I've mentioned
before that the St. Ives Mineral Clay Firming Mask is an old favourite of mine. I had been using this clay mask for practically all my adult life, until just a couple of years ago when I began exploring other brands.
I bought this St. Ives Apricot Scrub Renew & Firm on impulse, really. I went to the store to get a new tube of the Mineral Clay Mask but decided to grab this scrub too just to try. Note: I got this on my travels. As far as I know, St. Ives is not easily available in the Netherlands, not in the mainstream stores at least. You may find a limited selection in some independent specialty beauty stores.
St. Ives says:
.....this Apricot Scrub, with gentle alpha hydroxy, visibly tones and firms, revealing younger-looking skin.
Product Claims
• with gentle alphahydroxy
• non-comedogenic
• dermatologist-tested
• 100% natural exfoliants
• 100% natural extracts
• formulated without parabens and phthalates
• no animal-derived ingredients
Ingredients
Water, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Walnut Shell Powder, Glycol Stearate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PEG-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Corn Kernel Meal, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Jojoba Esters, Glycolic Acid, Ceteareth-20, Urea, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), PEG-12 Dimethicone, Caffeine, Polysorbate 60, Triethanolamine, Fragrance, Carbomer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Phenethyl Alcohol, PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Methylisothiazolinone, Apricot Fruit Extract.
The scrub has a very thick consistency and the brown-coloured scrub granules are actually walnut shell powder. It smells fruity-fresh, like apricot but to my nose, very enhanced by the "fragrance".
The size of the granules are just about all right. The granules aren't exactly sparse but at times, I wouldn't mind a higher density of exfoliating particles.
The Apricot Scrub feels creamy and kinda slimey as I work it on my freshly-cleansed, damp face. To get the amount of scrub granules that's right for my preference, I would tend to squeeze out more of the scrub from the tube but as a result, I do need a lot of water to rinse this scrub off and to get rid of the residue slimey feel, if you know what I mean.
On its website, St. Ives says that apricots "are known to contain one of the highest levels of carotenoids (think vitamin A) and super-effective antioxidants.......are actually quite gentle and nourishing and they help make fresher, more nourished skin beautifully possible."
However, did you notice how low the apricot fruit extract figures on the list of ingredients? Yes, it's the very, very last item on the list, which makes me wonder just how much apricot fruit extract this scrub really contains.
My face feels extra clean, fresh and polished after use but I'd attribute that to the crushed walnut shell more than anything else.
All in all, it's a decent scrub. It's a scrub that I can't describe with superlatives. It's not too harsh, not 'wow', not moisturising and yet not drying. One thing though - it's affordably-priced, no more than USD5.00 for 6oz / 170g. I haven't paid much attention to the 'firming' promise as I'm not easily sold on such words. But just so you know, there are some very glowing reviews out there about this scrub, so do read them up to have a balanced view.
I've also read that some ladies use this scrub everyday. St. Ives, on its part, recommends using this scrub 3-4 times a week. I personally find that too frequent and use it no more than twice a week. To each his own.
Do note that St. Ives has three other kinds of Apricot Scrub for different types of skin:
St. Ives Apricot Srub Blemish & Blackhead Control
St. Ives Apricot Scrub Gentle
St. Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating
St. Ives website
Here are two facial scrubs that I really like:
•
Avalon Organics Exfoliating Enzyme Scrub
•
Esse Organic Skincare Cocoa Exfoliator