister gave it to me 2 years ago I think. Would you know if it’s still good to use? It’s been in my bathroom, usually at lower temperature because I cannot stand anything over 66° in my master bedroom/bath and I live in a dry heat area, so no humidity in the house.

    The best cleansing balm/oil I’ve used is Green Clean by Farmacy (just about the same price at KS cold cream) but I just ran out last night and I wonder if I can still use this cold cream until I get my replacement of Green Clean (BTW, that one removes all makeup SO well and just melts away waterproof mascara. Washes off clean).

    My second step is to use a compressed facial sponge instead of another product. I expand it under very hot water and finish cleansing but doing a nice deep clean but gentle exfoliation. I buy white ones so I can see residue and there is NEVER any after using Farmacy except a small amount of barely noticeable foundation that was left over inside my hairline and behind my ears but like I said you can barely see it on the pure white sponge. Also, these sponges clean my pores so well – I have larger and raider pores on my nose, cheeks and forehead. I make sure I finish sponge cleansing with very warm water, as hot as I can stand it. I know, I know, I should end with splashes of super cold water to close up and shrink my pores. But I don’t. I first make sure I apply my blend of my face moisturizer/high quality Vitamin E/6 drops of pure organic Rosemary Oil so that it is fully absorbed through my pores. And, I usually use only Nivea Creme (blue container, made in Europe or Mexico only! It’s been my go to all my life, even as a kid!) After a while and all is absorbed on my face I can wet a face towel, put it in my freezer for a bit and then apply to my face until my body temperature is transferred to it and my skin is cooled down.

    I’ve been doing this for a few years and I always get asked why I don’t age. I am 38 and strangers always guess that I am 26, when I’m in my ideal shape. After packing on a lot of COVID depression weight I look more my age now because going from. BMI of 13% to almost 40% is horrifically damaging to the organs and mitochondria, which causes endless health issues and speeds up aging; but I have started the process of getting my body and health back as I have massive chronic inflammation all over, all the time because of it. My genes dictate that I’m just not meant to be like this and punishes my health AND my skin, but that’s just me.

    ANYWAY, the question before I went off on a huge tangent was: Could I still use KS Cold Cream after ~2 years (opened), if I have sensitive skin?

    Thanks so much for writing about your experience. There is so very little information about this product online. Is it discontinued? If so, why?

    Thank you once more, Isabella, you are appreciated!

    Predpodstolonaslijednica (Pree)