Melt took two years to get right, because we were stubborn about four things. It had to feel extraordinary in the hand. It had to smell so good you'd look forward to it all day. It had to leave skin soft, with no tight feeling afterwards. And it had to work for sensitive eyes, coming off completely, with no sting and no cloudy vision.

So we made a cleanser the way we'd make a face oil. It has cold-pressed camellia, prickly pear seed and fig seed, oils most brands save for their most expensive serums. There's no water in it and no filler, only plants. Kokum butter and jojoba set it firm, so it breaks softly under your fingers and then gives way to the warmth of your skin.

We designed Melt to help you wind down at the end of the day. The ingredients do most of that work, since hinoki and bergamot are both studied for their calming effect when inhaled. The glass jar does the rest. Opening it each evening becomes part of the ritual.

Because it melts. On dry skin, the balm turns to a slow, gliding oil that takes hold of everything oil-based on your face: makeup, SPF, mascara, the city. It does this without foam and without stripping the skin.

Because it lets go. This is the part we worked on longest. Two plant-derived emulsifiers sit quietly in the balm until water arrives. Then the whole thing turns loose and milky and leaves with the water. There's no film on your skin, no fog over your eyes, and no second cleanser needed.

Because you breathe. Hinoki is the wood of Japanese soaking tubs and forest bathing, and there's science behind why it feels the way it does. In a Japanese study, 90 seconds of inhaling hinoki leaf oil, the same oil we use, was enough to quiet activity in the prefrontal cortex and raise parasympathetic activity, the body's "rest" mode. Bergamot has been studied in the same way, with similar findings on mood and stress. We added frankincense for warmth and stillness. One slow inhale while you massage, and your shoulders drop.

Key Ingredients

Camellia Seed Oil. The base. Silky and light, it's the oil behind centuries of Japanese skincare, and it glides without pulling.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil. Each seed holds a trace of oil, so it takes around a ton of fruit to press a litre. It's extravagant in a cleanser, and we used it anyway.

Fig Seed Oil. If you know Garrigue, you know how we feel about fig. It's rare and cold-pressed, and rich in the fatty acids skin loves.

Rice Bran Oil. Quietly brilliant at dissolving sunscreen and long-wear makeup.

Kokum Butter & Jojoba Esters. These create the soft break and the slow melt that gave Melt its name. There are no petroleum waxes in it.

The Rinse System. Two polyglyceryl emulsifiers made from plant glycerin and fatty acids. They're gentle and PEG-free, and they're the reason nothing stays behind.

Hinoki, Bergamot & Frankincense. Pure essential oils, never added fragrance. The bergamot is bergapten-free, so it's safe in the sun.

Full Ingredients (INCI)

Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, Behenyl Alcohol, Ficus Carica (Fig) Seed Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Oleate, Garcinia Indica Seed Butter, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Tocopherol,Limonene, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Pinene, Geraniol

A little goes a long way. A scoop the size of a chickpea is suggested. The jar should last three months with daily use. 

1. Dry hands, dry face. Smooth the balm over your skin and massage slowly for a minute, over closed eyes too. It melts as it warms. Breathe in.
2. Add water, generously. Wet your hands and keep massaging. The balm will turn milky and loose. Add more water and keep going. This is the step that makes it rinse so clean, so don't rush it.
3. Wipe away with a warm, damp cloth.

Evenings are when it shines, but it's gentle enough for morning too.