Is This Grain-Free Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin Really Worth £46?
Main Image – Gatineau
For those who love the feeling of using a grainy scrub, otherwise known as a physical exfoliator, the Gatineau Radiance Enhancing Gommage (£46 from Gatineau UK) might not be the product for you.
But don’t write it off just yet. Whilst this smooth, balm-like exfoliator may not feel grainy on application, it sure packs a punch in exfoliating, hydrating and radiance-boosting ingredients. Meaning it should be giving your skin all the exfoliation it needs with a side of glowiness too – right?
So does it work? And is it worth the £45, despite its 75ml size? Here’s my honest review.
The product details
Housed in a 75ml tube, this mild enzymatic balm-like formula contains zero grains or beads and yet still promises to remove dead skin cells and make skin super smooth. You’ve probably heard of chemical exfoliators being in liquid form but it’s less common to find one in a balm, applied with your fingers.
Image – Courtesy of writer
The website explains, ‘The unique texture begins with a luxurious balm-like consistency, transforming into a soft hydrating oil. Radiance and luminosity are immediately increased, and a fresh, glowing complexion is revealed.’
It contains three acids – glycolic, malic and lactic – as well as vitamin, mineral and peptide-rich einkorn wheat extract. The product is aimed at sensitive skin which can also be prone to breakouts, dullness and pigmentation.
Whilst I don’t have sensitive skin, I do have the odd breakout and could always do with more radiance. So my hopes were high about the results.
First impressions
Once I’d cleansed my skin as usual, I squeezed out the product onto my finger and noticed it looked pearly and shimmery. Not to be confused with glittery or sparkly – no, no, this definitely looked like a product I wanted to slather all over my face. If it could look that radiant on my finger, imagine how it would make my complexion look.
Image – Courtesy of writer
The instructions tell you to apply it directly to dry, cleansed skin, so I took a medium-sized blob and massaged it around my face. First of all, the orangey smell was beautiful. I would have bottled it if I could.
On first application, it felt like a thick balm that would never sink in. But the instructions say to massage it in for two minutes, or until it turns into an oil, so I carried on and waited for the shift.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, what was once a slow massage suddenly changed gear and my fingers started moving more quickly as the balm turned into an oil. Pretty cool if you ask me. It felt warm on my skin, and I couldn’t wait to wash it off and admire the results.
My results – hit or miss?
After washing it with water and a flannel (oils tend to need a helping hand when being removed), I could instantly tell my skin was smooth and clean.
What I was disappointed in though was the glow. It’s not that my skin looked dull – far from it – but I think I was expecting it to have a balmy radiance to it when, really, it just looked clean and fresh.
Don’t get me wrong, clean and fresh isn’t to be sniffed at. But I think the pearly, shimmery look of the actual product on my finger got my hopes up and set the bar high in the radiance stakes.
I could definitely tell this should be an exfoliator for sensitive skin too because my skin didn’t have the intense smoothness it usually has after using a standard exfoliator. Which is brilliant for sensitive skin types! It’s clearly very mild (the label doesn’t lie) and it made my skin soft and comfortable – great!
Image – Gatineau
But, as someone who can be a little more forceful with my exfoliating regime, I didn’t feel the same satisfaction I get from physical (and some chemical) exfoliators which usually have me thinking, “yessss, I’ve just properly scrubbed the day off and my skin feels shiny and new.” It just felt….nice.
Hydrated, yes. Soft, yes. Clean and fresh, yes. Blown away – no. But sensitive skin types should definitely consider trying it.
What other users are saying
I was interested to see whether other users had felt the same way as me then Margaret’s comment jumped out at me straight away. “To be very honest…I didn’t see any difference in my skin,” she says. Linda C agreed. “It doesn’t seem to do anything for my skin. I was told the Gommage Peel is better.” Interesting…
There were some lovely reviews though.
Ruth S says “This product leaves your skin feeling lovely and soft and clean. It smells really nice too. Would recommend.” Monica M says, “I have been using this on my face and neck. Can really see a difference it has made to my complexion.” And Amy F says, “It made my skin feel soft and as a result my makeup went on smoothly. My skin felt brighter after use.”
Overall value for money
You can probably guess what I’m going to say here. Whilst this is a nice product that my skin liked and didn’t react badly to, that smells nice and feels good to apply, I will not be spending £45 on it. £20 – maybe – at a push.
But nearly £50 for something that doesn’t even come in a full-sized tube (and that I liked but didn’t love)? Not for me. I love Gatineau as a brand but this product was a bit of a miss for me and my skin type.
The takeaway
I’m lucky enough to have skin that can stomach the grainy, physical exfoliators and most chemical ones too. This one was far too mild for me, and it didn’t provide the satisfaction I get from other scrubs and exfoliators.
However, sensitive skin types – take heed! Everything I have said about this product suits sensitive skin down to the ground. The mildness, the comfortability, the lack of abrasion, the results and the hydration. I was ever-hopeful that this would be enough for me but in the end, I was just the wrong audience.
Get Glowing!
