Forget lotions, serums and fancy skincare: there’s one universal product (OK, two, if you consider sun protection) that everyone should be using. Yes, it’s a cleanser. No matter how stripped-back or multi-step your skincare regime is, everyone needs a good cleanser to use at least once a day, in the evenings, to remove dirt and build-up. Even if you don’t wear make-up, your skin needs a daily deep-clean to prevent clogged pores and a dull complexion.

While there are many formats of cleansers, including gels, oils and milks, one of the most popular methods is to use a cleansing balm. It’s my preferred choice, and has been my go-to as my evening cleanse for years.

Nothing beats a rich, balmy cleanser that breaks down all the grime on the skin, especially when you remove it with a flannel dipped in warm water. This is, in my opinion, the most effective way to clean the face in the evenings. The cleanser cleans the skin while the removal with a damp flannel provides a gentle exfoliation (I buy a multipack from Amazon and chuck the towel into the wash after one use, using a clean flannel each night).

There are, of course, plenty of excellent luxury cleansing balms on the market. The one I go back to time and time again is the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, which is, according to data from market-research company Circana, the best-selling cleansing balm in the UK.

I’m not surprised. I’ve not met one person who has tried it and not got on with it. The texture is rich enough to melt away mascara and full-coverage foundation (I’ve tried). It’s brilliant – and it comes in four different scents, and a fifth “fragrance-free” version – but it’s also £52 a tub, which isn’t for everyone.

My next favourite is The Cleansing Balm by Skin Rocks (£58) and I also love the Living Cleansing Balm by the cult Korean skincare brand Then I Met You, which is £38.

They are all excellent – you can find out more about all three below – but I’m a firm believer that good skincare doesn’t always need to come at a luxury price point, particularly for a product that you need to use daily.

To that end, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been road-testing the Lacura Cleansing Balm from Aldi, which comes in at a purse-friendly £5.99 a tub. Available in two versions – original and rose – it is no doubt inspired by the Elemis cleansing balms (the brand even suggests this comparison in its press material).

“Dupes”, as they’re called in the beauty industry, always make me question the integrity of the copycat brands, but you can’t swerve the value of some of these products. And I think the original variant of Aldi’s Cleansing Balm is really very good. With moringa oil and shea butter, this balmy texture melts well on to the skin and removes with a flannel without leaving any residual product. This “film” left on the skin, by the way, is one of the more off-putting after-effects of cleansing balms, which happily doesn’t happen with the Aldi product.