Neem Face Scrub vs Chemical Exfoliants

Selecting the right one amongst neem face scrub and chemical exfoliants for exfoliating for cleansing differs on the basis of mechanism. If you want to manually exfoliate your skin using scrubs then you can select for the neem scrub. It helps in controlling oil and gently purifying the skin along with fighting bacterial infections.

It is a natural ingredient based scrub which works by manually lifting off the buildup of dirt and impurities from the face when scrubbed onto the face. It helps in dissolving the surface based impurities from the face.

Chemical exfoliation on the other hand is a totally different approach. It involves using specialized acids which help to dissolve the impurities by breaking the cellular bonds of dead skin cells and helps to exfoliate them.

Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and polyhydroxy acids are water soluble acids which work on the surface of the skin and help in gently dissolving the buildup of dead skin cells and impurities. Beta hydroxy acids (BHA) have an oil soluble nature and can penetrate deep into the pores to cleanse the skin. It depends on your skin’s tolerance to select the best exfoliating agent for your skin.

Neem as a potent skin purifying agent

Neem is a famous botanical herb also called Azadirachta indica scientifically. Every part of a neem tree from its bark to leaves delivers several benefits for overall skin and body wellness. Neem is popularly considered village pharmacy due to its multi beneficial role for the body and skin wellness.

Neem is packed with several bioactive compounds like nimbin, nimbidin, quercetin and azadirachtin which are responsible for delivering therapeutic benefits to the skin. These bioactives are responsible for delivering antibacterial, antifungal, antimicrobial and anti inflammatory properties.

Neem works to reduce active acne caused by Cutibacterium acnes by disrupting the cellular walls of the bacteria which neutralizes it and kills the bacteria. It helps in reducing the inflammation on the skin by blocking the cellular pathways of inflammatory responses. They also have an astringent action which helps in wiping off the excess oil from the pores of the skin.

Chemical exfoliants for skin exfoliation

Chemical exfoliants use mild acids specialized to dissolve the impurities from the face. They work by breaking the bonds of dead skin cells which contain impurities also and helps in removing them from the skin.

They can be classified as:

• Alpha hydroxy acid: AHAs are the water soluble chemical acids which work on the surface of the skin and work to break the molecular bonds of dead skin cells allowing removal. Glycolic acid and lactic acid are examples of AHAs.
• Beta hydroxy acids: BHAs are oil soluble in nature and can penetrate deep into the pores of the skin because of their lipophilic nature. They work by dissolving the bonds of impurities inside the pores and help in cleansing the skin deeply. Salicylic acid is the most effective BHA.
• Poly hydroxy acids: PHA are also water soluble acids and they mostly work on the surface of the skin to exfoliate impurities.

Mode of action of neem scrub and chemical exfoliants

Neem face scrubs work on the skin by manual exfoliation method. They contain exfoliating beads which on massaging into the skin helps in dissolving the impurities from the surface of the skin. They work to shed the dead skin cells, dirt and oil from the surface. It helps in improvising the texture of the skin immediately.

Chemical exfoliants do not use manual friction to work instead they use mild acids which work chemically to break down the bonds of dead skin cells and impurities. This helps in shedding the dead skin cells and impurities evenly from the skin without harsh rubbing.

Timeline difference between neem scrub and chemical exfoliants

A neem face scrub works immediately, it works in 60 seconds and helps in clearing out the surface impurities from the skin. Your skin starts feeling clear and smooth right after exfoliating the skin with physical scrubs but this result is temporary.

Chemical exfoliants on the other hand work slowly on the skin but they work on the deeper skin levels and the results help in improving the skin from within. They don’t deliver a quick change after first cleanse instead deliver measurable change after some time.

Skin type selection

• Oily skin type: Can use neem based face scrub for oily skin to deal with surface level oil cleansing and use chemical exfoliants for deep pore cleansing of oil.
• Acne-prone skin: Can use a neem scrub for dealing with bacterial and fungal acne and use chemical exfoliants for pore cleansing and prevent acne breakouts due to clogged pores.
• Dry skin: Use a neem scrub with beneficial hydrating and moisturizing natural ingredients for reducing skin dryness.
• Sensitive skin: Use mild concentrations of chemical exfoliants and use neem scrub with gentle exfoliating agents.
• Normal skin: Can use both the options for cleansing.

Summing up

Neem face scrub and chemical exfoliants both help in exfoliating the skin but they both work in different ways. Neem face scrub utilizes physical scrubbing to dissolve the impurities from the face whereas chemical exfoliants involve acids which chemically break apart the bonds of dead skin cells and help in exfoliating the dead skin and impurities from the skin and the pores. You need to choose the right one for your skin by analyzing your requirements.