Balance from Your Best Face Skincare is a cream that claims to fight new breakouts and decrease damage and duration of existing breakouts, as well as regulating oil over time.  It can be used alone or with other skincare products. Reformulation review here.

Ingredients: Reverse Osmosis Water, Nylon-12, Olive Squalane, L-Carnosine, Olivem (Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate), Ppg5 Ceteth-20, Niacin, Tetradecylthioacetic Acid (TTA), C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Vitamin B5, Alpha Bisabolol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavender Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Niaouli Oil, Triethanolamine, Paraben Du, Azulene (Guaiazulene)

Nylon-12 is the ingredient that absorbs excess oil on the skin, eliminating shine. L-carnosine is a combination of two amino acids, alanine and histadine, and is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Ppg5 Ceteth-20 can be used as an emollient and surfactant. When used as an emollient, it creates a dry silky feeling on the skin and reduces the slick feeling of oil on the skin. Tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA) is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and can regulate the oils that cause breakouts. C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is used to create a smooth consistency and can be used as a stabilizer. Vitamin B5 and niacin are used to reduce breakouts. Alpha bisabolol, sodium hyaluronate and azulene sooth and hydrate the skin. Lavender oil is used as an antiseptic. Cedarwood oil properties include antiseborrheic (anti-oil) and antiseptic. Niaouli oil is an antiseptic and bactericidal (kills bacteria). Triethanolamine is an amine produced by reacting ethylene oxide (considered  toxic) with ammonia (also toxic) and is used as a buffering agent and surfactant with its primary use as a pH adjuster.  The CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel) found that Triethanolamine was “safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products designed for discontinuous, brief use followed by thorough rinsing from the surface of the skin. In products intended for prolonged contact with the skin, the concentration of Triethanolamine should not exceed 5%.” Triethanolamine is third-last on the ingredient list, so this would be under 5%. Still, this information is pretty unfortunate as Balance is not a rinse-off product and one that I like to use daily as it really helps my skin. This product also contains paraben du. There is a good article on the YBF website about why they use this paraben. Azulene is considered to have a calming effect because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and soothing properties.

This product is for people in their teens and 20s when still dealing with excess oil. Oil production is supposed to regulate as one gets older, but in my case, at 34, I’m pretty sure I’m stuck with my oily skin. This extra oil on my skin causes breakouts, enlarged pores, blackheads, and a shiny face about an hour after cleansing (most of my skin issues and what I am trying to fix and prevent). I get one or two big pimples every few months and redness and many small pimples on the right side of my lower cheek that stay a long time.  If I use a lotion or moisturizer (I use a glycolic lotion) my face stays shiny all day. I found YBF Balance about a year ago. This product goes on very nicely, under or over other products including foundation. It absorbs into the skin fast and the skin feels smooth and looks matte for the whole day. You can apply this throughout the day if needed. Some may not prefer the matte look, and it may look a bit strange if you are used to seeing a shiny face in the mirror. Using this, my breakouts and redness are reduced and I don’t get the urge to wash my face in the middle of the day because of the extra oil. This product is supposed regulate oil production over time; I’m not sure I’ve really noticed that. It apparently has a very light lavender scent but I didn’t really note any scent. I wouldn’t really consider Balance to be a moisturizer; it creates a silky, matte feeling on the skin and is not drying.

Balance would take the place of blotting papers or oil absorbing powders/makeup. I often see people comment on makeup reviews that their oily skin causes foundations to break up and slide off their face, and I just want to leave comments everywhere saying to try this product, as it would resolve that issue. Balance is one of my must-haves.

This product is affordable, as it does not contain the two products in almost all of the other YBF products, spin trap and lipochroman.

This is probably my favorite product and one that I will continue to buy, as it definitely calms the redness in my skin, absorbs excess oil and reduces breakouts; but there must be something else that can be used in place of the Triethanolamine. YBF Skincare often reformulates their products; I hope Balance is on the list.

Update May 12, 2019 – Balance has undergone reformulation; you can find the review here.

Thank you for reading.