9 Exfoliating Facial Scrubs That Won't Tear Up Your Skin

Popular thought on facial scrubs used to dictate the bumpier and more agitating the formula, the better it would deep clean skin. As it happens, we don't have to pulverize our complexion to clear out congested pores and sweep away dead skin cells. Thanks to innovative ingredients, today's most promising formulations do the job of deep cleaning... without leaving skin red and parched.

"Powders and formulations with jojoba esters are kinder to the skin because they tend to have geometrically smoother edges and are less likely to cause micro-tears and cuts than apricot pits and nut shells used in traditional scrubs," says Dr. S. Manjula Jegasothy MD, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University of Miami.

So, don't think gentler scrubs won't clean as well as more grainy formulations: According to Jegasothy, many also contain ingredients that are "more likely to dissolve and less likely to clog pores and cause blackheads, whiteheads or inflammatory pimples to form." Ahead, find 9 scrubs suited to deep clean skin, without roughing it up.

Image via Imaxtree