Do I apply Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml to wet or dry skin?

Dry skin and dry hands. Water added before the balm has had a chance to dissolve makeup and sunscreen stops it from working as intended; add water only once you start massaging it in and want it to turn milky.

Is this my only cleansing step?

No. A cleansing balm is the first half of a double cleanse, meant to lift makeup and sunscreen. A foam or gel cleanser follows it to remove any remaining residue.

Is this the same formula sold in Korea, or a version made for the US market?

This is the Korean-market formula, the same one sold on shelves in Korea rather than a version reformulated for US retail.

Can I use this if my skin runs sensitive?

This cleansing balm is formulated with skin types like normal or combination skin in mind, but any new product is worth a patch test first if your skin reacts easily. A short patch test on the inside of your arm or behind an ear before it goes on your face is worth doing, and that goes for sensitive skin most of all.

How long before I will know if this is right for my skin?

Give it a full week or two of consistent use before you judge, since a single use rarely tells you much either way. Watch for how skin feels and looks rather than for any specific number, and stop use if you notice ongoing irritation.

NEOGEN

Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml

Name: NEOGEN Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml
Brand: NEOGEN
SKU: 2757580463
Price: 32.5 USD
Availability: InStock

NEOGEN Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml is a cleansing oil, the first step of a double cleanse used to melt off makeup and sunscreen before a water-based cleanser.

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$32.50

300 ml

$10.83 per 100 ml

Korean-market formula
Ships from California or direct from Korea
Korean barcode and batch code intact

Suited to: Normal skinDry skinCombination skinOily skin

Helps with: Removing makeup and sunscreen at the end of the dayThe first half of a double cleanseA step that is easy to build a consistent routine around

One-time purchase

$32.50

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How it works

A cleansing oil works on the same oil-dissolves-oil principle as a balm, but pours rather than scoops, which some people find easier to spread quickly over a dry face and dry hands. Massaged over dry skin, it lifts makeup and sunscreen, and adding water partway through turns it milky so it rinses cleanly rather than leaving a film. It is the first half of a double cleanse, not the whole cleanse. It is the version sold on shelves in Korea rather than a formula reworked for a different market. Store it away from direct heat and sunlight and reseal it fully after each use, which keeps the formula working the way it is meant to for as long as the pack lasts.

Key benefits

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil sits right near the top of the 54-ingredient list, an olive-derived ingredient carried for its nourishing, moisture-sealing reputation
Guaiazulene sits right near the top of the 54-ingredient list, a chamomile-derived blue-green compound carried for its calming reputation
Ceramide NP sits early in the 54-ingredient list, a skin-identical lipid that sits in the same family as the fats naturally found between skin cells
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil sits early in the 54-ingredient list, an argan-derived ingredient carried for its moisture-sealing reputation
Formulated as a cleansing oil from NEOGEN, sized for regular use in a routine
Comes in a 300ml format, sized for the first step of a double cleanse

How to use

Pump onto dry hands and massage over completely dry skin to dissolve makeup and sunscreen, then add a little water and continue massaging until it turns milky, and rinse. Follow with your regular foam or gel cleanser.

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51 of 53 explained

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emollient: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is the light fraction of coconut oil, with the heavy parts removed. It is the workhorse emollient of modern formulas: it softens skin, dissolves oil-soluble actives and absorbs without the greasy weight of a whole plant oil.
Isopropyl Palmitate emollient: One of the oldest cosmetic emollient esters. It softens skin and thins a formula, and it is more occlusive than the very light modern esters.
PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate emulsifier: A nonionic emulsifier built on glycerin and branched fatty acids. Cleansing oils and balms use it so they emulsify the moment water is added.
Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil emollient: Soybean Oil is a linoleic-rich plant oil used as an emollient. It also carries soy phytosterols and vitamin E.
Ethylhexylglycerin preservative booster: Ethylhexylglycerin softens skin and boosts a preservative system, which is why it is nearly always sitting beside phenoxyethanol or 1,2-hexanediol. It also cuts down the odour bacteria produce, so it turns up in deodorising products.
Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil emollient: Olive Fruit Oil is high in oleic acid and plant sterols. It is a rich emollient that suits dry skin and is heavy enough that blemish-prone skin often does not get on with it.
Water solvent: Water is the base almost every serum, toner and cream is built on. It dissolves the water-loving ingredients and sets how light the finished texture feels. On an INCI list it is usually first, which only means it is the largest single ingredient by weight.
Guaiazulene active: Guaiazulene is the deep blue compound distilled from chamomile and guaiac wood, and it is what colours a blue formula naturally. It is used for the look of reactive, reddened skin.
Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil emollient: Evening primrose oil, the main plant source of gamma-linolenic acid. It absorbs fast and oxidises fast, so formulas pair it with an antioxidant.
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil emollient: Carrot seed oil, pressed from the seed rather than the root. It is used as a conditioning oil and carries its own earthy scent.
Camellia Japonica Seed Oil emollient: Camellia Seed Oil is the traditional Korean and Japanese hair and skin oil, high in oleic acid. It is a light emollient that absorbs quickly for its richness.
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil emollient: Moringa Seed Oil is high in oleic acid and behenic acid and very stable. It is a conditioning emollient with a light, non-sticky finish.

39 more explained

Ceramide NP barrier lipid: Ceramide NP is the most used cosmetic ceramide, the same class of lipid that makes up roughly half the mortar between cells in the outer layer of skin. Added to a cream it slots into that structure, which is why ceramide formulas feel less leaky rather than merely greasy.
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil fragrance component: Sage essential oil. It scents a formula and carries the plant's own aromatic compounds, which is also why it can bother reactive skin.
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil emollient: Argan Oil is pressed from the argan kernel and is rich in oleic and linoleic acids plus vitamin E. It is a medium-weight emollient that absorbs reasonably fast.
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil emollient: Avocado oil, rich in oleic acid and plant sterols. It is one of the heavier plant oils, which suits dry skin and cleansing balms.
Allantoin active: Allantoin is a comfrey-derived compound used to condition skin and soften the outer layer so it feels smoother. It is one of the standard additions to a formula built for easily irritated skin.
Tocopherol antioxidant: Tocopherol is vitamin E. It is an oil-soluble antioxidant that protects the oils in a formula from going rancid and works on skin as an emollient, and it is regularly paired with vitamin C because each keeps the other going for longer.
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil fragrance component: Tea Tree Leaf Oil is an essential oil from an Australian shrub, carrying terpinen-4-ol. Korean formulas use it in products aimed at blemish-prone skin; it is potent, aromatic, and one of the essential oils most likely to bother reactive skin.
Panthenol humectant: Panthenol is pro-vitamin B5: skin converts it to pantothenic acid. It is a humectant that holds water and leaves skin feeling soft and less tight, and it is one of the ingredients formulators reach for when a formula also contains something harsh.
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil emollient: Grape Seed Oil is a light, linoleic-acid-rich oil with a fast, dry absorption. It is one of the plant oils used where an oil is wanted without a heavy finish.
Zinc Pca active: Zinc PCA pairs zinc with the humectant PCA. It is used in oily and blemish-prone formulas for the look of shine and visible pores, and it hydrates at the same time.
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid exfoliant: Capryloyl Salicylic Acid is salicylic acid with a fatty tail, sometimes sold as LHA. It stays nearer the surface than salicylic acid and works at a higher pH, so it exfoliates more evenly and more gently.
Butylene Glycol humectant: Butylene Glycol is a small glycol that does two jobs at once: it holds water in the top layer of skin and it dissolves plant extracts and actives that plain water cannot. It also thins a formula, which is why watery Korean essences lean on it.
Asiaticoside active: Asiaticoside is one of the four active triterpenes isolated from centella and the most studied of them. Korean formulas name it separately when they want to show which fraction of the plant they standardised.
Madecassic Acid active: Madecassic Acid is the fourth centella triterpene. A list that names all four is telling you the extract was standardised rather than simply pressed, which is the difference between a cica claim and a cica formula.
Asiatic Acid active: Asiatic Acid is the third of centella's four triterpenes and the aglycone form, meaning it has no attached sugar. It is oil soluble, so it turns up in cica creams and balms more than in watery layers.
1,2-Hexanediol humectant: 1,2-Hexanediol is a glycol used for two reasons: it holds water like glycerin, and it makes a formula harder for microbes to live in, so less traditional preservative is needed. Korean formulas use it heavily for that second reason.
Centella Asiatica Extract plant extract: Centella Asiatica is the plant behind the whole cica category, sold as gotu kola or Madagascar centella. Its extract is the anchor of Korean formulas built for easily reddened skin, and its work is done by four triterpenes: asiaticoside, madecassoside, asiatic acid and madecassic acid.
Houttuynia Cordata Extract plant extract: Houttuynia Cordata is heartleaf, and it is one of the two or three anchor plants of Korean calming skincare. Its extract carries quercitrin and other flavonoids and is used for the look of redness and blemish-prone skin.
Xanthan Gum thickener: Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar. It thickens a watery formula into a gel and holds the whole thing in suspension so nothing separates. Too much of it and a serum turns stringy, which is why it appears in fractions of a percent.
Portulaca Oleracea Extract plant extract: Portulaca Oleracea is purslane. Its extract is unusually high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants for a plant, and Korean formulas use it for the look of reddened, reactive skin.
Saururus Chinensis Extract plant extract: Asian lizard tail extract, closely related to houttuynia and used in the same kinds of Korean formula. It carries flavonoids and is one of the older Korean herbal ingredients.
Artemisia Capillaris Extract plant extract: Artemisia Capillaris is a mugwort species used in Korean and Chinese traditional practice. Its extract is used for the look of reddened, reactive skin.
Caprylyl Glycol preservative booster: Caprylyl Glycol is a glycol that conditions skin and, more importantly, strengthens a preservative system so less of the traditional preservative is needed. It appears in most modern formulas built without parabens.
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract plant extract: Aloe Leaf Extract is mostly water with polysaccharides, amino acids and mild plant acids. It hydrates and leaves a light, cooling film, which is why it is the default after-sun ingredient.
Acorus Calamus Root Extract plant extract: Sweet flag root extract, an aromatic wetland rhizome long used in Korean herbal practice. It is a conditioning plant extract.
Hyaluronic Acid humectant: Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar chain the body already makes, and one gram of it can hold several litres of water. In a formula it is a humectant that pulls water to the surface of skin and holds it in a film, which is what makes skin look plumper while it is there.
Glucose humectant: Glucose is a simple sugar used as a humectant and as food for the ferment ingredients in the same formula. It hydrates mildly and adds a soft slip.
Sodium Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate is the salt of hyaluronic acid, and it is what most products labelled hyaluronic actually contain. The salt dissolves more readily and the molecule is smaller, so it sits in the outer layer of skin rather than only on top of it.
Madecassoside active: Madecassoside is the centella triterpene most associated with the look of redness, and the one brands lead with in cica products. It is water soluble and stable, so it appears in essences as readily as in creams.
Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract plant extract: Chondrus Crispus is Irish moss, a red seaweed. It is loaded with carrageenan, so it hydrates and thickens at once, and it leaves a cushioned, slippery film.
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract plant extract: Tea Tree Leaf Extract is the water-based extract rather than the essential oil, so it is far milder and much less aromatic. It is used in formulas for blemish-prone skin.
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate humectant: Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate carries a positive charge, and skin carries a slight negative one, so it is attracted to the surface and stays through rinsing. It is the hyaluronic used where a formula gets washed off.
Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid humectant: Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid is hyaluronic acid cut into much shorter fragments. The smaller the fragment, the further into the outer layer it can settle, which is why serums stack several sizes together instead of using one.
Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate humectant: Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid modified to be part oil-loving, so it clings to skin instead of rinsing away. Formulators call it the one that stays put.
Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer humectant: Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer is hyaluronic acid linked into a mesh. It holds water in a soft gel on the surface rather than sinking in, and it releases that water slowly through the day.
Potassium Hyaluronate humectant: Potassium Hyaluronate is another salt of hyaluronic acid, used for the same reason as the sodium form: it dissolves easily and holds a large amount of water in the outer layer of skin.
Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil fragrance component: Bergamot Fruit Oil is a citrus essential oil and the top note of eau de cologne. It scents a formula; citrus oils are the aromatic class most likely to bother reactive skin.
Limonene fragrance component: Limonene is the citrus-peel aromatic. It appears here because EU labelling requires 26 fragrance components to be named individually rather than hidden inside "fragrance", and it is one of them.
Linalool fragrance component: Linalool is a floral aromatic found in lavender, bergamot and coriander. It is one of the 26 fragrance components EU labelling requires to be declared by name.

Inside the formula

Ingredients declared

No fragrance

on the list

Worth knowing

Apply to completely dry skin and hands; water added too early stops it from dissolving makeup properly.
Always follow it with a second, water-based cleanser to remove any remaining residue.

Complete the routine

This itemNEOGEN Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml$32.50
Cleanse first, so the next step meets bare skinNEOGEN Dermalogy Double Vita Capsule Cleansing Foam 160g$27.50
Seal the routine in as the last stepNEOGEN Surmedic Super Ceramide 100TM Renewal Cream 50ml$35.00

Total for 3 items$95.00

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NEOGEN Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml

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NEOGEN, Korean-market original

NEOGEN Calming Cica Tree Micellar Cleansing Oil 300ml, cleansing oil with Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Korean-market formula.

Verify your unit when it arrives

Korean-market stock with the original barcode and batch code intact, exactly as it left Korea.

On the unit itself

The Korean-market barcode, unaltered from the retail package.
The manufacturer’s batch code, exactly as the maker printed it.

정품Genuine article, Korean-market stock

What professionals say

What skin-care professionals say about skin care, quoted from the medical sources linked beside each.

Your skin barrier is basically your outer layer of the skin.
Melissa Piliang, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic
Pretty much every step of a Korean skin care routine is going to have some component of hydration.
Alok Vij, MDDermatologist, Cleveland Clinic