About.com Rating



I really did not want this product to work. That will seem like a weird admission to make right off the bat, but let me explain: Ever since I burned my face off with Ten-o-Six pads when I was 14 years old, I have been very, very leery of exfoliating pads. However, I've had some issues getting my face to feel totally smooth, even with my trusty Clarisonic, so I thought I'd give these a try. I was glad that I did (also sorry, because see above re: my previous feelings about scrubbing pads).

Does It Work?

Oh boy, does it. After just a few uses, my skin was noticeably smoother and better exfoliated. The tone was better and brighter, and best of all, it helped clear up an unfortunate patch of chin acne that I'd been dealing with for a while. Also, I was embarrassed to see how much dirt came off my face, even after washing thoroughly. At the same time, I was obviously delighted to see that, because those dirty pads meant that a) I no longer had all that gunk on my face, and b) I could now look at that gunk and go, "Ew, gross!" which is one of my favorite things.

I should mention that the product is billed as an exfoliant, toner, and brightener, and that its listed benefits include improving skin clarity, reducing visible pores, and diminishing the appearance of fine lines. I definitely saw brighter, cleaner, better exfoliated and toned skin, but I didn't notice much diminishment of pores (because, as we've discussed many times before, nothing actually makes your pores smaller) or fine fines (I rely on moisturizer for that).

Still, I was very pleased with this product and would recommend it.

Texture, Feel, and Smell:

Don't be scared off by all those "acid" ingredients in the list below: this product provides a very gentle, but satisfying scrubbing sensation. It's not harsh like a straight-up peel or the heavy-duty astringents of my youth. The smell is more cosmetic than chemical; I definitely caught a whiff of lemon while I was using the pad.

Ingredients: Water/Eau, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Water, Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Extract, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Fruit Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Phyllanthus Emblica (Indian Gooseberry) Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20

Note:Paraben free. The key ingredients are Lactic and Glycolic Acids, which exfoliate, Lemon Peel for "brightening," Hyaluronic Acid to plump the skin, and antioxidants, which combat free radicals. (The company also claims that the Indian Gooseberry extract will tone skin, but since I'm not familiar with that ingredient, I present it to you without additional commentary.)

Ease of Use:

After washing your face, pat dry and then swipe one pad over your face and neck. Don't scrub hard: let the pads do the work. I only used these once a day, because I have dry skin, but even if your skin is oilier, I'd advise starting off with a once-a-day application. It's easy to overdo it with cleansing products, thinking that if a little is good, a lot is better. That's definitely not the case: washing your face too often, or with super-harsh cleanser, or scrubbing too much in water that's too hot, is a great way to dry out your skin, exacerbate acne, and just generally make your face displeased with you. Don't do it!

Bang for Your Buck:

Price:$6 and under for the packet; $28 for the jar.

Is It Worth It?

Although the full-size version of this isn't as cheap as I like products to be for inclusion in this site, the packet is a cheap way to give the product a try. And its effectiveness and ease of use make this worth your time. I'd definitely advise anyway with exfoliation-related issues to give this tidy little product a go.