I’m not that enamoured with Softymo’s cleansing oils. I know that they’re a favourite among many English-speaking beauty bloggers and that they’re supposedly Japan’s top-selling cleansing oil brand, but I have never got on well with them — and I have tried every single variation that Softymo produce (including their various reformulations).
Softymo have completely revamped the formulas of their cleansing oil lineup this year in July. The new oils contain a certified organic “selected treatment oil” blend said to leave skin feeling smoother and more moisturised than before. Speedy Cleansing Oil‘s main distinguishing feature is that it claims to work just as well on damp skin, and the renewed 2016 formula promises to better melt away mascara and other long-wearing makeup.
The old Speedy Cleansing Oil was mediocre at removing eye makeup — traces of waterproof mascara and eyeliner were always left behind. It rinsed off easily enough, but skin left feeling uncomfortably taut. Also, any dampness on the skin would render it entirely useless. Have Softymo managed to improve on the original with the new? Yes and no. I have tried it on both heavy-duty and very light daytime makeup, and my skin has emerged sparkly clean, smooth, and not dried out both times. That being said, it still doesn’t completely melt away mascara with ease like higher priced oils. I need to use quite a bit of oil to really saturate the eye area and get a good massaging action going. Disappointingly, it’s still very much ineffective on damp skin. It has no discernible scent.
Speedy Cleansing Oil hasn’t won me over with its new formula. It still doesn’t do what it says. If your skin isn’t completely dry, don’t bother. Eye makeup removal is far from ‘speedy’ — you need a fair amount of oil and good old elbow grease. (But it doesn’t give you blurry vision for about twenty years if you inevitably do get it in your eyes.) It can remove every trace, but I prefer cleansing oils that melt away mascara on contact, and ultimately, this didn’t cut the mustard.
Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil is ¥530 for a 230 ml bottle HERE or ¥391 for the 200ml refill HERE on Amazon Japan.