Product Review: New Radiance Facial Glo Papaya Cleansing Scrub

Now that I'm getting older, my skin seems more susceptible to dry patches, dullness, and congested pores. One way of combatting all three problems is to exfoliate once or twice a week with a gentle scrub or mask, which makes products like New Radiance's Facial Glo Papaya Cleansing Scrub ($26) essentials in my skincare arsenal. The star ingredients in New Radiance's product are papaya extract and salicyic acid; together, they gently exfoliate and unclog pores.

The Facial Glo Papaya Cleansing Scrub was a bit hit-and-miss for me, to be honest. I liked how it smelled and the consistency of the formula (a light, lotion-y texture). But I wasn't crazy about the manual exfoliation micro-beads that felt scratchy and irritating. In fact, although the package recommends daily use "for maximum effect," I was reluctant to exfoliate every day using this scrub because of the micro-beads. The improvement in my skin after several weeks of semi-regular use (read: 1-2 times a week) was negligible at best. As for the much-lauded papaya extract, it was third from last on the ingredient list, meaning that there wasn't very much of it in the formula. (That would explain the less-than-incredible enzymatic exfoliating action.) Because I've had experiences with highly effective masks and scrubs from all-natural lines, I'm going to have to pass on New Radiance's.