Review: HANAYUKI Exfoliating Clear Gel

I considered myself well-versed in Japanese beauty products — but peeling gels have always eluded me. Up until now, I have always dismissed the ‘exfoliating, peeling action’ of peeling gels to nothing but a simple chemical reaction — seeing the majority do not contain exfoliating acids, enzymes, or scrub particles. For those who don’t know, I’ll give you a quick rundown to how peeling gels work: you massage the gel on freshly cleansed skin and within seconds, it comes off in little rolled up strands and balls, like white eraser shavings — which supposedly ‘peel’ off dead skin cells and pore-clogging debris — like using an eraser.

I had the opportunity to try Hanayuki Exfoliating Clear Gel Plus (花雪肌 角質クリアジェルプラス) and despite early reservations, I’m actually very happy with the results. Recently, I have been looking at exfoliators that promise gentle yet effective exfoliation without  ‘scrub’ particles or acids: this is one of  them. I applied 3 pumps worth of gel (direction says 3 to 5 pumps) to cleansed, towel-dried skin and then gently massage. It is fragrance-free and colourant-free, which are always a plus in my book. As expected, the gel rolled up just seconds into massaging. I kept massaging until the gel is all rolled up. The whole process took less than 30 seconds.

After quickly rinse, my skin was brilliantly smooth and fresh-looking. I mean very noticeably smooth and fine – and my skin has always been in pretty good condition. I can’t image it was my ‘scrubbing’ with the rolled up bits that did that – after all, I have never had that effect with scrubs!

To satisfy my curiosity, I have also tried massaging the gel on the back on my hand while wearing disposable plastic gloves. Interestingly enough, the gel didn’t roll up.

Personally, I feel chemical (AHA/BHA) exfoliation — the NeoStrata Toning Solution Level 2 for example — does more for my skin overall, but this a very nice option if you want to give your skin a good yet gentle going-over. It really gets skin fresh and bright!

»200ml Bottle is $41.50 USD from Gold Sakura: HERE