Sabon NYC Body Scrub
This product is Sabon NYC’s best seller. I’ve talked to several friends who absolutely adore the product, seen it sitting in the bathroom while walking through an open house, and read the rave reviews on Makeup Alley.
I actually have a jar of the Lavender Apple one myself. However, in examining the ingredient listing, I feel like I have to issue a strong warning to those who are using it.
The very first ingredient listed is isopropyl myristate. Not sea salt, not macadamia nut oil, not soybean oil, not sweet almond oil, as are the other ingredients in the product.
Here’s what I found about isopropyl mystrate that freaked the daylights out of me. From an article by James E. Fulton Jr., M.D. Ph.D. (in speaking about the causes of acne from cosmetics):
One of the worst offenders is a penetrating oil called isopropryl myristate, the major ingredient in a can of penetrating rust remover, Liquid Wrench. Isopropyl myristate helps cosmetics apply more smoothly and gives them a slicker, sheer feel. This particular penetrating oil is so aggressive that if left overnight in a beaker will actually migrate over the top, down the sides and onto the table top.
Yes, the reason people love Sabon’s Body Scrub so much is because it’s an oil-based scrub that doesn’t feel oily. It’s the isopropyl myristate at work, folks.
I have to admit that — with much guilt and anxiety — I still use my scrub from time to time. It just smells so good, and it feels so good. Even knowing why the latter is true, it’s still hard to stop.
Isopropyl myristate as a common ingredient in many beauty products, but I wanted to single out this product in particular because of all the hype around it.
Honestly? The best scrubs I’ve ever used are the ones that come in the simplest/most unglamorous packaging and from the smallest companies. If you want to try a great, non-greasy scrub, try Crush on You by Product Body or Shea Butter and Dead Sea Salt Scrub by Maryam’s Soap Nook.
