e.l.f.

Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm.

Cleansers

About this product

A hydrating makeup-melting cleansing balm with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides, formulated to remove makeup and impurities.

Full ingredients

Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polydecene, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, PEG-10 Isostearate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide 3, Ceramide 6 II, Ceramide 1, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Phytosphingosine, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Water (Aqua), Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Geraniol, Linalool, Fragrance (Parfum

Guru Score

89%

Yay

3 experts · Moderate agreement

3Gurus

3Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Removes makeup effectively
Affordable
Easier packaging than similar balms

What they flagged

Contains fragrance

What the gurus are saying

This balm's silky, luxurious texture and easy spread impressed reviewers, who described it as fantastic value at $11 and ranked it above drugstore rivals like CeraVe. Mild fragrance is present but not problematic when rinsed off, though fragrance-sensitive folks should skip it. With hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides, it's become a go-to for budget-conscious cleansing.

Synthesized from 3 expert reviews · most recent take December 2024

Best for

Dry skin Sensitive skin

Type

CleansersBalm & ointment

Key actives

Hyaluronic acidCeramidesPeptides

Formula notes

Contains fragranceNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google →

Opens a search for this product. We do not sell anything ourselves.

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

✓Yay

"The e.l.f. cleansing balm is still a fantastic cleansing balm."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"They also have a little tiny e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm like this product. It does have fragrance but it's pretty mild, like it's not headache inducing or anything. Obviously if you're allergic to fragrance you have to avoid it, but I don't mind it in this. And then you know you're rinsing it off so it's less likely to be irritating to the skin."

All 3 takes from Dr Dray

*NEW* Skincare At Target 2024

Skincare I Used Up 🗑 EMPTIES 2023

"I really liked it aside from the fragrance which I did not care for. It does come with a little scoop, it gets the job done, it's a really nice cleansing balm and you get a good amount of the product in here. It has hyaluronic acids, ceramides, peptides. Pleasant to use aside from the fragrance, emulsifies easily. I actually prefer this to the CeraVe cleansing balm if you're going to go with a drugstore brand cleansing balm because the packaging is better, the consistency of this is a lot more luxurious, it's silkier, it spreads on the skin a little bit easier. The CeraVe one is just ever so slightly a bit clumpy. This is a nicer experience than the CeraVe one. Give it a try, it is not bad."

*Vlog* SUMMER SKIN CARE & DRESSING ROOM TRY ON 👗 @DrDrayzday

"I decided to buy this and give it a try because y'all recommended it in a couple of videos, and it's actually really good. It does have fragrance in it, the fragrance is pretty light, and of course you're rinsing this off so it's not as though you're leaving it on the skin to cause irritation, though if you're allergic to fragrance you'd want to avoid it. This really gets the job done and it was not expensive, so if you're someone who's looking for a good drugstore cleansing balm I would highly recommend this one."

The Budget Dermatologist

723k subs

✓Yay

"If you don't want to spend much on a cleansing balm, you don't have to. There are budget-friendly ones that I actually love. This e.l.f. holy hydration makeup melting cleansing balm is one of my longtime favorites and I still go back to this all the time. I'll link this one below too if you want a great budget-friendly option."

Top Pick: budget cleansing balm

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm?

A hydrating makeup-melting cleansing balm with hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and peptides, formulated to remove makeup and impurities.

Is e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm worth it?

Yes. All 3 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 89%.

What is e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm's Guru Score?

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm holds a Guru Score of 89%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.