Johnson’s Gently Exfoliating Facial Wash
The cheapest by far, this scrub was, as the packaging suggested, gentle. A creamy liquid with tiny flakes of exfoliant, it gently polished the skin. Despite the fact that it contains no soap it smelt like soap and the small pieces of exfoliant were quite difficult to wash away. Johnson’s say this product is specifically formulated to respect the pH of the skin. Gentle enough for daily use, this is a good budget buy. Has to get the green friendly points as well as the tube does not come in a wasteful box.
Price: £2.20 for 150ml
Available from: supermarkets
Body Farm Red Grape Face Scrub
I love this brand and this did not disappoint – their products always seem so fresh. A light cream with quite large pieces of olive stones, this was definitely one of the roughest tried. Also, as it came in a glass jar, albeit very tasteful, you end up exfoliating under your fingernails as well. It has a whole host of ingredients to lift the skin including red grape, which acts against free radicals; olive stones to exfoliate, revitalise and tone; soapwort for antiphlogistic action; white tea to antioxidise; grapefruit extract and panthenol. Combined they left my skin feeling smooth and bright.
Price: £11.50 for 50ml
Available from: Bio Natural. Tel: 77777727
St Ives Gentle Apricot Scrub
St Ives must surely be fast becoming the supermarket leader in Cyprus. The brand has a face scrub for all skin types, but we went for this one that is gentle enough to be used every day. A large tube, it is a thick cream with red and brown particles of what are, I assume, apricot. It smoothed easily onto the face and provided a gentle rub. A light smell that left the skin feeling refreshed. Contains more than 95 per cent naturally-derived ingredients including Swiss glacial water and Swiss botanicals.
Price: £5.70 for 150ml
Available from: supermarkets
The Body Shop Seaweed Facial Exfoliator
For many of who grew up in England, The Body Shop was always the benchmark for toiletries; more expensive (and therefore better) than supermarket brands but not in the same out-of-reach price bracket as the more upmarket brands. As with all other products, this scrub comes in a no-nonsense package. A tube with an exfoliating gel containing small particles of jojoba beads and olive stone to exfoliate and clarify in addition to community trade seaweed. It was gentle to apply even though I could almost feel the dead cells falling off and left my face feeling clean and taught afterwards.
Price: £6.50
Available from The Body Shop, Tel: 22 769936, 25 747741
Mastic Spa Natural Olive Face Scrub
All products from this brand contain extracts from the mastic tree that grows only on the Greek island of Chios, which since antiquity has been used for its therapeutic benefits to the skin. The scrub in this tube feels almost like clay as it is smoothed on the skin. The packaging suggests leaving it on for five minutes and then exfoliating, which feels gentle smooth as the olive stone particles are tiny. Also contains sage to calm the skin and bee propolis to cleanse and strengthen it. Lovely.
Price: £10.70 for 50ml
Available from: Mastic Spa, Tel: 22 667771
Melvita Bamboo Tears Face Scrub
Another tube (I’m definitely a tube girl when it comes to the tube/tub debate), this time containing a light, white mousse that smoothes easily onto the face. It has a light, clean smell and leaves the face feeling refreshed. There are three differently-sized exfoliants in addition to moisturisers, all of which are totally organic. Microparticles of bamboo, called tears, help remove dead cells; silicium micropowder leaves the skin feeling soft; while jojoba microspheres and Hawaiin algae prevent dryness. After that biology lesson, rub it on, splash it off and feel great!
Price: £10 for 75ml
Available from: Bioexcellia, Tel: 22 376806
L’Occitane Face Scrub Mud
Another tub, this time with a rich, green mud in. It feels incredibly smooth for a scrub and spreads easily onto the skin. The green is a bit shocking when you look in the mirror, but it provides an incredibly gentle scrub. You can even leave it on for a few minutes to act like a mask. Left my skin feeling soft and supple. Crushed olive kernels provide the exfoliating action while the green mud will purify the skin. Also contains oxygenated olive oil and olive water that will help leave your skin balanced and purified. Another great product from one of my favourite brands.
Price: £14 for 100ml
Available from: L’Occitane, Tel: 22 818151
