The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion

When it comes to skin, I have very luckily been blessed with a fairly good one. Yes, it’s sensitive, resembles Snow White’s skin tone and does not tan, but overall I can count myself lucky. I have never suffered from massive break outs, let alone acne. I’ve never had very oily skin or overly dry skin, but in recent years one ‘issue’ did start cropping up: milia. I am glad to say, I have finally found something to combat those little white bumps: The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Microdermabrasion.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion

If you don’t know what milia are, they are little bits of talc and gunk that get trapped underneath your skin. The result is a white head, much like a zit, but they are impossible to pop. They simply grow and grow unless you one day stick a needle in there to open up the skin. Or unless you find a skincare routine that takes care of it.

How do you get milia? Mostly if your skin is dehydrated (so not dry, that’s something else) and can use a little extra help. For me, it first started around my eye area and using a good eye cream takes care of that. But after a while, they also started popping up right along my cheekbones. Not such a pretty base for piling on the highlight let me tell you, so I was trying everything I could to minimize the one thing that was an eyesore on my skin for me. Enter: microdermabrasion.

What is TBS’ Vitamin C Microdermabrasion? It is an exfoliant for your skin. I had never used an exfoliant and didn’t know it could help until a lady at Sephora told me about the benefit. Now, there are two types of exfoliants: chemical and scrubs. This exfoliant is the scrubby type. A squeezy tube contains 75 ml and retails for €20. To me it seemed quite pricy for what it seemed to promise: a face scrub. No more, no less. But currently this is one of the product that I think makes the biggest difference in my skincare routine. Here’s why.

Aqua (Solvent/Diluent), Solum Diatomeae (Abrasive), Glycerin (Humectant), Aluminum Silicate (Exfoliant), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Butyrospermum Parkii (Skin-Conditioning Agent/Emollient), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer (Stabiliser/Viscosity Modifier), Polysorbate 60 (Surfactant), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Antioxidant), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Parfum (Fragrance), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient).

Let’s have a look at the ingredients first. The Vitamin C line by The Body Shop is not formulated for sensitive skin per se. In fact, I wanted to try some of the products from the line, but when I told the lady at the store about my sensitive skin that reacts to almost anything, she advised me against using any of the masks and creams in the line. She suspected my skin could act up if I used too many of the Vitamin C products.

What the Vitamin C line is aimed to do is to combat dull looking skin. The range is designed to make your skin look more plump, more radiant and boasts about using many active ingredients to do so. Now looking at the ingredient list I am not so sure about those active ingredients, but this is definitely not as gentle as the Aloe Vera or Vitamin E ranges that The Body Shop also does.

The way to use this product is to not over do it. That’s the first thing you should bear in mind. The packaging recommends no more than twice a week. Personally, I only use it once a week. The scrubby particles, no matter how fine, feel like sandpaper on my skin, so I do have to be careful with this and not over do it. My favorite time of using this is in the shower. I cleanse my face as usual, but then go in with the Microdermabrasion to finish it up. I gently rub the scrub onto my face in circular motions and rinse it off. Mind you, only once a week and I avoid my lip and eye area as it makes those areas especially dry and a little bit irritated.

The substance that comes out of the tube is a white creamy substance with tons of microscopic scrubby particles inside it. They are so small that you can feel them, but you can hardly see them. The texture of this product is very gritty. It reminds me mostly of that feeling when you’re trying to apply sunscreen on a windy beach. Only the ‘grains’ are much smaller, yet still give you a thorough scrub.

The only downside to this product is its packaging. After a while, I think the moisture in the shower, caused the first part of the cream to harden a bit, taking the cap with it in the process. So by now I have a tube that cannot be closed anymore, because it is completely ruined. However, I have found that if you’re careful enough not to get the product in the tube wet, that you’re actually fine.

Top: before (picture taken about 6 months ago)
Bottom: current (picture taken last week)

But the main question of course is, does this work? Oh yes it does! There is a reason why it is one of my current favorite skincare products. My milia have not disappeared, but they are far less prominent and noticeable. Granted, I still have to moisturize like crazy as well, but I find that this product has really made a difference in the way my skin looks. If you look at the pictures in this blog post taken about 1.5 years ago, I think you can even see a much clearer difference between the then and the now.

Within a few months, The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion has tackled my problem with milia like no other product did before. My skin looks clearer, more radiant and shows fewer bumps and unevenness. So if you are looking for smoother, more healthy looking skin and that natural glow-from-within look, then I suggest you check this one out. Because to me this has been worth every single penny.

What exfoliant can you recommend for me to try?