the only exception to the ‘no scrubs’ rule.
Baby, just say yes! I’ve been really excited to experiment with the Yes To line of products (does anything sound more refreshing and exquisite than their Yes To Grapefruit skin care?!?) and was pleased to come across a sample of the Yes To Tomatoes Clear Skin Acne Daily Pore Scrub. This super scrub works naturally to banish blackheads, gently exfoliate, heal blemishes, and get rid of the gunk that can stick around and clog pores.
The ingredients read like a recipe, with a ton of yummy elements to make your skin delicious. Organic tomato extract “contains potent antioxidants to protect skin from damage caused by harmful free radicals. It also reduces inflammation and balances and clears the complexion.” Bisabolol (a colorless viscous oil that is the primary constituent of the essential oil from German chamomile, according to Wikipedia) soothes skin and reduces redness. Spicy ginger stimulates circulation and calms inflammation, while wholesome ground mango seeds and bamboo stem extract are natural exfoliants that will leave skin soft and polished. The formula is paraben and sulfate free, and the Yes To lines are never tested on animals.
I was skeptical about the sneaky inclusion of salicylic acid, which sloughs away dead skin cells and acts as an anti-irritant. Sometimes salicylic acid acne treatments cause a really nasty sort of allergic reaction side effect for me. A few dots of certain blemish cremes worn overnight would leave my cheeks very tight and scaly, but cause serious swelling around my eye area. I tried it despite the potential for a full-on Elephant Man allergy attack and was pleasantly surprised. I suppose since I was only utilizing salicylic acid, not applying it, somehow it didn’t puff up my face. I’ve used the scrub and went about my life twice now before this review, with zero adverse effects. Brings new meaning to being red in the face.
In fact, I was really pleased with how great my skin looked. Some users reported overactive oil production in online reviews, but I didn’t notice any flare ups of any sort. My skin felt velvety and looked fresh, with probably some of the least activity afterward I’ve ever experienced in a product.
Yes To Tomatoes Clear Skin Acne Daily Pore Scrub retails for around ten bucks online or be purchased in a bundle that includes an acne lotion and a spot stick from Yes To Carrots online for $28 (plus five dollars to ship). If you’ve said Yes To one of the brand’s innovative skincare lines too, what did you think? — Casandra Armour
