[unpaid/sample] I was sent something from Carol Joy London a few years ago (I actually can’t remember what it was) and assumed that it was a small, niche, luxury brand housed at Urban Retreat (now moved from Harrods and living in its own Hans Crescent home). It was super expensive and somehow, I never got around to trying it out and so that was that. Fast forward to 2022 and the brand has an appointed PR which alerted me to the fact that it must have investment (because most small, independent brands find PR prohibitively expensive). Sure enough, this niche brand has changed into a multi faceted brand with skin care, hair care and home fragrance (only one candle at the moment but certainly more on the way).

At £45 a tube, expectations are high – and, I have to say, met. This is a beautiful, decadent and delicious cleanser that I did not expect to like as much as I did. It’s a cream that behaves more like an oil or a balm – meltingly soft and efficient with the ‘more’ factor, as in you just want to massage it in more. The brand uses golden millet oil as a key ingredient although, like the raspberry fruit extract and hyaluronic acid, it appears low on the ingredient list.

It’s scented like fresh laundry and the accompanying wash cloth basically feels like a kitten. The luxury has been put into this so if you are a fancy cleanser fan I don’t think you’ll find it disappointing. There’s a part of me that did an air punch at the wokelessness of this brand but on the other hand I didn’t like to see that every single model in the pictures on the website is in their twenties. That’s not who this brand is for – it’s for older women with disposable income who like to pamper their skin and enjoy their premium products so it seems unfair the true consumer isn’t represented. I’ve also tried the Collagen Mist (£100) and saw no difference whatsoever and the Lifting Mask (£75) which I did enjoy although wasn’t ‘lifted’. Perhaps a little rethink on the product names – Forevermore Serum made me think of undertakers. You can find Carol Joy London Cleansing Cream HERE.