Smart Peeling – White Jewel Formula

10 Reviews

1. 

   aloofJerky8

   Reply

   Note: the product I’m reviewing is called “The Face Shop White Pearl Smart Peeling Gel”. There is no “Peeling Day” in the title. I think, but am not certain, it’s the same product with either older or newer packaging. (??)

   PROS:
   – Gentle (so long as you don’t overdo it)
   – Skin definitely feels smoother after use
   – Works great on dry flakey lips (make sure to keep away from inner lip– you don’t want to swallow this stuff, plus, it tastes nasty)
   CONS:
   – A bit too “wet” (watery) for my liking (are they all like this?)
   – Contains some kind of ingredient that makes it tingle a bit (may be sensitizing /drying to some skin)
   – Smells plastic-y

   This is my first “gommage” (ie “roll off”) type exfoliant. I like the mechanism, but would like to try another brand before repurchasing this one. It is a cellulose-based (as well as carbomer-based, but that’s further down on the ingredients list) peeling gel intended for twice-weekly manual exfoliation. It contains cellulose and carbomer particles to enhance the bunching up/ peeling of the product on your skin while you rub it around. As many people have mentioned, the white gooey globs (balls/rolls, whatever) you see IS NOT ALL of your skin coming off (that would be nuts), it is just the cellulose/carbomer in the product, that, when combined with moisture, your skin’s oil, and the stimulation of your fingers, does pick up some surface dry skin on your face.**
   —
   How I use this now:
   Since I don’t like to over-cleanse my skin, I now wash my face AFTER using this.** This goes against the instructions, which indicate that be used on freshly cleansed skin, then to just rinse the balls away, leaving traces of the product on the skin. I DO use this on “clean” skin, but before cleansing in the morning if I have not used a face oil the night before, so my skin has some natural oil on it. I’ve tried this several ways and despite some differences, this is still a very watery product and the cellulose product balls up pretty fast either way. I massage for about 20-30 seconds before rinsing, then cleanse.

   ——
   1st / 2nd Tries:
   The week before trying this, I had used a (made up) at-home DIY Aloe peel. This involved spreading aloe vera gel (not the pure kind, but rather the drugstore type with added glycerin etc) on my face in the morning before my AM cleansing, waiting for the gel to dry, and then rubbing my fingertips on my face. It actually worked pretty well (smoothed skin, pores reduced). But aside from the slight film forming glycerin etc, the aloe gel didn’t have anything in it that really facilitates the “balling up” effect. So I bought this Face Shop product in the hopes that I could do this more often if I had something that made the massage more GENTLE.

   The first time i used this on very oily skin. I rubbed it around a just little bit before rinsing it off. Then I remembered a review I read *** that stated that this product reacts strongly to oil. Perhaps I should have waited a day, but instead I washed my face with cleanser immediately after the first try, patted it dry, then re-applied. It spread a bit smoother the second time around on cleansed skin but I STILL found it hard to get the product in a smooth layer before it started bunching up so I ended up using a LOT more than I intended, about 2 dollops, each the size of a quarter. I massaged this in for a minute. After rinsing, I cleansed again with my regular cleanser (Johnson’s head-to-toe Baby) mixed with glycerin, rinsed, and applied a few drops of jojoba oil to my wet/damp skin.

   Result: This made quite a few of the closed comedones that I already had inflamed. Also, my skin looked and felt pretty much the same as it had before use, a little dry and the same exact texture: many tiny CCs mixed with some medium-sized ones. (It was worse a few weeks ago, before the aloe peel). I didn’t notice the same immediate glowy skin smoothing benefits as I did with the diy aloe peel but (I assume, at this point) it might be because my skin was already exfoliated from last week. As a control, I tried this on my lips, which were in serious need of exfoliation. The difference was staggering. Instead of white balls, the product turned a gray beige color from picking up all the dried skin on my lips. My lips feel very smooth and soft. I think the DIY peel last week did such a good job I wasn’t really ready for exfoliation. I also think that having to apply this product and cleanse twice (my bad for ignoring instructions) contributed to the slightly parched feeling I had on my skin, quite possibly the performance of the peel in general, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to apply so much.

   —
   The price is fair I guess? You get 4 oz for around $12. I got this because it was the cheapest gommage peel on Amazon that I had heard of (this had a mention on the Lab Muffin blog). I know you can get these gommage peels for a lot more (in the $30-40 range) from higher end Japanese brands. I have no idea if the higher price tag is worth it, it seems like kind of a straightforward concept. You can also get these types of peels for dirt cheap (couple bucks) at places like Daiso, but uber-cheap skincare products with no reviews kind of scare me off.

   ** The ingredients are in tiny type, but legible enough to see there is no menthol in here. But it tingles, which I find a little sensitizing, so I don’t like leaving on my skin.

   *** You can read Lab Muffins gommage article,or another which is a quick rundown about about how gommage peels work ( I agree with Lab Muffins assessment that the enzymes that are sometimes added to these peels aren’t really having much effect due to the very short amount of time they are left on):

   (I have no affiliation with this blog, I just like the chemist’s POV articles)

2. 

   debonairPaella8

   Reply

   This is definitely the most effective peeling product from The Face Shop. It really buffs off the dead skin leaving a smooth and soft feeling. I even use it on my lips as most lip scrubs don’t work enough to my liking. I do find it can be pretty irritating though. DO NOT use a mask immediately after this, it will STING. I would not use this more than twice a week and wait several minutes for the rest of your skin care. I went back to The Face Shop to try other ones. I’m writing this because I don’t see pages for their other peeling products. They told me the Jelly Apple was just as effective but less harsh. I’m not sure if I got a bad batch but it picked up next to no dead skin and was all but useless. The Papaya one is mild (though more effective than the Jelly Apple) so it is great for sensitive skin or regular for use every day to keep your face smooth.

3. 

   jubilantViper6

   Reply

   Just picked it up from Face Shop today and was sooo excited when I got home to open it! The consistency is gel like and the scent is very pleasant! Love the light floral sweet scent! I applied a dollop onto my hand and spread it over the face and massaged. Small blobs started to form but didn’t feel harsh or drying! After approximately a min I rinsed it off with water and dried my face with a face cloth! My face felt smooth and so soft! And I instantly felt my face breathed! I just applied a moisturizing mask afterward as I usually do after a peel. Can’t wait to use it again after a few days and see effectiveness or whether it is irritating or not! Price around 18cad. Not bad for a peel. Packaging is just like a normal drugstore ish brand look. But overall I give it 4 lippies.

4. 

   alertFalcon3

   Reply

   So easy to use and you can see the top layer of dead skin peel off as soon as you start rubbing it for awhile. Afterward your skin is smoother and fresher.

5. 

   somberCardinal7

   Reply

   I have to wash off the remains with a cleanser but it has kept my skin clearer over the last four years. Yuck really comes off with its use. Finally had to buy more off ebay since I do not live in a really big city. I will get the lemon peeler for my body soon.

6. 

   jealousMackerel8

   Reply

   i feel like this scrub doesn’t really work, my skin doesn’t feel as soft as it does when i usually scrub with the st. ives apricot scrub, and this scrub is on the pricey side, i got it for $18 and i mean like if it’s worth it i don’t mind paying for it, but it doesn’t really work and it dries up my skin.

7. 

   artisticTeal1

   Reply

   Tried ut, not sure if it really worked as it started pilling very quickly before i even rubbed it all on my face although the skin did feel pretty smooth and soft aftee, however it broke me out.

   Sticking with my naruko lavender and marjoram peeling gel.

8. 

   guiltySausage0

   Reply

   I bought this about a year ago and used it for about a month (once/twice a week as instructed). The SA said it’s their best-selling product. However, every time I use this, my skin becomes red, blotchy and breaks out. My skin’s usually not sensitive, so I’m not sure why it reacts badly to this product. Won’t be repurchasing it.

9. 

   murkyBuck6

   Reply

   This peel works as a clear gel, and as you rub it on your skin, white, rubbery residue forms. I’m not sure whether the white residue is supposed to be dead skin, or it is just supposed to be used to massage your skin.

   The gel is quite sticky. After washing it off, my skin does feel clean, however, it feels like there is some kind of sticky/rubbery residue left on my skin.

   I don’t think that this peel works very well, as there was still a build up of dirt in my pores after using it for 2 weeks.

   The novelty is pretty cool! But for functional purposes, I wouldn’t recommend this product.

10. 

    mildJerky1

    Reply

    this is a very good exfoliating scrub although im not so sure about its brightening effects since my face is already fair.. if ever there was, its not that noticable for me. im giving this product two lippies however because it broke me out after 2 times of usage and i never break out.. i read reviews of other people claiming that it broke them out as well after constant use 🙁 sad. i can’t even finish the tube, its just sitting in my shelf 😐