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Huda Kattan is, unquestionably, a makeup powerhouse. Her perfectly-contoured looks have earned her more than 40m Instagram followers, and she also runs a successful eponymous beauty brand that recently launched in Boots.
I’m an avid fan. I swear by the concealer, can’t get enough of the power bullet matte lipsticks and have mastered the art of lilac eyeshadow thanks to the colourful palettes. So when Huda unveiled the Yo Glow Enzyme Face Scrub – the first launch in her newly-created skincare brand, Wishful – I was intrigued.
But I was also sceptical. Makeup brands and personalities launching skincare is nothing new – just take a look at Glossier, Kylie Jenner and Millie Bobby Brown. While the packaging is pretty and the pictures are nice, I often question how good they are – is there an element of jumping on the bandwagon to profit off consumers? After all, Kylie Jenner came under fire in 2019 following the launch of her walnut face scrub, widely criticised for being too harsh on the skin.
I’m someone with hormonal acne who’s constantly trying to cover up, so I want a product that works – not just to look pretty on my bathroom shelf. But I kept an open mind when I received Huda’s face scrub. I tested it over the space of a week – here’s what I thought.
The vegan Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub is a 100ml buttery yellow tube with metallic foil lettering decorating one side. It costs £34, which is pretty pricey. The scrub is full of pineapple and papaya enzymes with Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHAs) and Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs).
From years of trialling different skincare products, I’ve learned what these ingredients actually mean – I’m always interested in finding out what they are and why they’re good for you.
Pineapple extract contains bromelain, which gently exfoliates and has anti-inflammatory properties, while the mix of BHAs and AHAs slough off dead skin cells on the skin’s surface and decongest pores.
The scrub has a clean smell – think fresh laundry and clean towels. After removing my makeup and cleansing my skin, I apply it to my dry face using my hands, as instructed on the packaging.
It’s a milky texture that spreads around my face easily to make a sort of paste, which I then massage in, focusing on patches of skin on my nose and forehead that get dry and flaky – glamorous I know. It doesn’t feel scratchy or grainy, like some face scrubs do (ahem, St Ives).
After 20 seconds of rubbing, I rinse it off with warm water and pat my face down with a towel. First impressions? My skin is immediately smoother, softer and – dare I say – matte. With my oily skin, it’s a genuine life goal to be less shiny, so I’m pleasantly surprised.
When I return to the scrub a couple of days later, my skin hasn’t gone back to its usual dry state on my nose and forehead – and I get the same results. I start using it in the mornings as it’s a smooth base for makeup and makes my foundation sit better.
All in all, I’m very impressed – and that’s coming from someone who’s constantly on the lookout for skincare products that actually work. And this works for me. It’d be easy to dismiss it as another launch from an Instagram influencer, but I think it’s well worth your time (and money).