little white truths

Innoxa claims/product details:

• This anti-ageing, tri-performance facial exfoliator promotes smoothness, radiance and purity
• Exfoliating microspheres refine skin texture
• Salicylic acid and glycolic acid promote natural exfoliation and help repair skin, promoting youthful and luminous skin
• Vitamins a and e, goji berries and kakadu plum help prevent signs of ageing
• Promotes firmer and clearer skin
• Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin
• RRP $17.95 AUD for 100ml, but do shop around

Note that I haven't tried much from Innoxa in my time and it's a brand I associate with deodorant.

Still, I have heard some people mention that the brand creates some good skincare and makeup, so it's a brand I would like to explore a little more in future - it's just that this particular product didn't work out for me. Hoh well. It's fine as a body exfoliant.

Verdict

This product works well enough as an exfoliant but it's the experience of using it that I can't stand and that's why I've decided to start using it on the body now that I've reviewed it: I just don't enjoy it and life's too short to suffer through an exfoliant that only cost seven dollars anyway.

It's a clear gel in texture that's quite thick and sticky, and the product smells awful - kind of like rotten fruit mixed with detergent. It's a smell that sends 'don't touch that' signals to my brain, so it's obviously a turn-off and this has in part affected how I feel about it, although I'm not a huge fan of the texture either.

The product's saving grace is that the exfoliating grains are decent and they're not completely smooth so they exfoliate reasonably, plus there's enough of them to do a good job. After use my skin does feel smoother, softer and resurfaced, and it looks a little fresher to boot.

One thing to note, though, is that this will only exfoliate the skin: it doesn't clean well. The gel doesn't lather, foam or turn milky and spread, and it doesn't behave like a cleanser - it's more like a carrier jelly for the grains that will move the beads across your face but not perform any separate function of its own. Annoying. Hardly makes that smell worth it ; )

On the claims: no I haven't noticed any anti-ageing effects while using this; yes it helps with smoothness and refining skin texture; no it doesn't purify or cleanse the skin; and no it doesn't give me a radiant or firmer complexion either - although removing that top later of dead skin does help a tiny bit with brightness.

Overall I don't like this product and I can't recommend it: it's just not a nice product to use and I don't like that the gel itself doesn't cleanse my skin (it feels like a wasted step). Still, the exfoliating beads are decent and they do work, so all is not lost and I'll happily use this on the body - keeping the scent well away from my nose!

Not pleasant to use.