I wear a lot of eye makeup. Every day I wear multiple different eye shadows, eyeliner on my top and bottom lids as well as mascara on my top lashes and my bottom lashes. So, with this amount of eye makeup, clearly I spend time each night removing them from my eyes. After hearing many horror stories about dangerous eye makeup removers (Estee Lauder horror?) I spent quite a while trying to figure out what was worth the money and what was not. Some people might say that it’s crazy to buy name brand eye makeup removers. But they are wrong. Why? When using cotton pads with eye makeup remover people tend to yank at their lids if the makeup isn’t coming off fast enough for them. What does eyelid yanking cause? Crows feet. Yikes. On top of that, eyes are a very sensitive area. Nothing with harsh chemicals or irritants should ever be anywhere near the eye area.
I’ve tried most of the cult favorite eye makeup removers, and their dupes. The three that I’ve chosen to compare in this article are the Lancôme Bi-facial Double Action Eye Makeup Remover ($28 for 4.2oz), the CHANEL Demaquillant Yeux Intence Gentle Bi-Phase Eye Makeup Remover ($34 for 3.4oz) and the Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover ($6 for 3.8oz). Immediately, it’s clear that these all have different values. Pricewise, the Neutrogena eye makeup remover is a steal at only $6 per 3.8oz bottle and the CHANEL is a splurge at $34 for a meager 3.4oz. The Lancôme is a splurge for a more satisfying 4.2oz. But how do they work? Why are the prices so different? Is there really any difference between these products except the price and brand?
I’ve used each of these makeup removers for a very long time. I grew up using the Lancôme eye makeup remover at dance recitals and plays to take off all of the crazy mascara and eye shadows because that was what my mother had in the house. When I first started to get into makeup as a freshman in high school, I was given about 10 sample containers of CHANEL eye makeup remover. As a junior in high school my first purchase from Ulta was a container of Neutrogena eye makeup remover. I’ve revisited each of these products multiple times with many different types of eye makeup on.
Neutrogena:
This product is good for people who are trying to save money. For a drugstore product it is definitely a great product that beats any other one in the cosmetics aisle. It’s inexpensive and works pretty well for $6, which means 1.57 per ounce. However, this product doesn’t necessarily work for people who have more eye makeup on or end to wear waterproof mascara. For some reason, this product always leaves behind a good amount of eyeliner and mascara on my eyes, which as earlier stated causes me to rub harder and eventually cause crows feet. No thanks. I’ve also had the issue that for an oil-fee formula, this product leaves a very oily residue (weird, because it’s oil free) on my eyelids that is so annoying that I have to wash my face right after using it. Clearly this is a drawback if you are using this product to clean up eyeliner mistakes or change from a day to night look. All in all, this product is a great value, and may be the best option for someone who only wears non-waterproof mascara and doesn’t wear eye makeup often. But for me, it’s a bit of a no-go.
Lancôme:
I have very mixed feelings about this eye makeup remover. Everyone seems to love it. Everyone except me. I want to love it. I want it to be my holy grail eye makeup remover, but it just isn’t. It would be a good value for a high-end eye makeup remover $6.66 per ounce if it worked the way it was supposed to. I just don’t like it. It lacks something. It doesn’t really work all that much better than the Neutrogena one does, but it doesn’t leave a greasy residue. I also find that I need a lot more of this on a cotton pad than I do with the Neutrogena brand eye makeup remover. I think the reason I am so disappointed in this product is because for $28 I want a product that works like I spent $28, not $6 at the drugstore. The packaging is okay, but the lid is very difficult to get off (it’s the type used on pill bottles) and the stopper doesn’t work very well and tends to let a bit too much come out onto the cotton pad. All in all, it’s an okay product but not a very good value once taken into account that it doesn’t work all that well.
CHANEL:
I’ve loved this eye makeup remover since day one. It removes all eye makeup with no residue. It moisturizes my lids. It doesn’t feel greasy. And I don’t have to tug. The only thing I think that this product could improve on is the price. I think that $34 is a bit too steep for the product, especially when it only has 3.4oz. That’s a whopping $10 per ounce! I think that the last $6 is just paying for the CHANEL brand name. If this bottle were the same price as the Lancôme bottle, I would have no problem paying for it, as a little goes a long way. Literally a q-tip of product can remove eyeliner and eyeshadow for both eyes. The packaging is also gorgeous. Like all CHANEL beauty products it has the double C on the lid and is in a sleek clear and black package. This product is amazing, but not a very good value.
My conclusion? For those who want someone wallet friendly and don’t mind a little rubbing in the eye area, the Neutrogena product is a steal. For those who would rather spend more to have a bit of luxury on their eyelids, the CHANEL is the best bet for them. I don’t recommend the Lancôme to anyone, because it’s a dissapointing product.