admin Photo: Courtesy of First Aid Beauty
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When it comes to my face, I choose gentle acid- or enzyme-based chemical exfoliation over physical (the kind that uses a scrub or manual tool to slough away dead skin) any day. But with my body? I’m all about an intensely gritty scrub — specifically, the First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub, which actually combines both chemical and physical exfoliation into one intensely satisfying, skin-smoothing step. It’s simply the best body exfoliator I’ve ever tried, and despite having tested just about every sugar-, coffee-, sea salt- and other baking ingredient-based formula on the market, I always come back to it. Sorry to TLC, but I actually do want exactly one scrub, and this is it.
This isn’t your gourmand-scented, display-daintily-next-to-your-bathtub product. It’s serious business, has no discernible scent and looks a little spooky. The cement-colored sludge (sorry, but that’s accurate) is thick and densely packed with pumice granules. (It’s not one of those scrubs that’s basically the same as a standard body wash, with only a few buffing beads scattered throughout.)
Unlike the key ingredients in salt- and sugar-based scrubs that dissolve as you massage them into skin, these pumice bits have longevity, so you can keep scrub-a-dubbing to your heart’s content, without needing to wastefully dispense additional product. While you’re doing all that scrubbing, glycolic and lactic acids are also at work, gently ungluing dead surface skin cells so that the rest of the formula can do its job and sweep them away.
Because all of that smoothing action can be a little intense, the formula is spiked with bisabolol and colloidal oatmeal to soothe skin, as well as glycerin to moisturize. It also packs both willow bark and licorice root extracts, which are known to brighten skin tone.
While the formula is, as its name indicates, primarily intended to treat and prevent keratosis pilaris, or KP (those little harmless but annoying bumps that can appear on the backs of arms and legs), I use it about once a week, even when I’m not dealing with any traces of KP. It gets my skin so satisfyingly soft and smooth in a way that no other product has. It’s become the most important part of my “everything” shower — I use it after body wash and before shaving, since it helps ward off ingrown hairs and dry patches, and allows my after-shower moisturizers and serums to penetrate better. It generally gives me legs so smooth, they could be in one of those old-school Nair commercials. (This scrub is also my go-to for prepping before a spray tan, since it creates a super smooth base that can last for days.)
I would recommend starting out slowly with it, particularly if your skin is sensitive or dry, and being super gentle in your application. (Though, I love that you can control the level of exfoliation depending on how much pressure you use.) My skin is always a little pink after I use it, but that dissipates quickly and is a good sign of healthy blood flow. It also can create a bit of a mess in the shower, especially since the pumice doesn’t dissolve, but it’s nothing a quick rinse can’t take care of — and I love that the granules are made from a natural material I don’t have to worry about sending down the drain.
I’ve been using this scrub for years, and even though I’ve had plenty of job-necessitated flings with other formulas here and there, it’ll always remain my one true body exfoliator love.
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub, $30, available here
Please note: This product was gifted. Occasionally, we use affiliate links on our site. In no way do either affect our editorial decision-making.
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