REVIEW: Superdrug Konjac Sponge

Out the box

Name: Dehydrated Facial Konjac Sponge by Superdrug 

Price: £1.99 for one. 

Quick Review: A super gentle way to physically exfoliate, with best results when used consistently with a cleanser.

Out of the box

Ingredients: Konjac fibre, string. 

Sustainability notes: The konjac sponge apparently is fully compostable, and can be added under soil in a pot to help with soil mosture. 

It's a tiny little thing, and out of the box it reminded me a little of styrofoam, if a little harder. You're supposed to let it soak for a few minutes to soften before use.

It does expand after soaking, as you can see here: 

 
Wet, it's all soft and squidgy, and fits comfortably in your hand. It's dome shaped with a flat side, and I found the flat side and edge works best when rubbing it around your face.

It's really, really soft and because of that you're not going to get a vigorous scrub out of it, which is common for physical exfoliation. But that's a good thing, since it won't irritate skin and you're not in danger of overexfoliating or rubbing your skin raw. When exfoliating, my skin feels softer after about a week's consistent use, but any flakes are only reduced in appearance, and not entirely gone.

On the plus side, it hasn't worsened or popped any spots or active acne I currently have, and that's a major plus. I haven't experienced any irritation when using it over active acne. For that, this is probably a good product for those with sensitive or acne prone skin, but your mileage may vary.

Gentle exfoliation aside, I found that konjac sponges are great for foaming up cleansers and for reducing the amount of cleanser you need per use. This is actually a bigger and better benefit to me than the gentle exfoliation, and I'm going to continue using konjac sponges for this reason. 

A facial wash gel on it own

 

Same facial wash gel added to konjac sponge

For cleaning, I try and do a comprehensive rinse after every use, and dry it outside of the bathroom. However, it's never completely dry after 24 hours (more like 72) so there are concerns over it harbouring bacteria. Boiling it for a few minutes would do the trick, but it does shorten their lifespan. After about a month and a half of use, my sponge is starting to look a little wobbly instead of dome shaped, and it's recommended to throw it out after a 4-6 weeks. I might stretch it out to two months, but since it's less than £2 and fully compostable (with the option of upcycling for those that grow plants), I'm not too concerned over their financial and environmental impact.

Verdict: Soft, gentle product for physical exfoliation, best for sensitive/irritated skin. Great side effect of foaming up cleansers and stretching out your cleansers further.