Description
INGREDIENTS: Distilled water, cocamidopropyl betaine, pineapple (and) papaya (and) mango (and) watermelon (and) strawberry extracts; cetearyl alcohol (and) ceteareth-20, jojoba pearls, shea butter, orange butter, tangerine butter, lime butter, lemon butter, cornstarch, cetyl esters, MSM, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate (and) methyl gluceth-10; tocopherol, fragrance, gluconolactone (and) sodium benzoate, EDTA
INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED:
Cocamidopropyl betaine: This is another type of surfactant or cleansing agent. It works well with other surfactants in a formula, and it has great foaming capability.
Pineapple (and) papaya (and) mango (and) watermelon (and) strawberry extracts: These are the five fruit extracts in the name. They contain alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which are water-soluble chemical exfoliants that work best on blackheads and normal breakouts. Additionally, the pineapple and papaya extracts contain the enzymes bromelain and papain, which go to work on dead skin and facilitate its removal.
Cetearyl alcohol (and) Ceteareth-20: This is the emulsifier in the formula. An emulsifier is a compound that is able to bind to both polar and nonpolar molecules in a solution. In skincare, an emulsifier is what holds the oil and water phases of the formula together. There are lots of different types of emulsifiers, with different properties. This particular emulsifier is what is known as an ‘oil in water’ emulsifier, because it emulsifies a small oil phase in a larger water phase.
Jojoba Pearls: Jojoba pearls are tiny, uniformly spherical beads consisting of hydrogenated jojoba oil. The uniformly round shape provides effective but gentle physical exfoliation. Ultrafine pearl size (40/60 mesh size or 250-425 microns) is ideal for exfoliation on delicate skin such as the face, lip and cuticle exfoliation. NOTE: these microbeads are NOT plastic, they are jojoba-based, so they will degrade and will not harm the environment.
Shea butter: One of my all-time favorite skincare ingredients! This butter is obtained from the karite tree, and it’s also a great source of antioxidants and skin-nourishing fatty acids (stearic and linoleic). It also penetrates skin readily. This is just such a wonderful ingredient for skincare.
Orange butter: Orange-infused butter that is medium weight and has a soft consistency and a delightful scent.
Tangerine butter: Tangerine-infused butter that is medium weight and has a soft consistency and a delightful scent too. I can’t decide whether I love the smell of the orange butter or the tangerine butter more.
Lemon butter: Lemon-infused butter that is medium weight and has a soft consistency.
Lime butter: Lime-infused butter that is medium weight and has a soft consistency.
Cornstarch: This ingredient acts as a thickener in this formula.
Cetyl esters: This ingredient provides ‘slip’ to the formula, allowing the product to slide more easily across skin. It also acts as a thickener.
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane): MSM is a sulfur compound that speeds up wound remodeling, reduces inflammation, and also acts as a penetration enhancer. Penetration enhancers allow ingredients access to deeper skin layers. I use MSM in this formula for its penetration enhancing abilities. Since cleansers are only on your skin for a short time, using a penetration enhancer in cleanser formulas allows for greater contact between skin and ingredients.
PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate (and) methyl gluceth-10: This is the thickener in the formula. When you work with surfactants, they tend to make the product very thin and watery. Formulators use a thickener to bring the consistency back to where it should be and to stabilize the emulsion.
Tocopherol: Tocopherol is Vitamin E, and acts as a preservative in this formula, preventing the oxidation of the oils in the product and increasing the shelf life.
Gluconolactone (and) Sodium benzoate: This is the main preservative in this formula. It prevents the growth of bacteria, mold, fungus, yeast, etc.
Fragrance: This is the scent that is added to the product. Fragrance oil manufacturers are not required by law to disclose what compounds are in their fragrance oils. However, some will tell you what is NOT in their fragrance oils, and I base my fragrance oil purchases on this information. I make sure my fragrance oils are free of phthalates and known carcinogens. Because fragrance may be a source of irritation in a product formula, I offer all my products fragrance free as well as scented.
EDTA: EDTA is a metal ion chelator. This means that it scours the solution for metal ions, and once it finds them, it binds them very tightly, which makes them no longer a danger. Metal ions are highly reactive molecules that can cause oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA in cells. They are known to cause allergic reactions in skin, and generate inflammation.
Sarah Zamminer (verified owner) –
I have only used this twice since I got it last week but I love it. I really love that the exfoliating chunks are bigger. This doesn’t feel super abrasive like some other scrubs I’ve used and it feels really nice on my skin. I also really enjoy the scent in this.
NICHOLE SULLIVAN (verified owner) –
Love this gentle and lightly scented scrub for making my skin feel polished but not sandblasted like some other scrubbing cleansers.
Diane McCard (verified owner) –
I use this once or twice a week. It is very gentle but very affective.