The Hit List: Worst Face Scrub
What’s the Worst Face Scrub…?
What brand/product wins this category? Any particular reason it wins?
We hope you'll consider supporting Temptalia by shopping through our links below. Thanks!
Explore Temptalia
See all of this year's holiday products rated from best of worst! Plus, our gift guides! Read now.
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Enjoyed this? There's More
75 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We hope you'll consider supporting Temptalia by shopping through our links below. Thanks!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel for Sensitive Skin. This is made for sensitive skin? Really? My face was so red and stinging, I thought my whole face was going to fall off!
hmm..I think they will have to be extra careful when combining fruit ingredient into a scrub for sensitive skin…the fruit acid in green apple if not controlled well…will result in making sensitive skin worse
Clean and Clear Morning Burst shine control scrub, the green one. It didn’t scrub or control shine!
agreed. this did nothing for me.
St. Ives — every dermatologist I know has said it is horrible for your face
Completely agree. This stuff would probably make a good foot scrub but it will never come anywhere close to my face.
LOL…I love this scrub. I have used lots of high end products but I always come back to this. ♥ it!
I’ve totally used it as a foot scrub actually. hahaha.
Agree with you both! I tossed it out the moment i put some in my hands.
I also agree – the scrubbing particles are too sharp!
I think i’m allergic to St. Ives. It didn’t work for me
Really!? I use it every day and i have the nicest smoothes skin. And I have sensitive skin…Do you use the Gentle one? That;s the one I have been using for years and i always go back to it.
Totally Agree!! I would never put it close to my face… way to harsh, but makes an awesome foot scrub!
St. Ives broke me out too. Too bad, ’cause it smells amazing. 😛
Agree! It is WAY too strong. I use it as a body scrub. I used to use it as a face scrub, but it was too abrasive and left my face really sore and red.
Best scrub ever, actually! Living in humid Florida, you need something a little stronger to slough off that extra layer of skin. You just don’t need to rub it in really hard, a good soft massage works great. Its won for Allure Magazine’s Editor’s Choice for like 10 years straight!
I use the blemish control St. Ives (contains salicylic) – I don’t use it on my face, but it works great as a body scrub!
I use this as a foot scrub…lol. That stuff is horribly drying for the face.
I found that Neutrogena’s Scrub from the Acne Pink Grapefruit line made my face peel, flake, and actually gave me more spots! I didn’t have sensitive skin before I used this, but I do now! I also think that Origin’s Modern Friction is far, far, far, far too rough for the face. I bought it for my face, but found it was far too harsh and is now a really good body scrub.
St. Ives! Really scratchy and made my face dry and red =/
st.ives apricot scrub is the equivalent of taking glass and rocks and smushing them into your face.
I actually love the feeling of this scrub on my face- leaves me feeling so clean. LOL!
I’ve been using St Ives since i was in middle school and now I’m a couple days away from 30. It is harsh but I don’t apply much pressure when I scrub. my only complaint is I can only use it in the shower because its so hard to get all of it off.
ugh St Ives apricot
same here…pass!
WOW and I almost purchased it based on “good” reviews I have heard in the pass…I guess I will pass on that one!
St. Ives! My face was redder than a tomato.
Agreed! It made my skin so irritated.
Worst face scrub is St. Ives!
st. ives apricot.
St. Ives Apricot scrub. It may be the worst product available.. totally dries out your face and the apricot core grits are super bad for your skin. <>
The opposite of St Ives for me…Avene! it’s just too gentle and I have dry and super sensitive skin
All. Every facial scrub I’ve tried has left my face red and worsened breakouts.
I wish more brands would come out with enzyme exfoliants, since scrubs aren’t really all that appropriate for anyone with sensitive and/or acne.
For me, St. Ives apricot scrub. It’s so overhyped, but it never did anything for me. The BEST one I’ve ever used is Clean & Clear Morning Burst In-Shower Facial. It cleared up my skin like nobody’s business!
Lush Ocean Salt…something in it breaks me out awful.
it’s terrible!
I used to love St Ives but I have since learned that it actually created microscopic cuts in your skin – eek!
St. Ives, even the one for sensitive skin is far too harsh. Makes a great body scrub as already mentioned 🙂
St. Ives Apricot Scrub (all the formulas). It is horribly rough, irritates skin, flares up acne, and causes small scratches on the skin. The person who compared it to ground glass is spot on.
LMAO! I agree with Lauren. St. Ives Apricot is the worst!
I can’t stand the Neutrogena Gentle scrub. Not matter how much I splash, rinse, or wipe, it still leaves little exfoliating beads on my face every time. I wish it would rinse cleaner without so much struggle.
I’ll throw in another vote for St Ives apricot scrub. My makeup class instructor was also the aesthetics instructor and she specifically told us to never ever EVER go near the stuff. Having used it before, I can see why. Ouchie!
St..ives apricot scrub is junk, bad ingredients.
That St.Ives apricot scrub.. Omg it cut my face :S it’s SO bad for skin!!!
Mario Badescu makes one with kiwi seeds as the exfoliator in the scrub…they don’t do anything…it’s completely pointless.
good to know! I almost bought that….thanks for saving me $$ 🙂
I completely agree with the Mario Badescu one! Also, the one I tried smelled rancid… maybe it was an old one, but it turned me off of the product.
Definitely St. Ives, my face vessels were all broken and i got some discoloring
Id have to say saint ives too :/ love the smell but u might as well be rubbing sand paper on your face. But if u want a really good scrub I love Biore Complexion clearing scrub <3 im obsessed
I LOVE the biore one. It cleared ALL my annoying deep chin acne (sorry tmi) and i’ve been using the meds forreeevverrrrrrr.
St ives apricot scrub is the worst stuff you can buy….it irritated my face so much that i broke out like crazy and had to go see a dermatologist. I will NEVER EVER buy this crap again. I thought my skin was never going to clear up again.
I dont know why everyone is bashing the St. Ives scrub. The old formula was pretty bad and I had the one for sensitive skin! but the new one is so gentle I use it every other day and I have sensitive skin.
I second you. I love St. Ives Apricot Scrub.. my skin feels refreshed after I use this!
i couldn’t agree more. i was reading all those comments and i just kept thinking “it didn’t do that to me”. having said that, i have never used the old formula. so maybe it’s true for the old one?
I love mine Gentle formula too….don’t understand people don’t like it. It’s so gentle on my skin and my dermatologist said I had the nicest skin…?
I’ve never had a problem with St. Ives, but I also don’t apply so much pressure that it would scratch my face.
The general issue with st ives is that the beads in their exfoliant aren’t round – they’re more jagged shaped, which leaves small, invisible cuts on your skin through which bacteria spread. It may work for people without acne prone or sensitive skin, but for anyone whose skin type isn’t like that, you might have serious issues.
def st. ive’s apricot scrub. it breaks me out and it’s soooo harsh!
st ives apricot scrub – it’s so harsh! And I guess I’m not alone. My favourite is brown sugar. Just a tsp or so mixed in to some cleanser or cleansing oil. It’s really gentle and tastes good!
I have to agree with St. Ives Apricot scrub, i can actually see scratches on my face after I use it! I thought maybe I just had really sensitive skin but I’m glad I’m not the only one who suffers from it. its made from crushed walnuts, which is good that its natural but not so good when it scratches and irritates my face >.<
Also St Ives but the Garnier 4 in 1 seems to make me break out:( I like the tingle but it causes issues so a big NO to that one too.
I’ve used the St. Ives Green Tea scrub and it is MUCH gentler than the apricot (which is the devil). Smells great too.
Just sayin’.
I agree..Green Tea Scrub is yummy smelling and works great!
oh i’ll have to try that! i have the cleanser and i <3 it. i use the apricot scrub for my body.. and i love that too lol! they both smell delicious
Burt’s Bees is the worst I have tried. It leaves some weird residue on your face.
The neutrogeba one that’s orange morning burst man I still have to go back and you a facial wipe afterwirds in order to get the risdual make up off
Lush ocean salt. I thought i was rubbing rocks. eek!
Yea, the salt plus the citrus ended up burning my face… not nice.
Wow, I didn’t know so many people hated the St. Ives. I use it and like it. I can’t think of a worst though.
st. ives apricot scrub. it doesn’t exfoliate evenly and feels super scratchy. blegh
St. Ives Apricot scrub cut my nose up. It makes a great foot and body scrub though, just not face.
I do not like Cosmedicine’s Medi-morphisis. Ugh! I hate scrubs that aren’t rough. Not that a scrub should hurt or anything, but I hate the scrubs that there is no noticeable difference, this seems common with most drug store scrubs. I want something that when I am done, I am just amazed at how soft my skin is. The best exfoliator ever is by Laura Mercier. No matter which exfoliator is try, I think I will always go back to Laura Mercier. It is amazing!
The reason the St. Ives scrub is being bashed is because it’s too harsh for the face. The exfoliating particles are crushed walnuts and even though they appear tiny, they are not a rounded shape and lead to microscopic tears in the skin, not good. I use this strictly as a body scrub.
Do you have any idea how bad the st ives apricot scrub is for your skin! it makes pores larger, make your skin age faster, and more wrinkles. Dermetologists say its one of the worst skin products out there!
I hate facial scrubs because they always get into my eyes and irritate all day! They should not make facial scrubs. It is a good idea to use them as foot scrubs or on the body.