BOREAL Cleanse + Hydrate Balm

I love this balm. I use it as a moisturizer. The scent is natural and calming and the texture melts into my skin. It is a great night cream. Great for mature skin that is sensitive. I store it in the fridge to keep it cool. It applies better that way. I also use it on my hands. Great pro- aging product.

I use aurora as a moisturizer rather than a cleanser just because I think I'd get through it too quickly, and it is soo nice! I'm so happy that Jess created an unscented version without EOs for sensitive skin. I like to add a drop of water with it, which makes it more of a lotion consistency for easier application. It makes my skin so hydrated and dewy :)

I cannot say enough about this balm. The scent is incredible. The texture is smooth and silky. The gentle hydrating cleansing action is perfect for my sensitive eczema prone skin.

Aurora was a nice surprise! I am using it in a few ways in my summer beauty routine. Jess suggested it can work well as a cleanser and as a balm. I am finding that mineral sunscreens are drying my skin out. During my end of day shower cleaning my face with Aurora and then putting a bit more on afterwards gives me a lovely little "facial". So moisturizing and comfortable. Love it.

I have lost track of how many jars I went through the years, but a lot. It is a great multi purpose balm that you can easily pack with you on vacation. As a bonus it smells so great. If you did not try it yet, now is a good time to try it. It is so great that I am not using any other balm anymore except for the Boreal that I like to alternate.

This cleansing balm is excellent. I've been using it every night for the past two weeks, and I love it. It does an excellent job of removing makeup and cleaning my face. I don't do a double cleanse, I just remove with warm water and a wash cloth. My skin tone looks more even, and my face is very soft each morning. One day, my husband even commented that my face "looks very soft".

My absolute fave, my to go to. Been using it for years!

Aurora has a lovely, luxurious texture and smells delicious. I especially like using it as a one-and-done to wash and moisturize my face when I need to remove makeup or sunscreen but don't really feel like washing my face in the evening.

Not as rich as Aurora, but should be good for summer. Nice scent and easily melts to cover my face to remove makeup. Sometimes I'll use Equinox after as a double cleanse.

Bought a different balm last time and my 12 yo wouldn't have it. He loves Aurora more than me and demanded I would not stray this time around.

My skin loves this stuff. I'd just been rinsing with hot water once a day (no product but an oil cleanser and/or light lotion on dry days), but I'm a sucker for Stark scents, so I decided to add Aurora once a week plus daily Petrichor antioxidant mist followed by City serum. Now my face feels like a baby's instead of a mid-50s city-dweller.

The feel and smell of this balm is divine. I like to put it in dry before a shower and soak up all the goodness before rinsing it off.

Best balm ever. Cleases beautifully, never strips the skin. And sinks in beautifully as a moisturizer. The perfect product for a minimalist routine/travel.

I absolutely love this product! I use it to remove my makeup- and it’s so gentle and doesn’t strip skin at all. I have sensitive skin but this product is soothing and non irritating. I love the smell and consistency as well. Definitely recommend!

I am so glad I took a chance and ordered this cleansing balm. It is fantastic!! Silky smooth balm that melts into my skin and gently rinses away once emulsified with some water. My sensitive skin is LOVING it! Also the aurora scent is AMAZING. I am very sensitive to heavy perfume. This is perfection. This jar smells amazing but once rinsed away there is no lingering aroma on my skin. Skin is left soft and ready for lotion. So happy to have found this!!

This heavenly aromatic creamy cleanser is a dream to use. I look forward to using it and hope that its moisturizing effects are as great as it smells and feels. Love it!

I love everything about Aurora! It feels so luxurious and does an amazing job at taking off my makeup but also leaves my skin moisturized. And the smell is absolutely amazing! I use this everyday and it’s my favorite thing from Stark!

I honestly don’t even know where to begin, because this cleansing balm has become one of those rare products that makes you fall in love with your skincare routine again. From the very first time I put it on my skin, I was hooked. The texture, the glide, the way my skin responds to it — it’s like my face just drinks it up. My skin couldn’t get enough.
What I love most is how incredibly versatile it is. On nights when I’ve worn makeup all day, I don’t even bother double cleansing anymore. This does it all. It melts makeup away effortlessly, cleanses deeply, and leaves my skin feeling clean but never stripped. And the all-in-one aspect? Total game changer. You can cleanse with it, remove makeup with it, and then — if you want — apply it again as a hydrating layer or even leave it on as a mask. One product. So many uses.
Every single night before bed, I cleanse my face with this balm, and then I leave a thin layer on as an overnight mask. When I wake up in the morning, my skin looks unbelievably fresh — plump, hydrated, moisturized, and calm. The kind of skin that makes you do a double take in the mirror. My boyfriend actually noticed the difference, and that says a lot.
I’ve been using this consistently for about a month and a half now, so this isn’t a first-impression review. This is real results. And let me just say — this is way more than five stars. The jar may look small, but don’t let that fool you. A little goes a long way, and it lasts.
I have very sensitive, mature skin — I’m 47 — and even though this balm has the most beautiful scent, my skin has had zero reaction. No irritation. No redness. Nothing. The scent is honestly delightful — it smells like Christmas to me. Like those chocolate-covered oranges people have during the holidays. Warm, comforting, and nostalgic. And despite the fragrance, my ultra-sensitive skin is perfectly happy.
I’m still amazed that a product this good comes from an indie Canadian company. Truly. This is one of those rare finds that makes you want to stand up and applaud. Bravo, bravo, bravo. This has officially earned a permanent place in my routine. 💛

Aurora has changed my life!! my skin feels so fresh, hydrated and youthful.. I could not live without it.. I always make sure I don't run out. :)

I have been purchasing Aurora on repeat since a lot of years. The smell is great and it removes any makeup very easily and it is great even on sensitive eyes.

This balm smells great and works! Good to bring for a weekend away as it is multipurpose. It has not irritated my skin in any way.

Woodsy wonderfulness! I’ve been enjoying this multi purpose balm since late summer and have really been loving it. I mostly use it as a moisturizer but have used it as a gentle morning cleanse as well, which it excels at. I’ve noticed that this can be used day and night as my main moisturizer by just adjusting the amount I use. I live in Colorado and my skin starts to get pretty dry this time of year but with this balm and a few more of Jess’s products, my skin feels comfortable, well moisturized and hydrated. Also, Jess’s scents in all her products really resonate with my nose and this balm is no different! It smells like a calming woodsy forest walk and the scent pairs so well with midnight oil at night before bed to calm me down. This is lighter than Aurora and perfect for daytime use. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Smells divine and sinks into my skin quickly when applied as a balm after retinoids. Also a great first cleanse, removing mascara without stinging or pulling out my eyelashes, and removes waterproof spf, too!

When I’m looking for a deeper clean or have some sunscreen and stubborn waterproof makeup to remove, Boreal gets the job done. I always felt Aurora was a little too heavy for me for the warm summer months, but this cleanser fills in that gap in my skincare routine. I highly recommend it!
And if you’re like me and are concerned about a woodsy smell, it’s actually very mild and I don’t mind it at all.

Smells like an evergreen forest, melts perfectly in your hands, and leaves skin clean and moisturized overnight—no extra products needed. Also looks cool on my shelf.

Love this forest scented balm. Has been a nice replacement for Aurora in the late summer.

Delay in review as I just opened the jar! I use Aurora all the time and I bought this to swop it up a bit. The smell is wonderful although I think I prefer aurora. I love the way it goes on my skin and softens it! Love, love, love!

Boreal is so calming and cleansing. The smell is divine.
I will definitely buy again.

I LOVE this cleansing balm! It’s all I use! I have combination, acne prone skin and Aurora has seriously reduced my acne. I’m on second or third jar (can’t remember) so I waited to review it. Is my acne completely gone? No. But I also don’t know if it ever will be completely gone but this has reduced it so much more than anything else. If I try to use something else, I break out like crazy. As soon as I use this again, my skin calms down. I use it as a cleansing balm and as a moisturizer all year round and I have had acne since I was 15 or 16 so I have used my fair share of different skincare products. This is IT!