little white truths

As you may know, I opened an Origins skincare kit a while ago and since then I've been testing and reviewing each product in turn.

This is the last item I opened so it's the final one that's up for review, and after this I'll be able to give you a round-up post on the set as a whole (complete with mini reviews) so you know how each product performed individually and also how everything went when used together.

Origins claims/product details:

• Say goodbye to dead skin cells with this gentle face scrub that offers serious exfoliation without causing irritation
• At the heart of this slightly grainy formula is skin-refining rice starch, which lifts dead skin cells and reaches to the core of damage and discolouration
• Time-tested lemon oil provides back-up support to illuminate skin, aloe calms and soothes, while tangy bergamot and cooling peppermint add a perky pick-me-up to the whole process
• The appearance of fine lines and enlarged pores is reduced, leaving skin perfectly polished, radiant and smooth without redness or flaking
• To use: two to three times a week, scoop onto fingertips and massage over dry, clean skin in circular motions; for sensitive skin, massage over damp skin; add a splash of water and work into a gentle lather; rinse well
• RRP $30 AUD for 50ml or $58 AUD for 125ml

Verdict

This product isn't awful but it doesn't work well for me so I don't recommend it. Funnily enough it was on my list of things to try because I've been looking for a decent manual exfoliant, so I'm glad this sample was included in the set because I've tried it now and I know it's not for me.

It's a cream product with a nice, fresh lemon scent. It does contain exfoliating grains but there aren't enough of them to give a decent exfoliation and they're also too large to do much, plus they're a little scratchy so I massage my face very gently when I use this.

Do note that quite a few people have said this isn't an effective exfoliant and have made the same comments I have (see eg Mecca's website), so it's not just me and I would certainly test this first before purchase because it mightn't do what you want it to do.

The other thing to note is that it contains peppermint and I have a slight intolerance to peppermint so it irritates my skin. Indeed, I used it again last night and my face felt too cool and too sensitive/irritated after use, so I wasn't surprised to see peppermint noted on the ingredients list when I went to review it this morning.

Also note that this product stings my eyes if it gets in there (which it often does), and I'm not the first person to have noticed this aspect either so that's something to keep in mind. Again, I would test this before purchase for that reason.

In other news, this has a pH of between a six and a seven so it's not too astringent in theory, although it does contain SLES (sodium laureth sulphate), which apparently isn't as irritating to skin as SLS but it's still not a great ingredient so that's worth mentioning.

Overall I don't hate this product but I don't like it either and I personally don't think it meets any of its claims. It's not an effective exfoliant so I don't recommend it and I wouldn't buy it.

Not for me.