Kylie Jenner, the beauty mogul who has made a huge mark in the world of makeup, launched a new brand on May 10 called Kylie Skin. The Kylie Skin products include a foaming face wash, toner, moisturizer, serum, eye cream, and a walnut face scrub.
However, Kylie Skin has been met with backlash on social media, as fans criticized Jenner for including a walnut scrub in her product range. There has been uproar on platforms like Twitter and Instagram about the Walnut scrub, as it is bad for the face.
Table of Contents
- So, What’s the Fuss About Walnut Scrubs?
- Why did Kylie Skin Get Such Reviews?
- Kylie Explains
- Why Walnut Scrubs are Bad For Your Face
- What is the Best Way to Exfoliate Your Skin?
- To Walnut Scrub, or Not to Walnut Scrub?
So, What’s the Fuss About Walnut Scrubs?
Walnut face scrubs, as implied by the name, includes small particles of walnut shells. How it works is simple; it aids in exfoliation of the skin because it removes dead cells from the surface.
Walnut face scrubs can, however, be bad for the skin. The texture of the walnut particles can be too harsh, especially for the face. Using a walnut scrub as an exfoliator can, therefore, cause dry and crimson skin, or even lead to unwanted peeling.
We highly recommend that before using a new product on your skin, consult your dermatologist. If you have sensitive skin, the wrong skin care product might cause irritation or other skin problems.
Why did Kylie Skin Get Such Reviews?
First, a lot of people are wondering why Jenner would use walnuts as an ingredient for a face scrub when this has been a problematic ingredient in the past. A similar issue happened before with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, produced by Unilever. It is extremely rough and unpleasant, maybe too harsh an exfoliant.
Dermatologists disagree on how valuable scrubs are generally, yet St. Ives was considered extreme among scrubs, with lumps of walnuts harder than your normal (water-polluting) plastic microbead. The issue with scrubs is that when they are used too often, they can cause skin irritation or more inflammation of the skin.
Kaylee Browning and Sarah Basile filed a lawsuit in 2016 against Unilever, the parent organization of St. Ives. As indicated by Top Class Actions, the plaintiffs claimed that crushed walnut shells in the product can harm skin, and they recoiled from the use of “dermatologist-tested” on the product label. They asserted that no dermatologist would recommend the scrub as it can cause microscopic tearing of the skin.
Surprisingly, Jenner also claims the product is dermatologist-tested, yet a lot of dermatologists say that walnut scrubs are bad for the face. If you want to exfoliate your face, dermatologists say walnut scrub is among the worst options to consider.
Kylie Explains
In Jenner’s YouTube video, in a tutorial on how to use her walnut scrub, she said that the product is so gentle that it can be used every day. She recommends using it 2 or 3 times every week, saying that she uses it every other day. Jenner goes on to claim that, while other walnut scrubs can be really harsh on your skin, her product is not abrasive. She states that her skin is left feeling baby soft, glowing, and free of dead skin cells.
Watch the video below:
People didn’t agree with this because the video she made was too short to actually tell if it works the way she said it would.
Also, some have retorted that if it’s safe for daily use, why recommend only twice or thrice per week?
Why Walnut Scrubs are Bad For Your Face
Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mt. Sinai Hospital, New York said that walnut scrubs are normally considered a harsh product, especially for the skin on your face. The main problem is that, if the powder hasn’t been ground finely enough, there will be sharp edges that can break the sensitive skin on our face. However, there is no official data showing that a walnut scrub is more harmful than more conventional beauty exfoliation products.
Dr. Janelle Vega, co-founder of BIA Life, said in an email that walnut scrubs are abrasive, particularly for sensitive skin or acne-prone skin, due to the edges of the walnut shells being sharp and jagged.
If continued, walnut scrubs could cause great skin irritation and, in the worst case, can even lead to skin cancer.
What is the Best Way to Exfoliate Your Skin?
There are two ways to exfoliate your skin — physical (which makes use of face scrubs) and chemical (which makes use of liquid peels) . If not used carefully, exfoliation through any physical means might cause serious skin problem, even as bad as cancer.
What is then the best way to exfoliate? The use of chemical is better.
Dr. Sebaratnam, a dermatologist at The Skin Hospital, Westmead, said that most exfoliating agents do practically nothing. However, if you need something good, he recommends a synthetic exfoliant with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs, for example, mandelic corrosive) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs, for example, salicylic corrosive). AHA improves your skin’s appearance. BHA is better for adjusting oiliness, frequently recommended for skin inflammation-inclined skin.
Joanna Vargas, celebrity facialist and founder of Joanna Vargas Salon and Skincare Collection, said that physical exfoliators are normally quite scratchy, whereas chemical exfoliators can be controlled, making them more uniform in application.
If you’d like to try your hand at chemical exfoliation, check out these products tried-and-tested products:
- The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10% HA
- Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel
- Kate Somerville’s ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
If you prefer a physical exfoliant, you can check out:
Wanna learn more on exfoliation? Here are our other posts on safe exfoliants:
- Best chemical exfoliant for sensitive skin
- Enzyme masks for acne
- How to exfoliate dry skin on your face
- How to exfoliate your legs
- Best moisturizers with retin-A
- Retinol products for skin
- Best Salicylic Acid Toner
To Walnut Scrub, or Not to Walnut Scrub?
At the end of the day, whether you choose to use a walnut scrub comes down to personal preference. As with any product, people will stand by its claims, while others will vehemently disagree. As a general rule, avoid any type of harsh and abrasive scrub. It can cause more problems than solutions, especially if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin.
If you do choose to use an exfoliator on your face, check out the well-loved recommendations we gave above. And remember to consult your dermatologist before trying any of these, especially if you’ve had bad reactions in the past.
What’s your verdict on walnut scrubs and Kylie Skin’s claims?
