Why You Need an Exfoliating Enzyme Facial Cleanser in Your Life

New to enzyme exfoliation? You’re in the right place. As you may already know, exfoliation involves the removal of dead skin cells, which often are the cause of dullness, uneven skin tone and texture, clogged pores, and more. Because of this, exfoliation is an essential part of your skincare routine.

Before we get into the power of enzyme exfoliation, let’s cover the basics.

What are the Key Benefits of Exfoliation?

• It helps keep pores clear, which then helps reduce breakouts and minimizes the appearance of pore size.
• It helps fade hyperpigmentation by improving uneven skin tone and texture.
• It allows for better absorption and effectiveness of other skincare products by removing the barrier of dead skin cells and pore-clogging impurities.
• It visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles over time by helping speed up cell turnover.

What are the Types of Exfoliation?

For many, the process of exfoliating feels like you’re giving your skin a fresh, new start. It can leave your skin feeling softer and smoother, but it’s important to exfoliate safely and use an exfoliator that suits your skin type. Here’s a breakdown of the two main types: physical vs. chemical exfoliation.

Physical Exfoliation

Physical exfoliation refers to the use of brushes or scrubs to manually rub the skin to remove dead skin cells buildup. It often involves the use of tiny particles like sugar, granules, or nut shells that help exfoliate by causing friction on the skin. While this type of exfoliation can be effective for those with thicker, oily or combination skin, it’s best to follow safe exfoliation practices to avoid irritating or damaging the skin. It’s easy to go overboard so be extra careful and use a physical exfoliant only as often as your skin can tolerate.

Chemical Exfoliation

As you can probably guess, chemical exfoliation refers to the use of chemicals, but don’t let that scare you off. Chemical exfoliators break the bonds that hold skin cells together, loosening dead skin cells from the surface and aiding in cell turnover. The two types of chemical exfoliants are acids and enzymes.

Acids

If you prefer chemical exfoliants, you’re likely already familiar with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). AHAs like glycolic acid and lactic acid are water soluble, which means they can’t penetrate very deep into pores. On the other hand, BHAs like salicylic acid are oil-soluble so they can reach deeper into pores and clear them of dead skin cells, oil, and other impurities.

Enzymes

Often derived from plants and fruits, enzymes are tiny molecules that break down keratin in the topmost layer of skin. This allows dead skin cells to slough off and reveal healthier, younger skin underneath. Fruit enzyme exfoliation sweeps away dirt and dead skin cell buildup without disrupting the skin’s pH, making it the most gentle method of exfoliation.

Our favorite enzymes for skin come from papaya and pineapple! Bromelain is an enzyme derived from pineapple while papain is an enzyme derived from papaya. In addition to being gentle exfoliators, bromelain and papain also have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial benefits.

Who Should Use Enzyme Exfoliation?

Because enzymes provide such gentle exfoliation, they’re perfect for those with sensitive or dry skin. However, all skin types can benefit from enzyme exfoliation. It ultimately depends on what type of exfoliant works best for you and meets your own skin needs.

Get Glowing with an Exfoliating Enzyme Facial Cleanser

Ready to rescue your skin from harsh scrubs and give a fruit enzyme exfoliator a try? There are a variety of enzyme exfoliation products to choose from but a great place to start is a cleanser like Barefaced. It contains both pineapple and papaya enzymes and is designed to exfoliate, sweep away dirt, makeup and impurities, remove excess oil and dead skin cells, and purify pores to help prevent future breakouts.

• Gently exfoliates using pineapple and papaya enzymes
• Sweeps away dirt, impurities, and makeup
• Helps remove excess oil and dead skin cells
• Purifies pores and helps prevent future breakouts
• Helps brighten and even skin tone and texture
• Hydrates and nourishes skin

Go Naked with Barefaced

This non-foaming jelly cleanser gently exfoliates and deeply cleans while clearing and purifying pores.

Shop Barefaced

Barefaced is formulated specifically to skin’s natural pH and is gentle enough to be used daily. It has a non-foaming, lush jelly texture that breaks down into a milky consistency when activated with water and leaves your skin looking brighter and feeling softer and smoother. Unlike other exfoliants that can leave skin feeling stripped, tight or dry, Barefaced is made with a hydration trio of vegan squalane, glycerin, and sodium hyaluronate, which is a derivative of hyaluronic acid. These ingredients work together to keep your skin hydrated and nourished.

For the ultimate exfoliating skin treat, you can pair Barefaced with Brighten Up, Sunshine, a clay masque designed to brighten, exfoliate, and moisturize skin! Like Barefaced, it contains papaya and pineapple enzymes to help get rid of dead skin cells and give a smoother, more even complexion.

Hellooo Sunshine!

Detox your face from daily stressors and reveal a brighter, smoother, glowy complexion.

Brighten Up

Abby Vinas

Abby Vinas has long been an active member of the holistic health community, advocating in favor of its benefits to both our physical and emotional well-being. Her commitment to leading a healthy lifestyle has made her an authority on self-care practices. Abby is passionate about fitness, nutrition, and proper skincare, and is also an avid lover of avocado toast and dog-petting.