La Crème Gommante Gentle face and neck scrub

Gentle face scrubs for sensitive skin, to smooth and soothe

Every day, the skin of your face is exposed to environmental aggressors such as pollution, UV rays and the cold, causing oxidative stress. Your skin gradually becomes clogged with toxins and can no longer breathe properly. This speeds up cellular aging and can cause minor blemishes to appear.

Exfoliation provides a way to purify your skin and restore its glow. But if you have sensitive, reactive skin, it's essential that you use a gentle face scrub that won't irritate your face.

How to identify sensitive skin

Identifying sensitive skin starts by observing how the skin reacts. The skin barrier is often fine and permeable, and the skin reacts to irritants such as cold weather or pollution. Redness, prickling, tingling or stinging sensations, along with feelings of tightness, occur frequently. Some cosmetic products may also cause irritation.

If you experience these symptoms regularly, and particularly after a change in environment or using specific products, then your skin is probably sensitive. In this case, make sure you use gentle, natural skincare products, enriched with soothing active ingredients, so you can keep your skin balanced and comfortable.

Scrubs, exfoliators, exfoliants: what exactly do they do?

An exfoliant is a skincare product designed to purify the skin by ridding it of dead cells. There are two main types of exfoliants:

• Mechanical (or physical) exfoliants: these contain granules that act rapidly, by friction, on the upper layers of the skin. They're effective on all skin types, but must be used with care in order to avoid irritation, especially on the face.

• Chemical or enzymatic exfoliants: there are no granules in these exfoliants, which have a deeper, more gentle action, and are ideal for sensitive, mature or problem skin. These scrubs work by using active ingredients (such as AHAs) that sometimes require no more than a light massage.

Why does sensitive skin need to be exfoliated?

Exfoliation may seem unnecessary for sensitive skin. Indeed, many of those who have sensitive skin worry that its benefits would be outweighed by the damage it causes to their already-fragile skin, and prefer not to take the risk. Yet exfoliation is essential if you want to keep your complexion radiant.

• Exfoliation gets rid of dead cells that dull the skin, and is a simple way to restore the face's natural radiance. By removing impurities, it revives sensitive skin's beauty.

• Exfoliation smooths the skin's surface, resulting in a finer, more even skin texture.

• Exfoliation removes debris on the skin surface, encouraging cell renewal and helping to eliminate impurities.

• Exfoliation unclogs pores, so the skin can better absorb the nutrients in serums and creams applied afterwards.

• Exfoliation removes excess sebum and impurities, thereby helping to prevent blackheads.

• Exfoliation can also stimulate blood flow.

• And finally, regular exfoliation stimulates the production of collagen, which is essential for maintaining the skin's elasticity.

What makes a face scrub suitable for sensitive skin?

While face scrubs can do lots of good things for your skin, not all face scrubs are good for sensitive skin! Absolution's skincare products are rich in natural ingredients, which is why they work so well with even the most demanding skin. Our exfoliating skincare products are made with 99% naturally derived ingredients, most of which are organically sourced, and take into account the skin's sensitivity.

La Crème Gommante is specially formulated to revitalize and soften the skin without causing irritation. It's made with carefully selected active ingredients, such as diatomaceous earth, almond pulp or those famous AHAs. These fruit acids, which are derived from citrus fruits, cane sugar, and even sugar maple sap, help to lift away then remove dead cells through chemical action. This combination of active ingredients results in a scrub that has a dual exfoliating action – both mechanical and enzymatic.

If your skin is extra sensitive, you could also use La Crème Gommante as a mask and leave it on the face for a few minutes before rinsing it off.

How to exfoliate sensitive skin

Exfoliating sensitive skin is all about being gentle to avoid irritation:

• Apply La Crème Gommante to clean, damp face and neck.

• Leave on for a few minutes to let the fruit acids act on dead cells.

• Massage very gently with circular movements, making sure you don't rub too hard.

• Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove any traces of the product.

3 points to remember:

• To exfoliate sensitive skin, look for face scrubs made with natural active ingredients.
• Exfoliating improves both the skin's texture and radiance.
• If your skin is reactive, an enzymatic face scrub may be all you need to use.