Balms vs. Creams: Bring Your Skin Back to Life With a Targeted Face Balm

It’s no secret in the skincare world: moisture is key if your goal is healthy, radiant skin.  

Without proper moisture, your skin suffers. But beyond that, you need the right blend of nutrients and good-for-you ingredients to support your skin from the inside out. 

Our face balms are your answer. They’re formulated to provide targeted treatment for specific remedies + potent, restorative moisture. 

You’re going to love these non-toxic, nourishing, and specialized face balms. 

But don’t just chalk them up to a moisturizer – they’re much more than that. ;)

We’re going to walk you through it all, including:

→ Why face balm is different than face cream

→ How to add face balm to your skincare routine

→ Which is best for you 

→ Why face balm will benefit your skin in a whole new way

At Primally Pure, we love to empower our community with honest information so you can make the best, educated decisions for your skin. Everyone’s skin is different, but trust us when we say we’ve got a face balm for everyone.

Let’s jump in.

How Is Face Balm Different From Face Cream?

It can feel complicated, but trust us – it’s simple. There are a few key differences between a face cream and a face balm. It comes down to two things: composition and application. 

1. Composition. 

Though they have many similar properties (especially at PP), the consistency of a face balm is usually different from a face cream due to its ingredients.

→ Most face creams have a water base/foundation + a lighter consistency.

→ Face balms, on the other hand, have an oil base + a richer consistency. 

At Primally Pure, we do things a little differently. Both of our facial moisturizers are oil-based.  

Why? We don’t believe in adding water to products unless it’s necessary. In many cases, water cheapens products and makes it necessary to include a preservative. As a natural skincare company, we prefer to leave those out – even if it’s a natural preservative. 

We do this to increase your benefits because, without water, our products are more potent + effective. 

Since our moisturizers are both oil-based, one of the biggest differences you’ll find between our two products consistency-wise comes down to one ingredient: beeswax. Beeswax, which you’ll find in our face balm, contains protective properties for the skin that allow it to heal. But it also creates a thicker consistency when applied (meaning, a little goes a long way!). 

2. Application.

How you apply face cream vs face balm is another difference. One is more for daily maintenance, while the other provides deeper rejuvenation and targeted care.

Can you guess which is which? ;)

→ Face Cream: Everyday moisturizer and daytime protection.

Typically, we recommend a light application at the beginning of the day. Face cream restores moisture throughout the day (+ combats dry, cold temps). But it also protects your skin barrier from environmental pollutants.

→ Face Balm: Overnight treatment or targeted use. 

We recommend using it at night since you’ll want a heavier application. Face balm repairs dull, dehydrated skin. It also reduces transepidermal water loss at night to preserve moisture while the ingredients work to heal + rejuvenate your skin. Face balm is truly a multi-purpose product. 

*The Down Low: Face balm isn’t meant to replace your face cream. It’s designed to be an additional resource for overnight restoration with deeper, targeted, + focused healing properties. But the applications aren’t limited to just your nighttime routine.

Where, How, and When to Add a Face Balm to Your Routine

So we’ve touched on face balms – and the fact that, typically, they’re part of your nighttime routine. But there are a few things to know about face balm beyond its use as a simple nighttime ritual or overnight treatment. 

Where: 

You can use our face balms all over your face and decolletage. Because of the targeted benefits, they also work great as an eye balm. In some cases, you can use it on other areas of your body, too. Here’s where we recommend using both balms: 

→ Antioxidant Balm – anywhere you want to rejuvenate, brighten, and soften signs of aging.

→ Everything Balm – can be used on your face or body to remedy patches of dry, irritated skin, wounds, or inflammation. It’s really an all-purpose balm for irritation of all sorts.

There are lots of different ways to use our face balms – beyond just your face. We recommend keeping our balms on hand for as-needed care. So you can moisturize and rejuvenate your skin – even on the go. 

How Often: 

You can use our balms as often as you like! Unlike some overnight face treatments, our face balms can be used every day. While these are powerful treatments for your skin, they’re gentle, non-irritating, and safe for daily use.

When: 

Typically, we recommend using face balm at night to let it work its magic while you sleep. Your skin is already working to deeply repair + rejuvenate any signs of aging and inflammation. So, it’s the perfect time to embrace slugging to boost your skin’s self-healing properties and support a healthy skin barrier.

Depending on your needs, you can use one of our face balms nightly in place of your moisturizer. You can also use it a few times a week as an intensive treatment. 

*Tip: Apply your face balm early in the night on damp skin to boost absorption + give it time to soak in. If you enjoy adding a facial tool into your routine, you can use your Facial Cupping Tool to help it absorb even deeper.

How to Apply:

With your skincare routine, order matters. Applying products and using tools in the right order helps you gain the most benefit from the products you’re using. Here’s what we suggest: If you’re using a face balm, generally, it should be the last step in your skincare routine. 

Follow this routine for the best results: 

1. Cleanse
2. Mist thoroughly
3. Apply serum
4. Use any facial tools (*with one exception – see below)
5. Apply face cream or face balm 
6. Apply a final mist 

*If you plan on using your Facial Cupping Tool, use it after applying your serum AND your face balm. Facial cupping actually does well with a bit more glide than other practices like gua sha. Plus, it’ll help your face balm absorb even more deeply!

So now that we’ve got the basics down for how to use your face balm and when it’s appropriate, we want to compare our two face balms. So you can make the best choice for your skin.

Which Balm Is Right for My Skin?

Truthfully, you can’t go wrong with either of our nourishing, nutrient-dense face balms. But it’s helpful to know a little bit about the strengths + specific benefits. 

Antioxidant Balm

This face balm supports your skin’s innate healing functions – specifically with signs of aging, sun damage, or scarring. Designed to bring deep healing and rejuvenation, our Antioxidant Balm contains ingredients like:

• Astaxanthin – nature’s most powerful antioxidant (6,000x stronger than vitamin C)
• Cacay nut –  contains 3x more vitamin A than rosehip seed oil 
• Hibiscus – contains naturally-occurring AHAs, vitamins A, C, and E, plus minerals
• Plum oil – with phytonutrients, fatty acids, and vitamins that support the skin barrier + protect against oxidative stress

Here are the benefits of our Antioxidant Balm:

→ Safe for all skin states

→ Improves skin elasticity + texture

→ Evens skin tone

→ Protects from UV damage

→ Reduces inflammation

→ Protects from (+ even reverses) signs of premature aging

→ Replenishes collagen levels

Fact: 93% of our customer perception trials said their dry, dehydrated skin felt deeply nourished after using our antioxidant face balm. And 99% of our customers said their skin got its glow back. 

Where to use: Anywhere on your face that needs deeper nourishment and targeted repair. You can also use it on some parts of the body (like your decolletage or hands) that show signs of aging or photodamage. 

Everything Balm

This all-purpose face balm is foundational for skin healing – repair from dryness, rashes, dermatitis, acne, eczema, and general irritation. (It even works wonders on wounds.)

It’s a deeply restorative balm with nourishing ingredients like:

• Emu oil – stimulates repair + calms redness
• Marshmallow root – known as nature’s hyaluronic acid
• Lavender and tea tree oil – cleanse, protect, and support healing
• Calendula flower –  gentle anti-inflammatory + antibacterial benefits repair free radical damage and reduce signs of irritation

Here are the benefits of our Everything Balm:

→ Multi-purpose for the whole family

→ Safe for all skin states

→ Quickly targets inflammation

→ Soothes irritation

→ Rebalances + repairs the microbiome

Fact: In our customer perception trial, 93% said their skin felt calmer, soothed, and balanced after using our Everything Balm. 

Where to use: On your face or body – for irritated, damaged, inflamed, or broken-out skin. It’s called Everything Balm for a reason. ;)

Since they contain a similar base, both our face balms are restorative and replenishing. But because of the different formulas, each serves a unique purpose for your skin. Regardless of which one you use, you can count on results that seriously deliver. 

You Deserve the Targeted Results From Our Face Balm 

A thoughtful, non-toxic skincare regimen is the foundation of a radiant, glowing complexion. You deserve products that are effective, safe, and proven to work. But it’s also essential to find products that cater to your unique skin needs.

That’s why our face balm was carefully crafted to provide specific care for your skin. No matter what your skin needs, we’ve got a balm to deeply restore your skin. Use them to nourish and protect your skin’s delicate microbiome – whenever (and however) you need it. 

This new category of facial moisturizers is just another way we’re leveling up to provide you with a curated, targeted experience – for your best skin yet.

XO

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