Physical exfoliants are something I used to avoid in the past because I always found them too harsh on the skin and that's why I was more into chemical exfoliants.
That said, I changed my mind last year when I started to incorporate the Clinique Pep Start Exfoliating Cleanser and then the Swanicoco Peeling Herb Pack. Why? Because I realized that some physical exfoliants can actually be pretty gentle and can really help give a brightening boost to your skin!
Ever since, I've been enjoying a scrub one a week or so.
L'Oréal launched a couple of weeks ago their new sugar scrubs and I must say I was really intrigued by their Kiwi mask (I love everything kiwi!) :D
In this new range are 3 scrubs available: the kiwi one that is very gentle and would be perfectly suited for sensitive skin in my opinion; the cacao scrub which is suprisingly super nourishing (yes, you read it correctly, a scrub that is nourishing and moisturizing!) and finally the grapeseed oil scrub that I find more traditional is a bit stronger and is great if you want a good scrub!
Summary: This scrub is made of naturally derived sugar and enhanced with real Kiwi Seeds. It has a light, gel texture where the sugar particles are trapped in.
The sugar particles are particularly fine here. Therefore the exfoliation is really soft and it won't overstimulate or aggress your skin. Thanks to the gel base, the product is also easy to spread and avoids too much friction with your skin making it even more gentle.
Target: This scrub is great for sensitive skin, but be careful if your skin doesn't like fragrance because it contains natural-derived and synthetic fragrance.
How to use: you can use over dry skin or if you want it to be even more gentle you can wet your face first. According to L'Oréal you can use it up to 3 times a week (so yes, it's very gentle ineed).
Bonus: You can use it also to exfoliate your lips! (but L'Oréal says you shouldn't use it over chapped lips).
A few words about the ingredients: first ingredient is glycerin, a humectant that will draw water in your skin and also keep the product moist. Then you have sucrose (sugar) for the exfoliation part, Cymbopogon schoenanthus oil (lemongrass oil) that has antibacterial properties and adds fragrance. To me the product has an apple-something scent but I guess it's more a lemongrass scent. As always if your skin reacts to fragrance, patch test it before using it too generously over your whole face.
Then come the Kiwi seeds. To be honest I don't know if the kiwi seeds add much to the exfoliation, the exfoliation mainly comes from the sugar but at least they look cool in the products :D
Then you have some surfactants, emulsifiers and texture modifiers ingredients as well as peppermint oil and fragrance.
Overall: I like how original this product is with the kiwi seeds and the green gel base. I think it makes it look really cool and it makes me want to use it! In terms of exfoliation it targets people who want something very gentle. In terms of ingredients, it does contain fragrance but otherwise I think the list is pretty short so that's a good point, L'Oréal.
Nourish & Soften Face Scrub aka the Cacao Scrub
Summary: This scrub is made of naturally derived sugar and is paired with finely crushed Cocoa, coconut oil and rich cocoa butter. It has a buttery texture that leaves the skin soft, nourished and moisturized.
How to use: You can use it over dry skin and massage it with wet fingers. If you want a more gentle exfoliation, you can apply it over wet skin. It can be used up to 3x a week according to L'Oréal but I think once a week would be enough.
Bonus: it can also be used to smooth and refine the lips, but don't use on chapped lips.
A few words about the ingredients: first ingredient is isopropyl palmitate, a texture enhancer and emollient, then you have sucrose for the exfoliation. Also present are some waxes and oils (soybean, apricot, sunflower, coconut) and cocoa butter. Fragrance ( natural-derived and synthetic) is also part of the ingredients.
Overall: This scrub is the one that impressed me the most. I had never tried a scrub that could be moisturizing at the same time. First time I tried it, I used it when I came back home in the evening, washed my face, used it and then started to prepare dinner. After about 1h or so, I suddenly remember that I hadn't apply any toner, serum or cream on my face and my face was not feeling dry. I was sincerely shocked! Normally if I wash my face and don't apply any product, it starts to get unconfortable after 5-10min. This scrubs contains a lot of moisturizing agents, such as oils and cocoa butter and I think the oils are not completely washed away when you wash the scrub off. You can actually feel some oil left on your skin but this in a nice way. I meant it leaves your skin feeling moisturized. Honestly, super impressed with it and this is my favorite of the sugar scrubs! If you have dry skin, you have to try it!!
I forgot to add that it has a cacao scent :D
I forgot to add that it has a cacao scent :D
Smooth & Glow aka the Grapeseed Scrub
Summary:It is made of sugar paired with finely ground Acai, nutrient-rich Grapeseed and Monoi Oils. It provides a gentle yet effective exfoliation. It feels more exfoliating than the 2 other scrubs of the line. It's a bit "harsher" but it is not too harsh either.
Target: people who want a deep exfoliation
How to use: same as with the other 2 scrubs, you can use it over dry or wet skin. L'Oréal also says you can use it 3 times a week but I personally think 3x is too much for this scrub because this one is not as gentle as the 2 other ones.
Bonus: same as with the other scrubs of this line, you can use it over your lips to smooth them.
A few words about the ingredients: first ingredient is surcose and yes you can actually see it contains mainly sugar, that it is more concentrated in exfoliating particles than the 2 other scrubs. Note that is also contains sunflower and grape seed oils as well as coconut oil. These are great additions to make it more emollient and less harsh on the skin, it glides easily and doesn't pull on the skin. As the 2 others, it contains fragrance and has a grape oil scent, which is very pleasant in my opinion.
Overall: This scrub is more "heavy duty" as the 2 other scrubs but it still stays relatively gentle on the skin because the particles of sugar are not too big. I also like the addition of oils to make it more emollient. Plus the grape oil scent is quite delicious I must say :D
Pure-Clay Mask - Clear & Comfort Face Mask
I also received this clay mask from L'Oréal. This one was released last year and is part of the Pure-Clay Mask line. It's the first mask of this line I've tried and quickly, here are my thoughts.
This is a clay mask that doesn't leave the skin feeling dry or tight -probably because there is some glycerin in it, the mask doesn't dry down completely and it doesn't feel dry on the skin. That's something I like about it. It almost leaves the skin more hydrated.
Now I have to say I have only use it twice so that's not an in-depth review. I will do an update on IG if you're interested. Note that it does contain fragrance and alcohol but I didn't notice the alcohol while using it.
Garnier Charcoal Mask
And I almost forgot! Garnier has a new black sheet mask.
This is an hydrating and exfoliating sheet mask. Hydrating, as most sheet masks, because it contains glycerin and sodium hyaluronate. The chemical exfoliation comes from papain, pineapple extract, and LHA (capryloyl salicylic acid here).
LHA stands for beta-lipohydroxy acid. It's a derivative of salicylic acid that works in a similar way to exfoliate the skin and unclog pores, i.e. it's great for acne-prone skin. It's gentle than salicylic acid by the way.
I can't really say anything about the exfoliating properties because I used this mask when I was falling asleep, I let it on for ~20min, removed it and then when to bed immediately so I didn't check my skin, sorry! That said, it did feel very hydrating and I enjoyed using it. The essence (watery essence) felt nice on and the fragrance wasn't too strong. That's a sheet mask I could repurchase and I'm glad that it's not very expensive and that you can find it at the drug store.
*PR samples*
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