St. Ives Facial Oil Scrub Review
St. Ives Exfoliate & Nourish Apricot Facial Oil Scrub ($6.99) is one of two new exfoliating cleansing oils that were recently introduced to the brand’s permanent skincare collection. Cleansing Oil meets facial scrub in this new and innovative formula that uses pure grapeseed oil infused with walnut powder to deep exfoliate dry, rough skin.
Let’s take a look!
I recently reviewed St. Ives Exfoliate & Nourish Coconut Facial Oil Scrub and quite enjoyed it and it happens to be the more mild of the two formulas (although I still wouldn’t say either formula is suitable for sensitive skin types). St. Ives Exfoliate & Nourish Apricot Facial Oil Scrub is a little more dangerous as this is way harsher scrub. I have fairly resilient skin that’s dry with no visible pores and I’m not prone to blemishes or acne. I tend to favor harsher facial scrubs however, this was a little too much for me. I was shocked they recommend using it 3 to 4 times a week. WHAT? Even with gentle exfoliating scrubs I’d personally recommend once a week but 3 to 4 times a week? No, not a good idea. Recently, St. Ives actually had a lawsuit going on with their original Apricot Scrub and one of the main points of the suit was the fact that the scrub caused micro-tears in the skin. It might be a good idea recommend someone use this 3 to 4 times a week as it might be quite damaging to skin.
The formula is a unique one as it combines the elements of a cleansing oil along with a scrub. Mind you, it doesn’t technically clean anything but the way you use the product does mimic that of a cleansing oil. I find the texture a gel-like consistency that was a little thicker when compared to the Coconut Oil Scrub formula. It was also considerably thicker. You’ll be using it on a already cleansed and dried skin. Take a small amount and apply it to your dry skin, massaging it into your skin, add a little water to break up and emulsify the formula, and massage a little more. After you’re done simply rinse with lukewarm water. I was disappointed because the formula didn’t break down and emulsify as well as the Coconut formula. It left both grains and a sticky film on my face where as the Coconut Oil formula broke down and rinsed clean away. You don’t want to get this anywhere near your eyes as I mentioned in my Coconut Oil review but this particular formula seemed like the grains were a little larger plus they didn’t clean away so, I got worried they’d migrate towards my eyes somehow. This did have a lighter scent than the Coconut Oil formula which smelled like apricots but it wasn’t strong and seemed subtle to my nose. After using it my skin felt rather tight so, moisturizer was essential.
User beware, this is a harsh scrub that won’t be suitable for acne, blemish prone skin or those with red, sensitive skin. Honestly, I wouldn’t even recommend it for drier skin types as the scrub is just too harsh and the formula doesn’t quite work as well as the Coconut Facial Oil Scrub which also left my face tight but washed clean away.
St. Ives Exfoliate & Nourish Apricot Facial Oil Scrub is available now at target.com, amazon.com, and walmart.com.