Liz Earle is known for their all-natural range of skincare, and the combination of attractive packaging, awesome scents and good quality tends has proven to be a winning formula. Like most of their range, their Gentle Face Exfoliator is also composed almost entirely of natural ingredients. It contains, among other things, cocoa butter, eucalyptus, and jojoba beads to exfoliate.
Like their other products, this one comes in their trademark light mint green packaging, and has a very nifty and hygenic pump dispenser.
The product itself is a white coloured cream with very find jojoba beads. In fact, when you first pump a ball of the product out onto your hand, you can't see any beads of exfoliatant when the product isn't spread out. Looking at the small dollop of product on my hand, I was thinking - where are the jojoba beads?
Ahh, there they are. The beads are quite fine (not super super fine, but small enough) that you only see them when you spread the product around. I hope this photo is clear enough, but you can see those little jojoba beads - they're the lumps in the product.
Usage of this product is simple - you massage it around your face gently, and then wash it off. It doesn't lather, but it washes off decently. Although it's exfoliating, it's also really rich, so it moisturizes really well. In fact, if you're one of those people who like your skincare to leave that squeaky-clean feel behind, you're going to be disappointed by this, because I felt like it left a slight film of product behind. It's not necessarily a bad thing - I think people with dry skins would really love this, because it doesn't strip the skin, and the rich, creamy consistency actually feels really nice on the skin. I also felt like it left my skin with a slight glow, which I liked.
However, I do imagine it could be too rich for some skins, because one of the main ingredients, cocoa butter, is comedogenic for some people. So if your skin is oily, acne-prone, or sensitive, then this is a product that would probably be best used occasionally, instead of everyday. I used it without any major issues, although I was very worried about the cocoa butter breaking me out. (You see the risks I put my skin through to test products for you guys! :P ) I suppose part of the reason why I didn't end up developing any pimples is because as an exfoliator, this wasn't part of my everyday routine. I was using it weekly without issue, but I suspect that if I used it everyday, my skin might react to it.
Although most people could probably use this on a weekly basis without any major issues, although this product would probably appeal most to those with dry skin that isn't acne-prone or sensitive. If your skin has no major sensitivies to cocoa butter or any of the other ingredients, I think the Gentle Face Exfoliator is nice to have. It exfoliates without drying out the skin, and it has a rich, luxe creamy formulation that is pleasant to use.
(Product was sent for review. Not affilated with/compensated by company. Review is my complete and honest opinion.)
