August 27, 2019

St. Ives Lip Scrub Review

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.
2 stars out of 5

I picked up St. Ives Lip Scrub in Juicy Watermelon ($4.99) is one of three new flavored lip scrubs that the brand recently launched for the Fall 2019. Face mists now lip scrubs hmmm! I do so like the way St Ives has been expanding their skincare offerings lately.

I picked this up during a recent Target run but was disappointed because it was the only flavor they had! There’s also a Passionfruit and Fresh Peach flavor! Of course, I wanted the Fresh Peach one! But I’m cool with watermelon! It’s still Summer after all!

St. Ives Lip Scrub arrives in a little 0.5 oz plastic jar and it’ll set you back $4.99. So, first off, if you have sensitive lips look away now. This is not the formula for you. If you have dry, flake lips come right in and sit a spell.

St. Ives Lip Scrub at a glance looks like a red lip balm. It’s very firm and solid initially and you do sort of have to dig around in it a bit to get it broken down. I used a tiny spatula (I buy them in bulk on E-bay) that I keep around for anything skincare or product that comes in a jar to break the surface and stir the scrub up into a more easier to use texture. The grains of sugar in this formula are very fine and plentiful. Most lip scrubs I own have larger grains of sugar. This almost feels like to used regular sugar versus a larger sugar grain like that you’d see on top of muffins or cookies. Oddly enough this sugar gives a much more harsher scrub. It’s either that or the base is just not as emollient, oily, or creamy enough. Lip scrubs typically have a bit more of a creamier making it easier to spread on your lips without doing yourself any damage. This formula is firmer, less creamy, not as emollient, and does have a harsher, grainer texture that did give my lips a nice, deep scrub. However, if you’re sensitive you might feel it hurts when this! Personally, I was bothered and actually liked how well it scrubbed away dry, flaky areas on my lips.

The taste is a little weird. There’s some sweetness thanks to the sugar but the watermelon flavor is a bit weird and plastic. There’s some sort of odd aftertaste to it as well. I think that’s sort of why I deducted quite a few points from my overall rating on the formula. It was just a really strange flavor. Maybe the peach will be better.

St. Ives Lip Scrub might be a great pick for those that aren’t sensitive and are prone to drier, flakier lips. I’m prone to drier lips and chapped ones! Especially in the Winter! So, I can easily see this becoming a staple product for me in the colder months. I do like the grainer texture it seems to really get my lips smooth and flake-free!

St. Ives Lip Scrub is available now.

Where to buy

Target

St. Ives Lip Scrub is a new, permanent sugar lip scrub that’s available in three flavors. I picked up the watermelon flavor at Target recently and felt like the grainer, firmer texture was very good at scrubbing away dry, flaky skin on my lips and leaving them smooth. However, it’s not a great pick for those who are sensitive as it’s not as creamier or emollient as some formulas and does hurt a bit when scrubbing. The flavor was a turn off. It has a sweetish flavor due to the sugar but the artificial watermelon flavor is odd and left an aftertaste in my mouth!

Sucrose, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Microcrystalline Wax, Paraffin, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopherol, Linalool, Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Iron Oxide (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (C I77499).

Pros

  • Very grainy, does a great job smoothing lips!
  • Inexpensive.

Cons

  • Firmer texture, finer grains makes this a no for sensitive users.
  • Weird flavor.

Who

St. Ives Lip Scrub might be appealing if you have resilient skin that isn’t easily irritated! And especially for those with severely dry lips!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Adrienne

    Yes, that looks pretty grainy and harsh. I liked the price but I am not for harsh scrubs without the moisture. I like your idea about the spatulas. I have the physicians formula lip scrub that I rarely use because it’s so thick and tightly packed, it too leaves and odd after taste I like the two Milani lip scrubs, I shouldn’t use my finger but they are easy to get into, wipe off and apply color. St. Ives seems to have gritty products for your face, body and lips. Oh well.

    • Isabella Muse

      that’s exactly the formula this is. Very tightly packed. If you swirl it around a bit with the spatula it loosens up but it’s still a harsher scrub :-/

  • Yamilet

    Hi Muse, just a heads up, the Chapstick lip scrub is actually half the size of the St. Ives for the same price so St. Ives is a better value. Chapstick is about a quarter oz., St. Ives is half an oz.

    • Isabella Muse

      ugh sorry! Writing this stuff so early in the morning is nice good for my math ;D

  • waddles pines

    i have this, it’s fairly good but as you said it tastes strange. i haven’t noticed any sort of firmer texture, but i haven’t tried a lot of lip scrubs, so you could be right.