Comparison: Shu Uemura ultime8 sublime beauty cleansing oil vs. Sekkisei Treatment Cleansing Oil

Shu Uemura cleansing oils are top sellers in Asia. I’ve known about them for a while, but only tried one for the first time over the past year. I have also been using a cleansing oil made by Sekkisei, so I thought I’d compare the two for you!

Oil has really been a beauty revelation for me over the past decade or so. Although according to the Shu Uemura website, cleansing oil has been around since the ’60s in Japan and even before then in Hollywood, I’ve only noticed it becoming really popular in recent years. As a teen (in the ’90s), I never heard of face oils, hair oil, or cleansing oil despite always having been really into beauty—and now all three of those products are staples in my routine.

How is cleansing oil used?

First things first. Contrary to other face cleansers, cleansing oil is used on dry skin. This is very important, because if your hands or face are wet before applying it, its effectiveness is highly reduced. I made this mistake the first few times around, and really didn’t understand what all the hype was about. Basically, you pump some cleansing oil into your dry hands, apply it onto your face, and then massage it into your skin and over your makeup, using circular motions. Only then do you add water and rinse it off!

Shu Uemura ultime8 beauty cleansing oil

This oil contains eight botanical oils, and feels super luxurious. However, I was surprised at how liquid the formula is—unlike other cleansing oils I had tried in the past, whose consistency was a little thicker. A thinner texture is not a bad thing: I find it makes the product easier to massage into your skin, and minimizes rubbing on the eyes to get your makeup off.

As far as I can tell, the Shu Uemura ultime8 beauty cleansing oil is meant for all skin types. In my experience, it does a really good job at removing makeup without leaving residue, even when I’m wearing a full face. On the off chance I do have a little bit of mascara left after I rinse it off, a quick swipe of a cotton pad with some micellar water, and it’s gone!

Although it’s on the pricier side, I’ve been using the same bottle about every other day for around seven months, and still have a quarter of it left. I feel it is a worthwhile investment, since this oil is very effective and pleasant to use.

$49 for 150 ml at shuuemura.ca

Sekkisei Treatment Cleansing Oil

I have also been using Sekkisei Treatment Cleansing Oil over the past months, and I like it a lot, but for different reasons. This oil has a thicker consistency than the Shu Uemura one, which I find is very comforting when applied onto the skin. It contains coix seed oil, sesame oil, and safflower oil, and smells like the other products in the Sekkisei line: some people don’t enjoy it, but I actually really do.

I find this formula very moisturizing, and it leaves my skin nice and smooth. However, it doesn’t do as good a job as the Shu Uemura one as far as removing makeup. Because I don’t wear intense makeup looks every day, I usually reach for the Sekkisei Treatment Cleansing Oil when all I have on is a bit of concealer and mascara, and use the Shu Uemura one when I’m wearing a lot of eye shadow, blush, highlighter, mascara, and lipstick.

This oil is also the least expensive of the two, so if you only wear light makeup, it might be the perfect choice for you!

$29 for 160 ml at beautyboutique.ca

Have you tried either one of these oils? Are you a fan of cleansing oils? Let me know in the comments!

Note: I was provided with PR samples of these products, but as always, opinions are my own. 

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