The Outset wants you to believe you can scrub off a full face of Hollywood glam with one balm. No double cleanse. No stinging eyes. Just vibes.
The real test: I wore two coats of waterproof mascara and a stubborn liquid lip. If this thing failed, the whole brand promise crumbles.
It’s a oil-based cleansing balm. $36 for 3.4 oz. Scarlett claims it dissolves everything in one go — makeup, SPF, the emotional weight of your day.
Texture shift
Starts as a solid butter, turns into oil in 8 seconds flat. No grit.
Emulsification speed
Water turns it milky almost instantly — no weird oily residue hangover.
Scent (or lack of)
Smells like absolutely nothing. If you want spa vibes, look elsewhere.
Photo: Christian Agbede / Unsplash
The ingredient list is short enough to read while half-asleep. No fragrance, no essential oils, no nonsense. It’s built for sensitive skin that throws tantrums.
- Squalane: Mimics your skin’s natural oils without clogging
- Jojoba Oil: Breaks down wax-based makeup better than coconut
- Glycerin: Stops the balm from stripping your moisture barrier
- Tocopherol: Vitamin E — keeps the formula stable, not magic
Photo: Clarissa Watson / Unsplash
Scooping it out feels like digging into cold coconut butter. Melts on contact — no tugging. Rinses off clean enough that I skipped my second cleanse twice by accident.
Week 3: My waterproof mascara needed a dedicated eye makeup remover first. The balm alone left raccoon eyes. But for everyday SPF and light makeup? It vanished completely.
Photo: Dominik Vanyi / Unsplash
No breakouts. No redness. No tight, squeaky feeling after washing. My skin looked… normal. Which is actually the win — it didn’t freak out.
It’s a solid, boring, reliable balm that does exactly what it promises — just don’t expect it to outperform your two-step routine on heavy makeup days.