These face scrubs will deliver major ✨glow ✨, without damaging your skin (2024)

Face scrubs are a contentious topic – between fears of scouring away our skin’s delicate protection barrier, to damaging the environment with microbeads, they often fall into that ‘I’ll give it a miss’ category. However, the good news is that not all grainy physical exfoliators spell trouble for your skin (and the planet).

Finding the right one for you can be a bit hit or miss, but once you nail it, a good face scrub is your fast-track route to a complexion that truly glows.

With multiple formulas out there to pick from, it’s wise to get into the granular deets before selecting a random bottle off the shelf.

First thing's first: why exfoliate in the first place? Exfoliation can easily be overlooked in a skincare routine but, in fact, it holds a lot more power than you think.

An effective, hands-on face scrub will gently slough away the build up of dead skin, which will help to stimulate cell turnover and encourage a brighter complexion. This also opens the door for products like moisturisers and serums to penetrate deeper into your skin, which makes them do their job better.

What face scrub should I go for?

The key to success is to steer away from anything with fruit or nut shells (walnut and apricot are the main culprits). These have jagged edges that cause tiny tears in your dermis – potentially leading to irritation and long-term skin-barrier damage.

Instead, look for exfoliators containing perfectly spherical particles (biodegradable jojoba beads and silica are common winners) which will gently clean clogged pores without snagging your skin. Also keep your peepers pealed for chemical exfoliants to bolster the physical scrub– like salicylic and mandelic acid – as these will help to shrink the size of your pores and keep them decongested.

However, if you’re looking for an old favourite containing plastic microbeads, you’re not going to have much luck. These tiny beads previously played a starring role in many face scrubs, but they’re thankfully banned in the UK due to their planet-polluting properties.

How often should I use a face scrub?

It’s a million-dollar question, and the short answer is to listen to your skin. Most experts suggest to tread carefully with over-exfoliating as this can lead to irritation and compromise the tranquility of your all-important barrier.

Generally, the rule of thumb is to exfoliate no more than three times a week, and if you're a newbie, stick to twice a week. If dry, blotchy or rash-like patches develop, that’s your sign to back out.

Not sure which to go for? Not to panic. I’ve narrowed down some of the best formulas to polish your complexion without causing environmental harm or damage to your skin. Your baby-soft skin awaits…

The best face exfoliators to try now

La Roche-Posay is a saviour for sensitive and easily triggered skin. So if you find that yours turns red and blotchy easily this is an excellent pick. The ingredients are all ph-balanced, which means it won't throw your skin health off track.

This fan-favourite face wash is boosted with tiny sugar crystals that lend extra exfoliating powers. The sand-like texture gently buffs without scratching, while the berry and grapeseed oils smooth and soften. It's lovely as a morning cleanse, or as your second cleanse in the evening.

This ultra-gentle rice-powder exfoliant is a cult classic for a reason. It's supercharged with salicylic acid and rice enzymes to make dead skin cells and congestion a thing of the past. The brightening and skin smoothing powers it has on a lacklustre complexion is pretty A-game too.

This luxurious Elemis offering looks like jam, but works like the brightening exfoliator of your very dreams. It contains blackcurrant pulp which provides the (completely non-abrasive) physical scrub, as well as oil from the seeds for intense hydration. Leave it on while you’re parked in front of Netflix – it doubles up as a great mask, too.