Beauty products don’t have to cost a lot to be effective. In fact, some of the best beauty buys can be found at drugstores, giving you plenty of bang for your buck. But on the flip side, other beauty items are cheap in price AND cheap on your skin. As we all know, spending any amount of money on a beauty product that doesn’t work-or that might be damaging your skin- definitely isn’t worth it.
We’ve consulted with the experts to determine which products are a miss-so that the next time you visit your local Walgreens or CVS, you know what to skip. (Plus, check out some of the best drugstore beauty buys, while you’re at it!)
Keep reading for more.
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Exfoliating Brushes
Exfoliating brushes were once all the rage in the skincare world. That's because they work to remove a layer of dead skin, and in doing so, they give your face that fresh, just-cleaned feeling. However, experts now believe that exfoliating brushes do their job *too* well and damage the skin in the process.
"Exfoliating brushes are very popular, and there's a ton on the market," Dr. Ailynne Vergara-Wijangco, MD, Dermatologist, warns. "They feel good. But it's been shown that they can scratch and irritate the skin-therefore, I don't recommend people use them. Those with super-oily skin may get away with it, but it's not something I use or recommend."
Electric exfoliating devices like the Clarisonic (which went off the market in 2020) are blamed for causing a form of acne, and generally traumatizing the epidermis. Christian Surber, a professor of dermatopharmacology at the University of Basel and Zurich even told The New York Times that he's "never seen scientific data that shows evidence of positive impacts" after using exfoliating brushes and that the tools can "abuse the skin."
"I find it unreasonable to scrub and abuse the skin in this way,” he adds.
So, keeping this in mind, how often should we *actually* be exfoliating our faces? Dermatologists universally recommend that exfoliating two to three times a week can help promote smoother, glowing skin. But bear in mind that you don't need exfoliating brushes to do so! Those with sensitive skin should limit exfoliation to twice a week and take care to use gentle pressure because too much exfoliation causes redness, dryness and irritation.
As a result, limit your exfoliation to mesh with your skin type-which will allow for an overall smoother appearance when you apply your morning makeup. Happy scrubbing!
