- Body scrubs usually come in clunky tubs with physical exfoliators like sugar or fruit shells suspended in hydrating oils. They're surprisingly hard to use without dropping or diluting with water as you shower.
- Nécessaire's Body Exfoliator ($30) comes in an easy-to-use squeeze tube that avoids both issues.
- It also exfoliates chemically with a blend of acids, and physically with pumice. The formula contains glycerin and marula seed oil to moisturize, and niacinamide (vitamin B3) to help strengthen skin.
I own more facial exfoliators that I want to admit, but I have zero body scrubs.
That's because most come in large jars that are surprisingly difficult to use in the shower. They're pretty clunky so they don't fit in my shower caddy and wind up sitting on the bathtub floor, and when I use them, I'll either drop them or dilute them with water whenever I open the jar.
I love that Nécessaire's Body Exfoliator ($30) comes in a squeeze tube and not a jar. That might not sound revolutionary, but ask anyone who's ever used a body scrub before and then come back to me. These are perfectly sized and fit right in my shower caddy, so I've used it more times in the past week than I've used a scrub ever.
The Body Exfoliator comes in two scents - Sandalwood and Eucalyptus - and neither is overwhelming; there's also a Fragrance-Free version. The packaging is minimal and chic, doubling as shower caddy decor.
Nécessaire founders Nick Axelrod and Randi Christiansen set out to develop body-care products with skin-care-level ingredients since skin is skin regardless of where it is on your body, so there's glycerin and marula seed oil to help moisturize rough spots, and niacinamide (vitamin B3) to help strengthen skin.
Read more: The best body scrub you can buy
The real heroes of the formula though are glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids for chemical exfoliation, and bamboo charcoal and pumice for physical exfoliation. This combo helped smooth and moisturize my dry post-beach skin without making me feel like I'm using sandpaper. While the glycerin, marula oil, and niacinamide help moisturize and tone, they won't replace actual lotion, so I'll follow up with Nécessaire's. It also has oils, niacinamide, and tons of vitamins to hydrate and strengthen skin.
Unlike your typical scrub where physical exfoliators like sugar or fruit shells are sitting at the bottom of the jar, the bits of charcoal and pumice in Body Exfoliator are so small that they stay suspended within the gel-like texture. There's no need to shake the tube or squeeze it to make sure everything is well distributed before using the scrub. And because the pieces are so fine, my skin doesn't feel irritated or raw like with other scrubs that use big sugar or fruit shells.
The one tiny issue I have is that the bottle cap is a little heavier than expected, so I keep dropping it. But I'd much rather drop an empty cap instead of another just-opened scrub.
Buy Nécessaire Body Exfoliator, $30
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