Seeing is Believing

Seeing is believing 

Any beauty fanatic and skin guru will tell you that it takes patience and consistency to see results from mostly all skincare products. I say “mostly” all because there are skincare formulations designed to deliver a more immediate visual improvement to your skin, such as oil control or mattifying products or even blurring primers intended for use under makeup. While these “quick fix” solutions typically fall into the category of makeup, proper skin care prep steps can also have you glowing in just 1 use. Let’s put this to the test with Nuria’s Defend Gentle Exfoliator.

Exfoliator? I don’t even know her. 

Ok, introductions are needed. Let’s get to know this exfoliator. Plant-based lactic acid meets natural ginkgo in this gentle, chemical exfoliation formula. Our founder takes a deep dive into the history of these two ingredient powerhouses and how they’re used in both Eastern and Western skin care. Learn more about it here.

Unlike physical exfoliators, Nuria’s Gentle Exfoliator works by resurfacing the skin’s surface through loosening the weak bonds of dead skin and revealing the outermost layer of newer skin. As you work the Gentle Exfoliator onto your wet face, the dead, dry skin that is sitting on top gets lifted and washed away. Physical exfoliators, on the other hand, work by polishing or scrubbing your skin with granules or abrasive exfoliants that physically remove the uppermost layer (sometimes damaging the skin barrier and creating areas of irritation).

Before: Dry, Dull, Uneven — After: Fresh, Bright, Smooth

Let’s get into it! Photos below show comparisons of the skin before and after exfoliator use – focusing on the nose, cheek and forehead in unfiltered and unedited pictures. 

[not pictured -  During: Magical and kinda Gross. Spoiler alert, you REALLY need to try it for yourself.]  

Lots of people experience getting blackheads or having open comedones on their nose (it’s totally normal!). Oil and dead skin cells can accumulate in the pores leading to blockage or clogged follicles that oxidize causing the blackheads to appear. After exfoliating 1 time with the Gentle Exfoliator, the appearance of comedones is reduced and isn’t as noticeable. Woohoo! With consistent exfoliation (1or 2 times a week), you’d be able to see an even more drastic difference, especially if this is an area of improvement you’re interested in focusing on. Surrounding areas also appear smoother and even.

Say goodbye to uneven skin tone and dullness! After just one use, you can see a brightness and evenness throughout the cheek area. With the dull, dead skin layer removed, light is being reflected off of the cheekbone, providing a brighter, natural highlight, and a more youthful glow.  

And this is just the beginning! By using an exfoliator to prep your skin, the rest of your skincare ritual can actually penetrate the skin’s surface to enhance skin barrier function and increase moisture levels. 

Combination skin, anyone? Dry patches, oily T-zone, and uneven texture can cause your skin to look and feel like it has 99 problems and no solutions. The natural ingredients in this formula help tackle all of these skin concerns. Before using the exfoliator, the forehead area was rough, uneven, and greasy. After using the lactic acid and ginkgo exfoliator, the skin became more even, smooth and balanced.

Seeing the results of using a product one time can be incredibly rewarding, but no one product is going to be a miracle worker. Gentle exfoliation is great if maintained at regular intervals, but overexfoliation can lead to irritation, skin barrier disruption and overall skin imbalance. Your skincare rituals should include cycling through effective but gentle products to help balance your skin and focusing on benefits that get you closer to achieving your specific skincare goals.  

TL;DR

We tried the Defend Gentle Exfoliator from Nuria to find out if we could see skin improvements after just one use. Before and after photos show a brighter, smoother face. You have to try it for yourself to experience this oddly satisfying and super unique exfoliation! 

 

About the author, Jasmin Figueroa
Jasmin is an accomplished formulation scientist and skin health expert who has spent her career listening to consumers and developing products that rock. A founding member of the Nuria community, she loves traveling with her family, chilling with her friends at the beach, and will totally judge you if you don’t wear SPF.