I am not a big supporter of mechanical exfoliation for many reasons. Typically, this form of exfoliation can cause a lot of inflammation within the skin, and micro tears on the epidermis. Often the abrasive beads used by brands are sharp & not eco-friendly.  Post making a shift to using products like this for chemical exfoliation I haven’t used a physical scrub since ages but thanks to the sale prices I mentioned in my previous blog post I thought I should give this Polish the Blemish- Face Scrub a shot; not so much for my face but also for my hands & elbow.

Kronokare as a brand never really caught my attention for some reason, probably because of their high price point for a fairly simple ingredient list and lack-luster packaging! But since things were on sale I thought I should really test out the products to see if my first impression was right.

The Brand:

Kronokare claims to be “The most French Indian Brand”. The brand derives its name from Chronos, the God of Time in Greek mythology. It is a relatively new brand, founded in 2008 by a French man Cyril Feuillebois. His vision was to create a natural, effective, and fuss free line of products which is a mix of the best from both India and France.
It is made in India, and claims to formulate products with native flora, extracted pure essential oils, rare botanical extracts, and seed oils sourced from France and India.

Price:

460 INR for 50 grams.

Buy Online:

Here

Product Description:

Ready, set, and cleanse with the Kronokare Polish the Blemish – Face Scrub. This kaolin based face polish is enriched with beetroot extract and vitamins to feed your skin. It gets rid of dead skin cells and dullness giving your skin all the goodness it needs. So, go on scrub it in!

Directions:

• Massage a dime size amount onto wet skin
• Rub gently in small circular motions
• Rinse with warm water
• Gently pat dry.

Ingredients:

• Kaolin – Naturally occurring clay mineral (silicate of aluminum) used in cosmetics for its absorbent properties. Kaolin’s absorbent properties make it a popular ingredient in clay masks for oily skin. Used too often in high amounts, it can be drying, but is otherwise a benign ingredient.
• Glycerine: Glycerin is a natural component of healthy skin. It’s also known as glycerin and glycerol, the latter being the term most often seen in studies about this ingredient. Whether derived from vegetable or animal sources, or made synthetically, glycerin is hygroscopic i.e can draw moisture from the air around us and help keep that moisture in skin.
• Quartz Micro Beads: Quartz is supposed to be a natural exfoliant but I an not sure if they can be made into rounded beads that don’t scratch the epidermis.
• Essential Oil Ylang Ylang,
• Essential Oil Lavender,
• Essential Oil Neroli

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It comes packaged in quite an ordinary looking plastic tub. When it reached me it was half empty and did not have a foil seal so most of it was also stuck on the lid. The packaging over all is really not that great. For a product which costs this much the branding and graphic design of the label isn’t quite great either. Also something that bugs me is that one always need to dip their fingers into the tub of product which contaminates the rest of the content. Skincare products especially that claim to have natural or less preservatives really need to take care of this small detail since the shelf life is already lesser as compared to products with synthetic preservatives and dipping ones fingers into the product is not helping this case any further!

It has a very strong herbal scent dominated by Ylang -Ylang and unfortunately I don’t quite like it! As I always say scent is a very personal choice so you cant hold it against this product. I personally am not fond of this scent but the fragrance in itself is quite heady and fresh. The folks who like intense fragrances might like it.

The scrub has a thick pasty consistency. One needs to take only a little and spread it over damp skin. It spreads well and dilutes fairly quickly. Despite being clay based it doesn’t leave that white cast that some clay scrubs do. It is fairly gentle but I would still not recommend this to be used very often on the face because as I already mentioned Kaolin too often in high amounts can be drying. Although I think it makes for a good scrub for the body especially elbows.

Pros:

• Effective in gently removing dead skin
• Uplifting fragrance- Feels refreshing on application.
• Silicone, Paraben, Sulphate & Mineral Oil free. (Click on the links to understand why this is a big pro)
• Made in India

Cons:

• Not available easily in stores.
• Pricey for a relatively simple ingredient list and ordinary packaging.

Closing Thoughts:

I understand that new Beauty Startups lack the funds to invest on branding and packaging so keeping that aside, I think its a product that will work well for folks who prefer herbal fragrances. It is a gentle & effective scrub for folks who suffer from dry flaky skin. But again remember not to go over board with the frequency of use!

I would love to know your experience if you have tried this product. Also let me know in the comments what are your favorite Scrubs. Check out some of the other scrubs I have tried here & here. Also find me on Instagram here and lets discuss beauty.