We have scrubbed our skin for centuries. Evidence abounds that ancient cultures, like the Egyptians, used ground up materials from seeds to stones suspended in oils and lotions to smooth and resurface their skin. In this light, our tendency to scrub our skin today dates back to the bathing rituals of African princesses. The royal treatment, indeed.
As time has worn on, scrub technology has only become more sophisticated—not to mention widespread. Hundreds of years before today, and hundreds of years after Ancient Egypt, geisha performers in Japan had to be trained in the arts of makeup and skincare as a part of their greater vocation. Their goal was mochi hada, or superlatively soft and clear skin. They maintained mochi hada by regularly purifying their skin after melting off their stage makeup—a technique we might call a “double-cleanse” today was in fact their standard. First, a light and lovely oil lifted off makeup; then, a fine powder of rice bran exfoliated the skin’s top layer.
We scrub our bodies to keep them clear of dead skin, and we scrub our faces to rinse out and refine pores, and these two kinds of scrubs are formulated differently for the area they treat. There’s also a third kind of scrub, made just for the skin surrounding our mouths. They’re called lip scrubs, and their benefits extend beyond merely exfoliating the lips. They also prime for makeup, assist with hydration and moisturization, and are specially designed for delicate lip skin—which is unlike any other skin on our bodies.
What is a lip scrub?
A lip scrub is a physical exfoliant made with fine granules suspended in a solid matrix. When applied to lips, the friction from these particles removes dead skin gently.
Exfoliants typically come in one of two categories, chemical or physical. Chemical exfoliants utilize acidic molecules designed to encourage gentle cell turnover by dissolve the bonds between dead and living cells. For this reason, they’re sometimes called acids, or peels. Alpha hydroxy acid is a popular active ingredient in chemical exfoliants.
But whereas chemical exfoliants are popular for face and body skincare formulas, they’re not so commonly used to exfoliate the lips, which require a gentler approach. The skin on our lips is much thinner than that on the rest of us. On our cheeks, for example, we have a thick stratum corneum made up of dead skin that protects the inner epidermis and dermis from the environment, but this layer is quite thin on the lips. This is in part why our lips have a natural tint to them; the thin skin offers a glimpse of the blood vessels that lie below.
Enter the lip scrub, a physical exfoliant made for lip skin. Distinct from their Chemical counterparts, physical exfoliants use particles instead of acids to resurface skin, and exfoliating scrubs are the best-known example of this category.
Why do I need a lip scrub?
Lip scrubs are essential for clearing away build-up and dead skin cells, helping to reveal fresh lip skin below.
According to popular thought, there are two basic elements of a skincare routine: Cleanser and moisturizer. An exfoliant is often left off this list, or only prescribed to specific skin types. But there’s an argument to be made for an exfoliant being a critical part of any skincare routine. Not only does exfoliation perform a task that cleansers or moisturizers cannot—the clearing away of dead skin—but when used correctly, the step can improve the efficacy of your routine’s other steps, too.
There’s another argument to be made that exfoliating the lips is extra critical, thanks to another unique trait of the lip’s skin: A complete lack of sebaceous glands. These glands help our skin self-moisturize on its own. Without them, our lips tend to dry out faster than the skin elsewhere on our bodies. This is why many people carry lip balms with them, especially in drier times and climes. When lips get too dry, and dead skin builds up, they can become chapped lips.
Lip scrubs are essential for clearing away build-up to reveal fresh skin below. By removing this interference, they also ensure that other products, like lip serums or balms, are able to reach the lip skin and do their job. This is one of the benefits of lip scrubs: That they improve the efficacy of moisturizers. But there are other lip scrub benefits, too.
The benefits of lip scrub
A lip balm can do a lot for helping lips feel better, especially when they’re dry, rough, or chapped. But there’s only one solution that can actually refresh and restore lip skin: The lip scrub. Here are 4 of its benefits:
1. More hydrated lips. One of the best benefits of lip scrubs is how they maximize the other skincare steps you take. Only when dead skin is removed can a lip serum or balm work to the best of its ability.
2. Better makeup application. Applying lipstick to unexfoliated lips is a bit like applying paint to an unprimed wall. It’s not impossible, but the finish may not be exactly what you—or the lipstick itself—intended. Lips that are scrubbed smooth are much easier to layer with color, and ensure better payoff and longer wear.
3. Good oral health. All this talk about when lips are exfoliated obscures what happens when they go un-exfoliated: Skin can get so dry and rough that it begins to crack open, increasing the possibility for infections of the skin or mouth. Keeping lips soft, elastic, exfoliated and moisturized minimizes this possibility.
4. Gorgeous lips over time. There is evidence to suggest that regular, gentle lip exfoliation improves lip circulation and the health of the skin surrounding the lips, leading them to look better, brighter, and more radiant over time. Some say that consistent scrubbing has even improved the look of fine lines and wrinkles around the lips.
The best lip scrub with benefits
When it comes to lip exfoliation, one word cannot be repeated enough: Gently. Embracing a gentle skincare routine with gentle exfoliation is key. Exfoliating skin too harshly anywhere can cause the skin barrier to weaken and welcome other issues, but this rule takes on new urgency for the lips, which are too delicate and prone to breaking. With this in mind, the best lip scrub is one that won’t damage your lips, and will be enjoyable enough for you to use regularly.
Along with the Kissu Lip Serum and mask, the scrub creates a quick and lovely ritual for smooth, soft lips, and a little bit of everyday decadence; from African princesses, to geisha performers, to you.
