When Veronika Strotmann and Sander van Bladel launched Yepoda in Berlin in 2020, the brand's mission was translation. Van Bladel, who grew up in the Netherlands with a Korean mother, wanted to bring Korean skincare habits to European shoppers, with formulas developed and made in South Korea but explained in a European voice. The double cleanse, removing makeup and sunscreen with an oil before washing with a water-based cleanser, is one of the most fundamental of those habits. The Calm Balm, launched in Europe in late 2021, is Yepoda's version of step one, and it has become one of the brand's best-sellers, with more than 3,300 reviews on its site.
What stands out is how much of the formula comes from olives. Olive fruit oil is the first ingredient. Cetearyl olivate and sorbitan olivate, two emulsifiers derived from olive oil, sit second and fifth. Sucrose polystearate, another emulsifier, is third, and decyl glucoside, a very mild sugar-based surfactant, comes after the water. Together, these form a classic cleansing balm system: the oil dissolves makeup, sunscreen and sebum, and the emulsifiers allow the whole mixture to turn milky with water and rinse off without leaving a slick behind.
Coconut oil, fourth on the list, and shea butter, sixth, give the balm its solid, sherbet-like texture in the jar and add cushion during massage. Candelilla and rice bran waxes help hold that texture. Further down comes a long list of plant extracts reflecting an Ayurvedic theme: spirulina, moringa oil, turmeric, neem flower and leaf, ivy gourd, eggplant and holy basil, plus amber powder and a coralline seaweed extract. These are marketed as calming and nourishing, but at their position in a rinse-off product, they are unlikely to have much effect.
In use, the balm performs well. Scoop a pea-sized amount with the spatula, warm it between the fingers and massage it over dry skin. It softens quickly into an oil and loosens long-wear foundation, waterproof mascara and mineral sunscreen without much rubbing. Add water and it turns into a milky emulsion that rinses away cleanly. Skin is left soft and comfortable rather than tight. Reviewers repeatedly praise how efficiently it removes makeup and how long the jar lasts, and Yepoda's claim of more than three months of daily use is realistic.
The name, though, raises a question. 'Calm' suggests a product suited to sensitive or irritated skin, and Yepoda describes the balm as soap-free and made for sensitive skin. The surfactant system is genuinely gentle. But the scent comes from four essential oils: Mexican juniper, ylang ylang, sweet orange peel and grapefruit peel, with limonene declared on the label. Ylang ylang is a recognised fragrance allergen, and citrus peel oils contain limonene, which becomes more allergenic as it oxidises. In a rinse-off product the exposure is short, so most people will be fine, but those with fragrance allergies, eczema or rosacea should patch-test. The scent itself, a warm citrus-floral, is pleasant and is described by Yepoda as relaxing, but it is not neutral.
Coconut oil is the other consideration. It is one of the more pore-clogging oils when left on the skin, so people with acne-prone skin should emulsify the balm fully, rinse well and follow with a water-based second cleanser. That is how Yepoda intends it to be used anyway. For fungal acne, the combination of plant oils and fatty-acid esters is best avoided.
Technique matters with any balm, and this one rewards a little patience. Massaging for a full minute on dry skin gives the oil time to break down long-wear products, and the emulsifying step should not be rushed: adding water a few drops at a time and continuing to massage until the whole face looks milky is what lets it rinse away completely. Skipping that step is the most common reason people find balms leave a film. Those who wear only sunscreen and no makeup can often get away with half a pea-sized scoop.
The packaging is a frosted glass jar with a green lid and a spatula. Yepoda uses glass across its skincare to cut plastic waste, which many buyers appreciate. Glass jars are heavier and less practical in the shower than tubes, and a spatula is only hygienic if you use it every time, but the presentation is pleasant.
On price, The Calm Balm is reasonable at $28 for 80 g on Yepoda's US site, with a smaller mini for $16. Given how little is needed per use and how long a jar lasts, the cost per cleanse is low. The formula is straightforward, built on inexpensive oils and emulsifiers, but it is well executed.
Yepoda is a young but established brand, six years old, with Korean manufacturing and a strong European following, though it does not publish efficacy studies. The Calm Balm suits dry, normal and combination skin that wears makeup or sunscreen daily and wants an effective first cleanse. It works for oily skin too, with a thorough second cleanse. Sensitive and acne-prone skin should proceed carefully, despite the reassuring name.
