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Product photo: Olive Young Korea
No.1 Pure Glass Cleansing Oil
A short, 13-ingredient cleansing oil built on corn oil and light esters, with macadamia, tiger nut and sunflower oils, that emulsifies and rinses clean. Fragranced.
Buyer verdictAn effective, no-fuss cleansing oil that removes sunscreen and makeup well and rinses off cleanly. Olive Young's 400ml jumbo bottle is the value buy. It contains fragrance, so sensitive skin should test it first.
- Key ingredient
- Corn oil, Isopropyl myristate and ethylhexyl palmitate
- Texture
- Light, runny oil that turns milky with water
- Routine step
- cleanser · PM
- Korean pack
- 400ml
Overview
Key ingredients
- Corn oil The first ingredient; a light plant oil that dissolves makeup and sunscreen
- Isopropyl myristate and ethylhexyl palmitate Light esters that break down long-wear makeup
- Sorbeth-30 tetraoleate and sorbitan sesquioleate Emulsifiers that turn the oil milky so it rinses off
- Macadamia, tiger nut and sunflower seed oils Softening oils
What it is
Numbuzin numbers its lines by purpose, and No.1 is the “clean and clear” line. This cleansing oil is its first step: a light, pumpable oil that dissolves makeup and sunscreen, then turns milky and rinses away with water.
The Korean ingredient list is short, just 13 ingredients. It starts with corn oil and isopropyl myristate, then the emulsifier sorbeth-30 tetraoleate, more light esters (ethylhexyl palmitate, caprylic/capric triglyceride), and a second emulsifier. Macadamia, tiger nut root and sunflower seed oils add softness, with vitamin E and fragrance at the end.
Who it suits (and who should skip it)
Good pick if
- You wear daily sunscreen or makeup and want a thorough first cleanse
- You prefer a light, runny oil to a balm
- You want a big bottle that lasts for months
Skip it if
- Your skin reacts to fragrance
- You want a cleansing oil with calming or pore-care extras
- You don’t wear anything that needs an oil cleanser
What the ingredients do
Corn oil and the light esters do the dissolving. Oil breaks down oil, so sunscreen filters, long-wear foundation and mascara loosen quickly as you massage.
The emulsifiers are what make it a cleansing oil rather than a bottle of plant oil. When you add water, they turn the mix into a milky emulsion that rinses off without a greasy film. That’s the most important part of any cleansing oil, and this one emulsifies quickly.
Macadamia, tiger nut and sunflower oils leave skin feeling soft after rinsing. The fragrance gives it a light, clean scent.
How to use it
Numbuzin’s directions are clear. Pump a few times onto dry hands and massage over a dry face to melt makeup. Then wet your hands and massage again for about 30 seconds until it turns milky. Rinse well with lukewarm water.
Follow with a gentle water-based cleanser. Avoid getting water into the bottle’s pump.
How it compares
Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil is the most popular rival, with calming heartleaf and a pore-care angle. Ma:nyo Pure Cleansing Oil is a classic, slightly richer oil. SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil is very light and centella-based, for sensitive skin.
Is it worth buying in Seoul?
Yes, if you’ll use a lot of it. Olive Young’s exclusive 400ml bottle costs about ₩23,500 on sale. Amazon mostly sells the 200ml size. The sizes are too different for our automatic comparison, but per ml the jumbo bottle is far cheaper than two 200ml bottles from Amazon.
It clears the ₩15,000 tax refund minimum on its own. A 400ml bottle of oil is heavy and must go in checked luggage. Bag it in case the pump leaks.
FAQ
Does it contain fragrance?
Yes. Fragrance is the last ingredient on the Korean label.
Do I need to double cleanse after it?
Most people follow it with a gentle foam or gel cleanser, the classic Korean double cleanse. If you only wore light sunscreen, some people skip the second step.
Will it break me out?
Cleansing oils are rinsed off, so they rarely cause breakouts when emulsified and rinsed properly. Isopropyl myristate is sometimes flagged for acne-prone skin, so rinse thoroughly.
What sizes are there?
The standard bottle is 200ml. Olive Young sells an exclusive 400ml jumbo bottle, which is the one we price.
