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Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like everyone’s crazy about exfoliating their skin, now. No? Yes? Well, I know I personally am and ever since I discovered the benefits of chemical exfoliating (using acids to deeply exfoliate the skin vs. using a scrub with beads of some sort), my skin tone and texture has changed dramatically. So when GOOP Beauty asked to send me their new GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator, I happily obliged to see how it stacked up. Continue reading to hear my thoughts in today’s GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator review…
I’ll be honest (as if I’m anything but), I really do not care for goop founder and CEO, Gwyneth Paltrow. However, I DO really respect her advocacy for clean beauty and cleaner living.
goop is a lifestyle brand, blog and now product line. They carry a very limited line of skin care, hair care and other personal care products with a luxury price tag and a high-performance promise.
What makes this GOOPGLOW Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator particularly unique is that it’s a clean formula and a hybrid chemical/physical exfoliator. That means it has both chemical exfoliating acids (Glycolic Acid, an AHA) and physical scrubbing beads (alumina, silica, garnet powder, quartz).
The only other products on the market I know of that do this (and do it well) are the ExfoliKate Intensive Pore Exfoliating Treatment ($85-175; Lactic Acid/AHA, Salicylic Acid/AHA, and Silica) and the Dermalogica Microfoliant ($59; Salicylic Acid/AHA, rice bran). Neither of those are ‘clean’ formulas/brands at this time.
The biggest hurdle we need to discuss about this product is the hefty price tag. That, alone, may seriously deter anyone. It’s $42 for the small size and $125 for the larger size (1.7 oz).
But all that aside, a little does go a long way and this product promises an exceptional ‘facial in a bottle.’ So if you figure you’re getting multiple ‘exceptional’ facials in one bottle, I guess it can be justified.
The ingredients are pretty pure – with several of the advertised active ingredients at the top on the list, which makes me feel a bit better about the price:
Aqua, Alumina, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycolic Acid, Hydrated Silica, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Olivate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbitan Olivate, Garnet Powder, Quartz, Ascorbic Acid
The first night I used the Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliant, I applied it to clean, damp skin and massaged the gritty product all over my face for about a minute. I then let it sit for three minutes (ok… I may have left it on a couple minutes longer because …more is more?).
When I rinsed it off, my face felt soft, but it wasn’t anything I felt was miraculous. I didn’t even think my skin looked much different.
As a chemical exfoliating connoisseur, I was afraid I was just too well-exfoliated for it to make an impact. I went to bed kind of bummed.
When I woke up the next day, my skin looked pretty perfect (for me). My makeup went on flawlessly… I kept looking in the mirror wondering what I did differently to make it look so nice, until I remembered the Instant Glow Exfoliant!
I tried it again a couple of nights later, and experienced the same effect… the night you use it, you may not notice an immediate effect if you are a regular chemical exfoliator. But WOW, the results the next couple of days are really nice.
The price tag. It’s a rough one.
And to be totally honest, I said this on my Instagram, but I’ll repeat it here… you can probably get nearly the EXACT same results using the clean beauty Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel (or Drunk Elephant TLC Sukari Babyfacial (I personally didn’t love this formula… but it’s ‘clean’)), followed the next day by using Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Crystals from Amazon for ~$75-95.
That’s not to say I think this product is bad – by far. I’m glad I have this product. It *does* work, I *do* notice a difference in my skin and will continue to use it and watch how it helps my skin, but could I tell you you *NEED* this in your life? No.
It’s great that a clean beauty brand created a dual exfoliating product to compete with Kate Somerville and Dermalogica, but overall, it’s a luxury splurge that is great if you can’t afford regular, monthly facials at a spa and wish you could.
What do you think of the goop brand? Gwyneth? I guess maybe I need to learn more about her. I’ve heard she’s not that bad and her goop story is a good one. Time will tell haha.
