I have finally polished off my Neal’s Yard Remedies Frankincense Refining Cleanser and it’s an “immediate re-purchase” kind of situation. I don’t think that I want to be parted from it for too long! Weirdly, I first wrote about this cleanser almost exactly a year ago; my friend Lauren had been using it and was nagging me to give it a try. And so I did (about six months later, but don’t tell her that) and I loved it and have been using it ever since.

What I like about this cleanser is that it’s very creamy and luxe-feeling, but it’s not heavy or oily. I’m somewhat partial to oily balm cleansers, as you know, but now and then I yearn for something a bit different – something that feels ever so slightly less massage-y. Lighter than a balm, but richer than a facewash – moisturising but in a traceless, unfussy way. The Frankincense Refining Cleanser has a beautiful consistency – a cream that’s thin enough to spread easily over your skin, but thick enough not to slide off and to be able to work it in a little with your fingertips – and it’s very effective at removing makeup. It doesn’t sting around the eye area, washes off perfectly clean and has the most relaxing, calming smell of any cleansing product I think I’ve tried!

The Frankincense in the formula is touted as being firming and toning, the organic cocoa butter as being moisturising, and I think that you can very much feel all of these elements at work; after cleansing my skin has a very small amount of tightness, but still feels very soft and comfortable. It’s a great cleanser for when I want my skin to feel absolutely clean and “new” but also want the comforting, pillowy experience of a cream formula. I like that the creaminess is so light that you can rinse the cleanser away, should you not want to have to do the whole ritual with a “hot cloth” (flannel, muslin, etc), and I also like that the cleanser is packaged in a tube. It makes it perfect for travelling with, and the 100ml size means that I can take it in my hand luggage if I need to.

I must tell you that the roses in the photograph have absolutely nothing to do with the cleanser I’m talking about; they were just there when I was shooting my still life of the packaging, and I got carried away! I should really save them for when I’m writing about something with rose in, shouldn’t I? I can’t imagine we’d be waiting too long – barely a fortnight goes past that I don’t write about something rosy.

But back to Frankincense; the Refining Cleanser is part of the “Rejuvenating” range at Neal’s Yard Remedies – skincare that deals specifically with the signs of ageing. I’ve also tried the new Frankincense Intense cream from the range and that’s gorgeous too; nourishing but not overly rich. But the cleanser is a star product for me – just the right texture, effective at removing makeup and formulated with the kind of organic ingredients you’d expect from NYR. It says in the blurb that it’s suitable for all skin types, especially dry and mature, but I actually think that it works brilliantly for oily and combination skin too. In fact the small amount of toning tightness that you’re left with after removing the cleanser is quite nicely suited to oily/combination skin, I think.

You can find the Frankincense Refining Cleanser online here* – it’s £19.50 – or in NYR stores.