Top Ten Facial Exfoliators As Rated By You!

A good facial exfoliator can leave your skin radiant, a bad one can leave it irritated. In the warmer months a good exfoliator used once or twice a week can keep pores clear and skin fresh. In winter an exfoliator is a must for increasing cell turnover and reducing the potential for uncomfortable dry skin.

But which exfoliator should you go for? There are many on the market and they come with all sorts of claims and benefits. It can be hard to choose, so we’ve put together a list of the top ten exfoliators for your face as rated by … YOU … our fabulous Beauty Review members.  

1. Garnier Pure Active Intense Charcoal Scrub

They Say:  Garnier Pure Active Intense Charcoal Scrub Formulated with charcoal, a natural well-known impurities magnet, and 2% of salicylic acid, this gel scrub is ultra-exfoliating and ultra-purifying.

You Say:  I. Love. This. Scrub. It is my new holy grail, going to repurchase until the day I die, scrub. I have combination, sensitive skin and I usually find that if a scrub doesn't hurt my skin, then it doesn't work. But this doesn't hurt my skin AT ALL and it works. Overnight. 

It definitely seems to prevent acne and sort of stops it in its tracks. Then if I have any huge pimples, they'll have reduced dramatically in at least 2 days. I don't generally get blackheads, I mostly get whiteheads at this point and it definitely helps with them. 

Overall it's a super reasonable price and it genuinely helps my skin.  - Beauty Review Expert TraineeMUA

2. Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

They Say:  Unique Rice-based powder formula activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes that micro-exfoliate dead cells, instantly leaving skin smoother and brighter.

You Say:  I recently purchased this product and have been using daily for about two weeks. What a change I have seen in my skin!!!! Using this combined with other Dermalogica products my skin has cleared up a lot and become a lot more even and glowing!  - Beauty Review Expert Hanna May

3. Trilogy Gentle Face Exfoliant

They Say:  Promote a fresh, soft and flawless complexion with our gentle and effective exfoliating treatment; TRILOGY Gentle Face Exfoliant. Contains jojoba wax spheres to gently buff away dead skin cells and vitamin rich plant oils to renew and condition for radiant, glowing skin.

You Say:  I really love this exfoliant, as far as gentle goes though, compared to other "gentle" exfoliants on the market, this one has a good scrub to it and gives a deep clean but is not harsh on the skin. It leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and buffed and gets rid of any bumpiness and flakiness.  - Beauty Review Apprentice Manda129

4. Skinfood Exfoliating Scrub 

They Say:  With walnut shell, cucumber extract, manuka honey, aloe vera, sweet almond & lime.

You Say:  The formula is creamy and soft on my skin. I find my skin is a bit dry in the winter, and this helps clear away dirt and impurities, as well as keep my face smooth. The product smells nice and natural, and when in the shower this is the first thing I apply to my face. 

I find the scrub gentle and not harsh like other exfoliating scrubs. I like to use this product daily and love that it leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean! I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a nice affordable scrub that does not feel too harsh on the skin.  - Beauty Review Expert Stelle90

5. Oasis Beauty Fruit Smoothie

They Say:  Tropical Fruit Smoothie combines 3 products into 1 - a physical exfoliator, enzymatic exfoliator and smoothing masque. It is a powerful but gentle multipurpose product for smooth, glowing skin in no time at all.  Jojoba beads combined with papaya and pineapple exfoliate away rough skin.  Then let the natural clays work their magic...and voila!  Super smooth sexy skin.

You Say: It's a nice gentle exfoliator and my skin feels amazing after using it. I used it every second day for a week, using it as a mask at the same time. My skin never felt dried out, just smooth and refreshed. What really impressed me though was at the end of the week my skin had cleared up markedly. 

I'm so happy to find something that works to get rid of my breakouts, but doesn't make my sensitive skin worse. A little goes a long way - and its definitely worth it!!  - Beauty Review Expert Chaotic82

6. Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub

They Say:  Derived from coconut, guar bean, willow bark and jojoba oil. Neutrogena® Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub contains a natural salicylic acid to remove dirt, oil and makeup and beads to help gently scrub away impurities. Washing away dull dead skin cells to detoxify pores and is suitable for acne prone skin.

You Say:  Since using this range and the pore scrub, my skin has noticed the difference. I have less 'imperfections' on my face as a result of these products becoming part of my daily routine. This scrub is so gentle, and doesn't have that heavy grainy feeling like most of the other scrubs do. And it's not overly drying, so you don't feel uncomfortably tight after using it.  - Beauty Review Expert itskaz_xo

7.  Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub

They Say:  Formulated with ACTIVE NATURALS®Southernwood, SMART ESSENTIALS® Daily Detoxifying Scrub helps keep what's good in and what's bad out. The natural loofah and coconut pulp-enriched formula gently polishes away pore-clogging debris, revealing a brighter, smoother look, and prepares your skin for your daily moisturizer.

You Say:  This is like bathing my face in a soft fluffy moisturising foam with a little exfoliation. I love this and find myself looking for this at the end off the day this is gentle enough to use every day without stripping my skin, I'm left feeling cleansed and skin primed for the next step in my skin care. This is soft and skin brightening and its enough for me to use to get rid off dull patches and when I'm after a stronger exfoliation I use something else. I love this and I certainly will repurchase.  - Beauty Review Hero MAGPIEFI

8. Doll Face Derma Scrub

They Say:  Doll Face Derma Scrub uses the very same Microdermabrasion crystals as a salon treatment.  Ideal for teenage skins or those that do not have a sensitive skin.

You Say:  The scrub has a pleasant but subtle earthy vanilla scent which I really liked. It felt really nice massaging the scrub onto my face and it didn't leave my skin stinging or burning like other scrubs do, which was a nice surprise as my skin is quite sensitive. After I first used this product my skin straight away felt really soft and refreshed. 

Before I started trialing the scrub my skin was quite oily with some scabby acne that seemed to refuse to heal. The scrub has completely cleared away the dry scabby skin and for once, my skin feels soft and healthy, instead of oily and scabby.  - Beauty Review Expert lilmonmon

9. Nivea Pure 3-IN-1 Daily Deep Cleansing Exfoliating Wipes

They Say:  NIVEA Pure Effect 3-IN-1 Daily Deep Cleansing Exfoliating Wipes help to gently, yet effectively, eliminate skin impurities. The secret lies in the double sided cloth action that not only cleanses, but gently exfoliates, leaving skin feeling clean and pure as well as looking radiantly beautiful.

You Say: I've tried using a few different face wipe products before, but I found that most of them were too gentle and wouldn't get off a lot of make up, or they weren't nourishing enough so I felt like my skin was getting a good cleanse. These manage to do both jobs of removing make up and exfoliating skin so that it feels clean, fresh and soft. These are really great for travel as they pack away nice and small, don't need water to use and won't leak everywhere.  - Beauty Review Expert PeterPan

10. Essano Gentle Facial Exfoliator

They Say:  Reveal radiance! Refine skin tone and texture, for smoother, brighter skin. This gentle facial exfoliator uses tiny Rosehip Bio-exfoliating granules to lift and clear away dead surface skin and impurities. Gentle and soap free.

You Say:  The quality of this product is phenomenal. Its fine granules lightly exfoliate while the rose-hip soothes and softens your skin. I have used it twice a week for a couple of weeks now and I have noticed that my skin has become noticeably softer to the touch.   - Beauty Review Expert Filoaha

Voilà! Your top ten facial exfoliators as voted by you, the members of New Zealand’s largest independent beauty review website. Is your favourite amongst the top ten?