I still cringe when I think of my teenage self rubbing those scrubs all over my face. Too often, they left my skin all red.
I thought it was a sign they worked. The glow would soon come, surely.
It didn’t. They weren’t working. They were irritating my skin. Ouch!
That’s the problem with physical exfoliants. Most of them have apricot kernels or other small, rough-edged particles that tear and damage the skin.
That’s why, when I got older and wiser, I switched to chemical exfoliants. Don’t let the word chemical fool you. These exfoliants are much gentler and work better, too.
But, there’s a part of me that has never given up hope of finding a scrub that’s gentle enough to work without irritating skin.
That’s what Blissoma Glow Good Earth Exfoliant Powder promises. The formula is organic and full of natural ingredients with soothing properties. So, this should be IT, right?
Let’s put it to the test.
What’s In Blissoma Glow Good Earth Exfoliant Powder?
OATS TO SOOTHE SKIN
What I like the most about this scrub is the base. It’s made with oat kernel powders. What’s special about that?
Oats are one of the most soothing ingredients you’ll find lurking in your skincare products.
Oats, in every shape and form, can tone down redness, relieve itching, and reduce irritations. They’re great for everyone with sensitive skin, eczema, psoriasis… You name it.
If your skin needs soothing, give it some oats.
Related: Why Oats Are A Must-Have For Sensitive Skin
PAPAIN TO EXFOLIATE SKIN
Derived from papaya, this enzyme literally eats away dead skin cells.
It works sort of like a chemical exfoliant: it gets rid of old skin cells to expose the brighter, softer and smoother skin underneath. It fades away rough patches of skin and gives you your glow back.
Papain is gentler than chemical exfoliants (glycolic acid & co). It’s also more unstable and goes bad quickly when hydrated. But here, it comes in contact with water only when you use it, so it should be fine.
Related: The Complete Guide To Enzyme Exfoliants: What They Are, What They Do & How To Use Them
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ASCORBIC ACID TO BRIGHTEN SKIN
Ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin C, is often mistaken for an exfoliant, but it’s not. It’s an antioxidant on steroids: it fights wrinkles, brightens skin, and boosts collagen production. But, I’m not sure how effective it is here.
Vitamin C, too, is very unstable. And mixing it with some water and applying it onto your skin isn’t the most effective way of delivering it into your skin.
That’s the other problem. To work its best, vitamin C has to go deep into the skin, not washed be off after 2 minutes.
Related: The Complete Guide To Vitamin C In Skincare
BENTONITE TO SOAK UP EXCESS OIL
If Vitamin C is an exfoliant on steroids, Bentonite is a clay on steroids. Made up mostly of montmorillonate, Bentonite it soaks up excess oil, shine and impurities from the skin.
There’s some evidence it can remove impurities from your pores, too. But it needs to be on the skin for a while to work. It won’t unclog pores in a couple of minutes – the time you scrub your face before rinsing the powder off your face.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About Bentonite In Skincare
Texture
It’s a powder.
Fragrance
It’s fragrance-free, but it has a slightly earthy, oat-like scents. That’s the ingredients you’re smelling, by the way.
How To Use It
Half a teaspoon will do the trick. Using too much isn’t a good thing. It’s not gonna exfoliate your skin better. It’s just gonna irritate it. Remember, ladies, when you deal with physical exfoliants, less is always more.
Place that 1/2 teaspoon of powder in the palm of your wet hand and mix it with your fave cleanser to create a paste. You can use it on its own, without adding it to your cleanser, if you prefer, too.
Once you’ve made the paste, simply massage it onto your face until it dries and then remove with warm water. Be gentle! Putting too much pressure on the skin will irritate it, no matter how delicate the scrub is.
Don’t use more than twice a week. Exfoliation isn’t a daily thing!
Related: How Often Should You Exfoliate?
Performance & Personal Opinion
Blissoma Glow Good Earth Exfoliant Powder is just that, a powder. You’d better grab a teaspoon if you don’t want to spill half the jar’s contents when you apply it (or is that just me?).
I don’t find the earthy scent very pleasant, so I mix the powder with m fave cleanser. Problem solved.
But how delicate is this scrub anyway?
Again, it depends on how gentle you are. The powder itself isn’t gritty, but if you rub it too vigorously or for too long, you’ll remove too many dead cells. That’s what causes irritation.
I used the powder twice a week for a month and it left my skin smoother and brighter. It’s a lot gentler than most other scrubs, but it’s a hassle to use compared to my glycolic acid exfoliants. I don’t need to mix anything with them. What can I say? I’m lazy.
But I know a lot of you love to use scrubs, so if you don’t mind a bit of DIY, I think you’ll enjoy this.
Who Is This Use It?
If you love a gentle scrub, this is a good option to consider.
Who Is This NOT For?
I wouldn’t recommend it to oily and acne-prone skin. You’ll benefit more from a salicylic acid exfoliant.
Related: Why Salicylic Acid Is Key To Spot-Free Skin
Packaging
Pictured here is the old packaging. But the formula is the same, so everything else in this review still stands.
What’s the new packaging like? A big white jar. It looks similar to the old packaging, just more minimalistic.
Does Blissoma Glow Good Earth Exfoliant Powder Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| For exfoliation of all skin types, excellent for hyperpigmentation, lackluster, congested and sluggish skin. | It works better for dull than congested skin or hyperpigmentation. |
| This preservative-free, powdered Vitamin C skin treatment has powdered organic herbs and grains, clays, fruit enzymes and more to gently sweep over skin and loosen debris without damage to skin. | True. But you may still irritate your skin if you scrub too hard/too long. Don’t overdo it! |
| Glow is versatile and counteracts the appearance of irritation while it works. | It has soothing oats to counteract irritations, true. |
Price & Availability
$40.00 at Blissoma
Do You Need It?
No one needs a scrub. But if you like one, this is the gentlest I’ve found.
Dupes & Alternatives
- Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (£51.00)
Ingredients
Avena Sativa* (oat) Kernal powder, Cocos nucifera* endosperm (coconut water), Papain, Ascorbic Acid, Acacia Senegal* (Acacia Gum), Bentonite, Diatomaceous Earth, Cocos nucifera* (coconut) fruit powder, Oryza sativa* (brown rice), Panax ginseng extract, Coffea Arabica (green coffee) extract, Astragalus membranaceus* root, Olea europaea* (olive) leaf, Curcuma longa* (turmeric) root, Maltodextrin
Have u heard of the company Simple Sugars? They but emu oil in a lot of their scrubs,so they are supposed to moisturize your skin as well as exfoliate.
http://www.simplesugarsscrub.com/
Hannah, thanks for the link. No, I hadn’t heard of it, but I like the idea of putting moisturizing oils in a scrub. It’d make it a lot more gentle.