How many times a week should you use SCRUB? 

When it comes to exfoliation, less is more. Keep in mind, while a luminous complexion is desirable, the “glass skin” craze is potentially harmful. Hyper smooth, shiny skin that feels like plastic is a sign that you may have gone overboard with exfoliation. Also, one should not confuse plump, hydrated skin with swollen skin that is inflamed due to a disruption in the lipid barrier. Truly toned skin maintains a healthy content of elastin and collagen, but over exfoliation too can degrade elastin and collagen, which will make the face feel tight. Using SCRUB once or twice a week is an appropriate and safe way to promote healthy cellular turnover and will in fact help promote collagen production.

What is the difference between chemical exfoliants and physical exfoliants? 

Physical exfoliants use particles to manually separate dead skin cells from living cells. Some physical exfoliants like nut shells can be sharp and abrasive. We use finely-milled, uniformly shaped bamboo silica to ensure effective yet gentle skin polishing. 

Chemical exfoliants use enzymes or acids to dissolve the bond between dead and fresh cells. Overzealous use of acids can cause inflammation and irritation. To support skin harmony, we use a skin-friendly dose of glycolic and lactic acid coming from sugar cane, sugar maple and bilberry. The addition of calming chamomile and anti-inflammatory turmeric allow SCRUB to remain as gentle as it is hardworking. 

 Not sure if exfoliation is right for you? 

While some of us may enjoy a fully hands off approach, those of us who live in an urban environment may especially benefit from a weekly or bi-weekly exfoliation. 

You can patch test SCRUB on your inner arm. The product may tingle given the plant-based alpha hydroxy acids, but it should not burn or cause discomfort. If new to exfoliants, start with just a couple minutes of masking and build your way up to a full twenty minutes. 

How does SCRUB help prevent premature aging? 

While the collagen protein itself is too large to penetrate the skin, sugarcane derived glycolic acid is small enough to penetrate the outer layers of skin and stimulate fibroblasts to produce collagen. When the body has an ample supply of collagen, the skin is smooth and firm and cells are able to renew and repair themselves more efficiently. 

What is skin-cycling and does this include SCRUB?

The crux of skin-cycling is preventing the over use of treatments and giving your skin time to rest and recover. Skin cycling protocols call for “treatment nights” and “rest nights” with SCRUB used on night 1, exfoliation night. Read here for our LINNÉ Skin-Cycling Protocol.

When in my routine do I use SCRUB?

We recommend using SCRUB after cleansing. LINNÉ products are marked with Roman Numerals as a nod to our namesake, the botanist Carl Von LINNÉ who laid the foundations for the taxonomical classification system. We borrowed this system to create our easy step protocol. SCRUB is step II.