Every day we remove half a million dead cells, but many stick to the skin. To eliminate them, it is advisable to exfoliate regularly, but you have to do it gently and with natural products.
The skin is naturally renewed every 30 days or so. When dead cells from the epidermis are not completely removed, the skin appears flaky and pores can become clogged. Exfoliation helps get rid of these dead cells. Exfoliation is usually related to the application of solid products that mechanically drag the cells, but if you have normal skin, you can exfoliate by wiping yourself after washing. Specific exfoliating products are more indicated when the skin is oily.
Fortunately, scrubs with microplastics can no longer be marketed today. For years, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, or methyl polymethacrylate microspheres were used as common exfoliating agents. A small pot of cream could contain more than ten million microparticles. The industry began to abandon the idea in 2018 and in 2021 the presence of plastic microspheres in cosmetics sold in the European Union was banned.
BODY SCRUB: SUBSTANCES USED
Although the exfoliating agent is no longer as harmful to the environment and to people’s health, current commercial products continue to resort to other ingredients under suspicion. For example, many manufacturers continue to choose synthetic polymers (plastics in short) fluids as thickening agents and binders, which are a problem especially when they reach the environment. Its use is not justified when there are natural alternatives such as guar gum.
On the other hand, it is striking, for example, that in some products diethyl phthalate is found, which is used, among other things, to denature alcohol or as a carrier of fragrances. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is currently examining DEP because it is suspected of having hormonal effects. As it cannot be ruled out at the moment, it is advisable to avoid it.
Other common ingredients of peels are cinnamyl alcohol, which can cause allergies, and ubiquitous polyethylene glycols, which are synthetic detergents and emulsifiers that can increase skin permeability, making it more vulnerable to the action of harmful compounds.
NATURAL BODY SCRUB
Manufacturers have many options when choosing a natural exfoliating agent:
- Sand is composed primarily of silicon, the most abundant mineral on Earth, and is found in exfoliating products under the terms “silica,” “quartz,” or “mica.”
- Pumice of vomanic origin, composed mainly of silica and alumina, can be finely ground.
- Castor and jojoba oils can be hardened by the hydrogenation process to serve as exfoliating agents.
- You can also grind bamboo, apricot seeds, rice grains, almond shells or charcoal.
A natural product may contain vegetable extracts of pineapple or papaya because they are rich in enzymes such as papain and bromelain, which act as a gentle chemical exfoliant. They may also contain thick ingredients such as xanthan gum or aloe vera gel.
Natural or certified cosmetic products not only use these natural exfoliating ingredients, but also avoid any other petroleum-derived or potentially harmful ingredients.
Of course, any physical exfoliant is better than a chemical acid peel. Although there are products with different intensity, all chemical peels are based on subjecting the skin to an acidic ingredient. This type of peel can cause redness, swelling and changes in skin pigmentation. It also increases the risk of bacterial, fungal or viral infections.
You can remove plastic from the ingredients, but it’s going to be harder to do with packaging. Therefore, at least, the consumer must choose, if he can, brands that manufacture packaging with recycled plastic.
HOW TO EXFOLIATE PROPERLYÂ
- Wash your face thoroughly and shower before exfoliation.
- Don’t overdo it: exfoliating too often tightens the skin. If you have normal skin, applying the scrub once a week is enough. If your skin is very oily, you can do it three times a week.
- Freshly exfoliated skin is slightly more sensitive to light. The best time for a body scrub is at night, so that the skin can then regenerate.
- Apply a moisturizing cream or lotion after exfoliation.