Most facial scrubs on the market can be rough on one’s skin, with the texture of the scrub grainy, and for those with sensitive skin, or who are prone to acne, they can lead to blemishes, breakouts and raw skin. However, Clean & Clear came out with a new line of products which includes a facial scrub, called Clean & Clear Oxygenating Facial Scrub, which was voted one of InStyle’s best beauty buys for 2007, according to Clean & Clear’s website.
Clean & Clear Oxygenating Facial Scrub is a unique formula, unlike others I perused on the store shelves in that it is infused with oxygen which gently exfoliates the skin. The scrubbing beads remove oil, dirt and dead skin cells to leave your skin looking softer and healthier looking. The bottle states “use Clean & Clear Oxygenating Facial Scrub for a clean so deep it allows your skin to breathe.” It sounded good to me -who wouldn’t want clean skin which feels like it can breathe and a gentle exfoliant? I thought I would try this new product.
The first thing you will notice is the neat scrub inside the bottle. The package is transparent, and you can see the gel like bluish scrub with its tiny blue beads. The scent is pleasant, and invigorating and clean smelling. It is not strong like perfume but softer, reminiscent almost of a beach scent combined with clean linen scent.
Ingredients include: water, sodium laureth sulfate, glycerin, polyethylene, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, lauryl glucoside, microcrystalline wax, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, fragrance, menthyl lactate, tetrasodium EDTA, coralline officinalis extract, magnesium aspartate, zinc gluconate, copper gluconate, titanium dioxide, chromium hydroxide green, ferric ferrocyanide, yellow 5 lake, blue 1 lake and may also contain sodium hydroxide.
You might be wondering what it is about this product that makes it oxygenating. According to Clean & Clear’s website, their interactive lab states that the Oxygenating Facial Scrub contains corraline concentrate, which is an extract of red algae ,which has been shown to increase the skin’s ability to restore oxygen by 20%, leaving skin feeling healthier.
Package directions state to wet face and gently massage product all over face, avoiding your eyes. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. It also states that it is good for daily use.
While using Clean & Clear Oxygenating Facial Scrub, you will immediately notice the softness of the exfoliating beads. The beads in this product are small and not grainy unlike other facial scrubs I have used, such as St. Ives. It does not irritate my skin or feel like it is abrading it. According to the Clean & Clear website, these beads are different from others because they are synthetic, which means they are less abrasive than natural grainy beads found in other scrubs. The scent is so clean and fresh smelling and not overpowering or perfumey at all and it wafts over you as you are scrubbing your face and then lingers long after.
Immediately after using Clean & Clear Oxygenating Facial Scrub, my skin feels tighter, but not dried out, my pores appear smaller and I feel clean and refreshed. I have been using this as part of my morning routine and it helps to get me going on my day as it really makes your face feel invigorated. It also provides an excellent base for my moisturizer and foundation, which have been going on smoother since starting to use this product. Even using the Oxygenating Facial Scrub without moisturizer, foundation goes on smoothly and evenly as compared to using foundation without using the Oxygenating Facial Scrub prior.
After using this product for the past week, there is a considerable difference in my skin. It has actually helped reduce the appearance of any blotchiness and a small red scar, has reduced blackheads, has made my skin tighter and my laugh lines smaller. My skin tone has improved and I have been able to use less or no foundation.
Although I love this scrub in the morning, I was wondering if it does remove dirt and makeup and if it is a product I could use for that purpose in the evening. I tried Clean & Clear Oxygenated Facial Scrub in the evening when washing my face. To test whether or not it removed makeup and dirt and to what extent, I used a cotton ball with astringent on to see how much, if any would remain on the cotton ball after cleansing.
After scrubbing my face with the Clean & Clear Oxygenated Facial Scrub, including my neck area for about one minute, I washed the product off and patted my face dry. I then applied astringent with a cotton ball to my face and checked to see how this product fared as a makeup remover. I was not as impressed as I had hoped I would be. My neck area especially still had quite a bit of makeup left on it even after using the Oxygenated Facial Scrub. So I will stick to my regular facial cleanser for makeup removal in the evening, but I will most definitely continue to use Clean & Clear Oxygenated Facial Scrub in the morning. Clean & Clear does have a fizzing facial cleanser that is designed to remove makeup, so that just may be the next product I try in this line.
I very highly recommend Clean & Clear Oxygenated Facial Scrub as a facial scrub and exfoliant. It helps reduce the size of pores, while also cleansing them, leaves your skin feeling very clean, almost surprisingly clean, your skin appears healthier, and almost glowing after using this product and in a matter of a few days you should notice a big difference in your skin tone. This is one of the absolute best skin care products I have ever used and the best facial scrub I have ever tried. You can use this scrub daily without damaging your skin or resulting in breakouts due to the skin’s surface being abraded.
Check out Clean & Clear’s website for more skin care products, skin care advice, suggestions on how to start a skin care routine and to check to see if your current routine is enough. You can also check out their interactive laboratory which explains the science behind their products and why they work. Other oxygenating products which you can learn about on their website in this line include a fizzing facial cleanser and an ultra light moisturizer.
