Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm review: fragrance-free and worth it?
Updated October 22, 2026
Buy the Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm if you want a fragrance-free first cleanse that takes off sunscreen, long-wear base and waterproof mascara: its ingredient list has no fragrance or essential oils, and it costs $12.99 for a 100 ml jar at Sleepy Hello. If you mostly wear sunscreen and light, non-waterproof makeup and want the lowest price per ml, the brand's Ginseng Cleansing Oil is the cheaper pick, but its current US formula includes scented plant oils.
Whichever you choose, follow it with a water-based wash such as the Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser. That's how Beauty of Joseon writes the directions for both.
This is a researched review of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested these cleansers; texture descriptions are Beauty of Joseon's, and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What you're buying: formula, size and price
The Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm, 100 ml is a solid first cleanser in a jar with a spatula. You scoop it onto dry skin, where Beauty of Joseon says it melts into a silky oil; add water and it turns milky so it can rinse off. It's $12.99 at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026, which works out to about 13 cents per ml.
The base is mostly emollients and emulsifiers. Cetyl ethylhexanoate, the first ingredient, is a lightweight ester (an oil-like ingredient) that dissolves makeup and sunscreen. Caprylic/capric triglyceride is a light oil usually derived from coconut or palm oil, synthetic wax gives the balm its solid texture, and sorbitan sesquioleate and the other emulsifiers are what let the oil turn milky and rinse away with water.
The skin-feel ingredients come next: sea buckthorn oil (Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil), rice bran oil, rice seed water, glycerin, a lactobacillus/soybean ferment extract, Job's tears (coix seed) extract, rice extract and oat extract. Beauty of Joseon calls the grains its Grain Complex and says skin rinses off feeling soft and smooth. A cleanser sits on your face for a minute or two, so think of these as finish ingredients rather than reasons to expect lasting changes.
One detail is worth knowing before you reorder. The ingredient list on our product page and the one on Beauty of Joseon's US page don't match exactly. Both open with cetyl ethylhexanoate and share the same oils, grains, glycerin and preservative system, but our page lists polyglyceryl emulsifiers (polyglyceryl-6 dicaprate, polyglyceryl-2 caprate, polyglyceryl-2 sesquicaprylate) while the brand page lists PEG emulsifiers (PEG-20 glyceryl triisostearate, PEG-10 isostearate). That suggests more than one label version is in circulation. Neither list includes fragrance, but if you avoid PEG ingredients, check the jar you receive.
Is Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm fragrance-free?
Yes. Beauty of Joseon labels the balm fragrance-free and alcohol-free, and neither published ingredient list includes fragrance, parfum or an essential oil.
That's the clearest difference from the brand's Ginseng Cleansing Oil. Beauty of Joseon's current US page for the oil lists sage, mugwort (artemisia) and basil oils plus camphor, and describes a subtly calming scent. Those are aromatic plant ingredients, so the oil isn't the one to choose if you avoid scent of any kind. The shorter list on our oil page doesn't show those oils, which is one more reason to read the bottle you receive.
Fragrance-free doesn't mean nothing can bother your skin. Beauty of Joseon's US page cites a 24-hour repeat-application irritation study on 51 people, run by Korea Dermatology Research Institute; that's a small, brand-reported study, not a promise for every face. Sea buckthorn oil and plant extracts can still disagree with an individual. If your skin reacts easily, try the balm on a small area for a few days before using it all over.
Does the Radiance Cleansing Balm remove sunscreen and waterproof makeup?
Beauty of Joseon says it does: its US page says the balm dissolves waterproof makeup and sunscreen, and pitches it at stubborn waterproof mascara. Our product page describes it loosening waterproof makeup, sunscreen, lip color and daily buildup, and taking off eye and face makeup without a separate liquid remover.
The formula is built for that job. Esters such as cetyl ethylhexanoate dissolve the oily, film-forming ingredients that water-resistant sunscreens and waterproof mascaras rely on. In practice, time matters more than pressure: give the balm a full massage on dry skin before adding water, and spend longer at the lash line, hairline and sides of the nose.
Around the eyes, keep them closed, massage gently and rinse thoroughly. If mascara is still left, a second small scoop works better than rubbing harder.
The Ginseng oil is the contrast again. Beauty of Joseon describes the Ginseng Cleansing Oil as suited to non-waterproof, light base makeup. If you wear waterproof mascara or long-wear foundation most days, the balm is the brand's own pick for that job.
How do you use the Radiance Cleansing Balm?
Apply it to a dry face with dry hands, then emulsify with water before rinsing. The directions on our page and the brand page agree:
Scoop a small amount with the included spatula, which keeps water and fingers out of the jar.
Massage it over dry skin until sunscreen, makeup and buildup loosen.
Add a little lukewarm water and massage again until the balm turns milky. This emulsifying step is what lets the oil rinse off.
Rinse thoroughly, especially at the hairline, jaw and around the nose.
Follow with a water-based cleanser.
For that second step, the Beauty of Joseon Green Plum Refreshing Cleanser, 100 ml is the in-brand match at $9.09, checked October 2026. Its list starts with water, plum fruit water, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, mung bean seed extract, sodium cocoyl isethionate and glycerin. The two cleansing agents in there are mild surfactants that lift the water-based residue a balm leaves behind. Our page describes the gel as slightly acidic, but Beauty of Joseon doesn't publish a pH number. Our double cleansing guide covers the two-step order in more detail.
Use the balm whenever you've worn sunscreen or makeup, which for most people means evenings. On a bare-skin morning, the gel cleanser on its own does the job.
Beauty of Joseon cleansing balm vs cleansing oil: which should you buy?
Buy the balm if you want fragrance-free or wear waterproof makeup. Buy the Ginseng Cleansing Oil if you want the lower price per ml and a pump, and you mostly wear sunscreen and light makeup.
The Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Cleansing Oil, 210 ml is a liquid oil rather than a balm. Its list starts with soybean oil, cetyl ethylhexanoate, sorbeth-30 tetraoleate (the emulsifier that lets it rinse milky), olive fruit oil, sorbitan sesquioleate, sunflower seed oil, tocopherol (vitamin E) and ginseng seed oil, followed by ginseng root and a long run of botanical extracts. Beauty of Joseon calls it comfortably lightweight. The directions: one or two pumps onto a dry face, massage, wet your hands to emulsify, rinse, then follow with a water-based cleanser, morning and night.
Side by side:
Fragrance: the balm is labeled fragrance-free. The oil's current US list includes sage, mugwort and basil oils and camphor, and the brand describes a scent.
Makeup: the balm is pitched at waterproof makeup and sunscreen. The oil is described for non-waterproof, light base makeup.
Base: the balm is mostly lightweight esters with sea buckthorn and rice bran oils. The oil is mostly plant oils: soybean, olive and sunflower.
Format: the balm is a solid in a jar, scooped with a spatula. The oil is a pump bottle with a stated dose of one or two pumps.
Price: $12.99 for 100 ml of balm is about 13 cents per ml. $15.99 for 210 ml of oil is about 7.6 cents per ml, a little under 60% of the balm's cost per ml. Both prices are Sleepy Hello's, checked October 2026.
If you came here looking for a cheaper alternative to the Ginseng oil, note that the oil is already the better value per ml; the balm only costs less up front. Beauty of Joseon doesn't give a dose for the balm, so the real cost per cleanse depends on how much you scoop. For the rest of the brand's line, see our Beauty of Joseon brand review.
Is Beauty of Joseon cleansing balm good for oily skin?
It can be, as long as you emulsify it fully and follow with a water-based cleanser. Beauty of Joseon doesn't make a skin-type claim for the balm on its US page; our product page positions it for all skin types and lists excess oil and visible pore buildup among the concerns it suits.
Oil cleansing on oily skin works on the idea that oil dissolves oil: sebum, sunscreen and makeup loosen into the balm and rinse away together. The risk with any balm is residue. Wax and esters that aren't fully emulsified can leave a film, so massage with water until your whole face looks milky, rinse well and use the gel cleanser afterward.
Beauty of Joseon doesn't publish a pore-clogging test for the balm. If you're breakout-prone and already know that certain esters or oils don't suit you, compare the ingredient list above with what has worked for you before buying.
For oily skin that sees only sunscreen and light makeup, the Ginseng oil is also a reasonable choice. Beauty of Joseon says it's formulated for various skin types, including oily and blemish-prone skin. The scent trade-off still applies.
Quick answers
Is the Radiance Cleansing Balm worth it?
At $12.99 for 100 ml, checked October 2026, we'd put it on the shortlist for anyone who wants a fragrance-free balm that handles waterproof makeup. Beauty of Joseon's own US site listed a regular price of $19.00 when we checked. If you never wear waterproof products and don't mind scent, the Ginseng oil costs less per ml.
Is Beauty of Joseon Radiance Cleansing Balm cruelty-free?
Beauty of Joseon lists the balm as cruelty-free and made with plant-based ingredients on its US page.
Does the Radiance Cleansing Balm contain alcohol?
Beauty of Joseon labels it alcohol-free, and the list has no ethanol or denatured alcohol. The 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol near the end are preservative-supporting ingredients, not drying alcohols.
Can you use the Radiance Cleansing Balm every day?
Yes. The directions say to use it whenever you need to remove makeup or sunscreen, so a nightly first cleanse followed by a gentle face wash fits how it's meant to be used.
Do you need a second cleanser after the balm?
Beauty of Joseon's directions end with a water-based cleanser. Skipping it makes a light film more likely, especially on oily skin or after heavy makeup.
Compare Korean cleansing balms by fragrance, packaging and removal directions, with options from Beauty of Joseon, haruharu wonder, Dr.Althea and Banila Co.
