You are here:

The Gentle Balm

$68.00

Option

Size

A little goes a long way – most customers enjoy one jar for 6–12 months.

A soft, buttery 3-in-1 calendula facial cleanser that melts tension and buildup without friction or heat.
Let your skin settle into softness.
A nervous system skincare™ formula designed for sensitive women.

SKU: GENT-BALM

Gentle Balm

When you want the day off your face, and nothing else.

If your skin is reactive, you already know how the evening usually goes. A wash that squeaks. A routine with more steps than you have energy for. A face left tight and pink at the end of it.

This is the one step that takes all of it off. Makeup, sunscreen, the day. It rinses clean and leaves your face soft instead of tight.

At a glance

Sixteen ingredients · plant-saponin cleansing · no PEG emulsifiers

TextureRich & buttery

LightRich

GentlenessSoothing

CalmingActive

ScentNone added

UnscentedAromatic

What is in it

Quillaja and soapwort saponins do the cleansing. Nilotica shea and kokum for the melt. Jojoba, squalane, Abyssinian and meadowfoam for a cushioned feel that rinses clean. Organic calendula CO₂ extract.

The full INCI is further down this page.

WhenAM & PM

UseCleanse & makeup removal

How it cleanses

Two plant saponins, quillaja and soapwort, carried in shea and kokum. They lift makeup, sunscreen and the day off a dry face, then rinse away with water.

That is what does the work here, rather than a PEG emulsifier. It comes away with water and leaves no film behind.

Formulated to support your skin’s moisture barrier. Barrier-friendly by design, with nothing added that a reactive system has to work around.

The hero · calendula

Calendula is the golden botanical at the heart of this balm, here as an organic CO₂ extract, which captures more of the flower than a standard infusion does.

It has been loved by sensitive skin for a very long time, and it is what gives the balm its colour. One thing to know before you order: calendula is in the Asteraceae family, alongside daisy and ragweed. If that family is a problem for you, this is the ingredient to weigh.

The buttersEast African Nilotica shea with kokum. Nilotica is a softer grade of shea with a lower melt point, and it is what gives the balm its buttery melt.
The light oilsJojoba, squalane, Abyssinian and meadowfoam. They condition without heaviness, so skin is left soft rather than coated.
Reach for it when youFeel tight or stripped after foaming cleansers. React to fragrance and harsh surfactants. Want makeup gone without scrubbing. Would rather have one gentle step than a long routine.
ScentUnscented, and it does have a faint smell. What you catch is faint calendula, which is the flower extract itself rather than anything added. No added fragrance and no synthetic fragrance.
Where it sits in your routineThis is the first cleanse, and on most nights it is the only one you need. After heavy sunscreen or makeup, follow with the Hydrate or Brighten Cleansing Bar. Once or twice a week the Cacao Renewal Polish or the Radiance Mask comes after that, and the Defy Face Butter or your usual elixir closes it. On an ordinary Tuesday, this and a moisturiser is a complete evening.

Left out on purpose

Synthetic fragranceLeft out of every Indiefog product, without exception.
Essential oilsNone in this balm, so there is nothing aromatic added for a reactive face to meet.
PEGsThe plant saponins do that job instead, which is the whole design of this formula.
SiliconesNothing left sitting on the surface once the balm has rinsed.
Parabens, dyes and talcColour in this jar comes from the calendula and nowhere else.

Full ingredient list

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*^^, Butyrospermum Parkii (East African Nilotica Shea) Butter*, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Seed Butter*, Squalane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Vegetable Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Quillaja Saponaria Wood Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract CO2*, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Saponaria Officinalis Leaf/Root Extract, Benzyl Alcohol***, Tocopherol**, Dehydroacetic Acid***, Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract.

*Organic **Non-GMO ***ECOCERT-approved ^^Regeneratively grown

Because we prioritize freshness and small-batch production, the list above may occasionally vary from your packaging. The ingredient list printed on your jar always reflects the exact formula inside.

Free from

Synthetic fragrance · Essential oils · PEGs · Silicones · Parabens · Dyes · Talc

Unscented, never fragrance-free. Benzyl alcohol is present as a preservative and is a declarable allergen, so it is named in the ingredient list above. 86% natural, and 14% naturally derived and synthetic.

What you notice

In the jarSoft and golden. It yields to a fingertip without scraping.
On contactWarms and slackens into an oil as you work it.
As you cleanseSlippy and unhurried. Nothing here needs scrubbing.
With waterLoosens and lifts away with a cloth or a rinse.
AfterSoft and conditioned, with your moisture barrier left where it was. Never tight, and never stripped.

How to use it

Warm a small amount

Scoop a little and warm it between dry fingertips until it softens into a balm.

Massage into dry skin

Press into a dry face and massage slowly. Eye makeup included: work it gently over closed eyes and let it soften before you rinse.

Take your time here

Small circles, light pressure, and a few unhurried breaths. Washing your face is the first thing you do that says the day is over, and your system hears it.

Add water or a soft cloth

Wet your hands or use a warm, damp cloth to lift everything away. The balm turns slightly milky as the water goes in, which is how you know it is ready to come off.

Rinse and settle

Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry.

Allergens and sensitivityEvery ingredient named, and who each one matters to

I formulate for skin that reacts to almost everything, including my own. So I build for less, and I name all of it. What tolerance looks like changes over time, and it is different for each of us, so what follows is composition rather than a promise. Here is everything in the jar, written for anyone with a specific allergy.

Calendula CO₂Calendula Officinalis · the hero

The golden botanical at the heart of the balm, and what gives it its colour. Asteraceae family, alongside daisy and ragweed, and named here rather than buried in the list.

Shea & Kokum ButtersEast African Nilotica shea, and Garcinia Indica

Both are tree-derived butters, named so you can weigh them against your own history.

Jojoba, Squalane, Abyssinian & MeadowfoamLightweight plant oils

Each one is named separately rather than grouped as plant oils, so you can check them against your own list. Abyssinian appears as Crambe Abyssinica on the label.

Quillaja & SoapwortPlant saponins

The saponins that do the cleansing here, one from the wood and one from the leaf and root. They are what stands in place of a synthetic emulsifier in this formula.

Marshmallow RootAlthaea Officinalis

A water-loving botanical, here for the soft finish after the rinse.

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate & GlycerinCoconut-derived emollient, and humectant

They give the balm its dry, clean slip and help it rinse away with water.

TocopherolNon-GMO · sunflower-derived

A sunflower-derived antioxidant that keeps the oils fresh. Sunflower is also in the Asteraceae family, and it is never soy.

Benzyl Alcohol & Dehydroacetic AcidECOCERT-approved preservation

The system that keeps this water-compatible balm stable. Benzyl alcohol is here as a preservative rather than a scent ingredient, and it is also a declarable fragrance allergen under EU rules, so it is named in the ingredient list.

That is everything in the jar. Nothing hidden, nothing implied. If a particular ingredient here gives you pause, patch test a small area first. You know your body best.

Care and keepingHow long a jar lasts, why it is preserved, and keeping water out

How long a jar lasts

A little melts a long way, so a small scoop covers a whole face. Most people take less than they expect at first, because a balm spreads further than a cleanser.

Whether it is preserved, and why

Yes, and this one genuinely needs it. Unlike our waterless butters, the Gentle Balm carries a small water fraction. Water means something could grow, so the balm is preserved with an ECOCERT-approved system of benzyl alcohol and dehydroacetic acid.

That is also the one reason this balm is called unscented rather than fragrance-free, which the allergens section above sets out in full. If you want a cleanse with no benzyl alcohol at all, the Hydrate Cleansing Bar is the one.

Storing it, and keeping water out

Cool, out of direct sun, lid on between uses. Because there is water in the formula, use dry fingers or a small spatula rather than wet hands, and keep the jar off the edge of the sink. A preserved product is protected, and it still does better when you are not adding shower water to it daily.

If it arrives warm or looks separated

Softening in a hot mailbox is normal and harmless. Let the closed jar cool and it will come back together.

If it arrives looking genuinely split, with a watery layer sitting apart from the oils, that is different. Do not use it. Send us a photograph and we will replace it. We would rather send another jar than have you put a broken emulsion on your face.

Community accessIncluded free with your purchase

Your purchase includes free access to Rooted & Well™, our holistic community with monthly founder sessions, journaling prompts, meditations, and practitioner-supported resources.

Please note

Formulated for reactive, easily-overwhelmed skin. We suggest a patch test on the inner forearm, left 24 hours, before facial use.

For external use only. This balm is gentle enough to take off eye makeup. Work it over closed eyes, then rinse well. If it gets into the eye itself, rinse with water.

Nervous System Skincare™ is a language for noticing. It is not a diagnosis, and it belongs alongside your doctors, never instead of them.

Indiefog products are cosmetics, made to cleanse, soften, and comfort skin. They do not treat, cure, or prevent any condition.

Make it a guided ritual

Body & nervous systemMagnesium Ritual Experience Calming skincareSensory Ritual Experience