Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm Review: The Oil Cleanser Everyone Actually Uses

Every review we've written so far starts at step 2 or later — toner, essence, serum — because the routine guide's actual step 1, oil cleanser, has been a gap on this site until now. Banila Co's Clean It Zero is the product most people mean when they say "oil cleanser" without knowing the category name: a sherbet-textured balm that's reportedly sold over 100 million units worldwide and is often credited with popularizing double cleansing outside Korea in the first place.

What it actually is

Clean It Zero isn't an oil in the bottle — it's a solid, whipped-sherbet balm that you scoop out and warm between dry fingers on dry skin. On contact with skin (and later, water) it liquefies into a clear oil that dissolves makeup, sunscreen, and sebum, then emulsifies into a milky texture you rinse away. The Original formula is built around Acerola berry and vitamin C for antioxidant support, on top of the "Zero Balance" oil blend that's meant to cut through waterproof makeup and SPF without the greasy residue a lot of cleansing oils leave behind.

Texture and how it applies

Scoop a dime-to-quarter-sized amount (more for a full face of makeup) onto completely dry hands and massage it over completely dry skin — face and closed eyes both, it handles waterproof mascara and long-wear SPF without aggressive rubbing. It shifts from balm to slick oil within seconds. Add a splash of water and keep massaging; it turns milky and starts to rinse clean instead of leaving the tacky film some cleansing oils do. That water-splash step matters — skipping it and rinsing straight with a cloth is the most common reason people say a balm cleanser "feels greasy."

Who it's genuinely good for

• Anyone wearing sunscreen daily (which should be everyone) — a water-based cleanser alone doesn't fully break down mineral or chemical SPF, and residual sunscreen is a quiet cause of clogged pores
• Makeup wearers, especially waterproof or long-wear formulas — this is built to dissolve exactly that
• Dry and normal skin looking for a first-cleanse step that doesn't strip the skin barrier before the second cleanse does the rest
• Anyone who's tried a cleansing oil and found it too runny or too slow to emulsify — the balm format is easier to control and doesn't drip

Who should be cautious

• Very oily or acne-prone skin should watch how their skin responds — this is a nourishing, non-stripping formula, and some breakout-prone skin does better with the brand's own Pore Clarifying variant instead of the Original
• It's a first cleanse, not a whole routine — used alone, without a water-based second cleanse behind it, residue can linger and skin can end up feeling filmy

Where it fits in the routine

This is step 1 in the 10-step Korean skincare routine — the "oil cleanser" that starts the double cleanse, followed immediately by a water-based cleanser like COSRX's Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser. It's a PM step mainly: mornings usually don't need makeup or SPF removal, so most people reserve balm cleansing for nights and use a lighter gel or foam cleanser both AM and PM.

Bottom line: double cleansing sounds like an extra step invented to sell more product, until you actually try removing a full day of sunscreen with a gel cleanser alone and compare it to a balm-first pass. Clean It Zero is the version most people land on first for a reason — it's hard to mess up and it's been reformulated and iterated on for over a decade of being the category's default answer.

References

Peer-reviewed sources for the ingredient claims above, retrieved from PubMed. Cite the linked DOI when reusing any of this.

• The relation of pH and skin cleansing — Curr Probl Dermatol, 2018 — review
• Natural skin surface pH is on average below 5, which is beneficial for its resident flora — Int J Cosmet Sci, 2006