What is it?
'A nourishing exfoliant made with pure brown sugar and strawberry seeds that refines and hydrates for a more radiant complexion.'
aka A face scrub. Albeit a lovely one.
What’s in it?
Sucrose, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit, Propylene Carbonate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candellila) Wax, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Limonene, Fragrance (Parfum), Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Fragaria Ananassa (Strawberry) Seed Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Prunus Domestica Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Water (Aqua), Tocopheryl Acetate, Potassium Sorbate, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellol, Bht.
Possibly acne/allergy/troubling for some ingredients?
Fragrance
What's not in it?
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan
Tested on animals/sold in China?
No/Yes - openly on their website (I was surprised by this to be honest, a lot of brands try to hide China retail!)
Who is it for?
Suitable for all skin types - but obviously you won't be scrubbing this all over your face if you have sensitivity/rosacea.
How do you use it?
'Apply to cleansed, moist skin and massage in avoiding the eye area. Leave 5-10 minutes and rinse off.'
Pre or post cleanse?
Post.
What's good/not so good about it?
I am often asked for alternatives to acids, they are not for everyone - for a variety of reasons. You may also have the type of skin that appreciates something a little stronger on occasion - I tend to use this maybe once a month/every 6 weeks but you can obviously use it more frequently. On the other hand, some people simply prefer a scrub. This is one of the more gentle ones. It doesn't tear a strip off your face, contains no plastic beads and uses sugar as its 'scrub' base. Upon massaging the sugar quickly dissolves and it becomes more emollient and slightly oily - in a good way.
When I'm writing these reviews I always investigate the product a little further to give as much info as possible. I was surprised that this contained fragrance - I'm assuming it's synthetic as fresh don't list it in its 'does not contain' section and anything labelled 'fragrance (parfum)' is usually synthetic. It doesn't cause me any problems personally, but for a brand that is so open about the things it leaves out, why would you then put fragrance in?
Having said all of that, this is a very good exfoliating scrub.
The only downside of the product is removing bits of sugar from your hairline if you scrub too close to it, but that's manageable. :)
The downside for UK dwellers is once again, the lack of distribution. I promise I'm not doing it on purpose!
fresh Sugar Face Polish is available from Sephora, Amazon and their own website in the US (and China!)
Similar products?
Exfolikate - Kate Somerville
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Polish (much more affordable)
Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser
All the 'buffing' and 'enzyme' powders out there - of which there are plenty
