‘Tis the season for sugary treats, but if you are swearing them off for the New Year, we can suggest a better place for this caloric ingredient: on your face. Sugar is a highly effective natural exfoliant, and when incorporated into a skincare routine for the face or body, it can reveal pretty sweet results.

Sugar in Skincare

Sugar is a natural humectant, which means that it draws moisture from the air into the skin. Honey, glycerin, aloe, and hyaluronic acid are other natural humectants, which puts sugar in very good company. Humectants keep your skin hydrated from within, and pair well with other, more occlusive moisturizing products.

The shape and size of sugar makes it an excellent physical exfoliant. Each small granule of sugar helps slough away dead skin cells, revealing healthy, hydrated skin below. Regular exfoliation helps other skincare treatments, such as serums, better penetrate the skin, so for maximum results in a skincare regimen, exfoliation is very important.

Sugar and salt are both used in natural physical exfoliation products, but salt is only appropriate for use on the body as salt scrubs are larger and more aggressive, and can be too harsh for delicate facial skin. Salt scrubs can also cause pain when applied to inflamed or broken skin. Sugar is more gentle and versatile, refined enough to use as a polish on the face or the body.

Additionally, sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxyl acid. Glycolic acid is a natural chemical exfoliant, which removes the top layer of skin. It is especially effective at treating sun damaged and more mature skin, and can also help eliminate acne by keeping pores clear. It has been shown to stimulate collagen and elastin production, helping skin look bright, supple, and healthy.

Sugar Scrubs

With all of this being said, we do not advise rubbing packets of granulated sugar on your face. To maximize the exfoliating benefits of this natural ingredient, we featured it in our own unique scrubs: our Foaming Sugar Scrub. It is flexible and can be customized to the body or the face, targeting a brand’s specific marketing story.

In formulating this innovative product, we wanted to tackle a common packaging problem that we observed in the marketplace: most sugar scrubs are packaged in jars. Jars are prone to leakage in transit, difficult to manage in the shower, and become breeding grounds for bacteria when repeatedly opened and exposed to moisture and mold. We prioritize stability and cleanliness in our product development process, so we focused on formulas that could be conveniently and hygienically packaged in tubes.

Foaming Sugar Scrub

Our Foaming Sugar Scrub incorporates a unique surfactant system into a traditional scrub format. Its high foam experience makes it a superb cleanser, and allows the user to combine the cleansing and exfoliating steps into one convenient product. Our current formula features coconut and avocado oil for moisturization, which can be adapted depending on a brand’s preferences. This product is 100% natural, free of parabens, PEGs, sulfates, and silicones, and complies with Whole Food Premium Body Care standards. Market trends indicate large growth in ancillary bath products next year, and these sugar scrubs fall within this category when targeted at the body. To learn more about these and other ancillary bath products, such as our Calming Bath Elixir, contact our Sales team.