beauty

St. Ives Apricot Scrub has started an internet beauty battle.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub, the wildly popular scrub you can find in medicine cabinets the world over, may not be as good for your skin as it feels.

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A photo posted by St. Ives (@stivesskin) on Aug 11, 2014 at 12:38pm PDT

According to subreddit /r/SkincareAddiction, using this face scrub, due to the harshness of the walnut and apricot exfoliators, is equivalent to rubbing your face with sandpaper. Yikes.

It’s devastating for everyone who swears by this $3 drugstore face wash.  But the “Skincare Addicts” have spoken, and they have spoken with vengeance:

My dermatologist says that no one should use it. The issue is that, even if it may seem to help, you are also simultaneously ripping your face up on a micro level. This leaves room for dirt and bacteria to get into these tiny rips, and you end up with bigger problems down the line. —Reddit user heartshapesANDninjas

The apricot scrub has tiny, jagged, uneven pieces of walnut in it that cause micro tears in the skin, which can lead to infections. You may as well go and rub gravel or crushed glass on your face. Other sites also recommend lemon juice and baking soda, but those are also horrible for your skin. People generally don’t know what they’re doing in terms of skin care. —Reddit user ISwearImAGirl

Keep in mind, these are just warnings from reddit users.

A quick Google search shows nothing from dermatologist saying the scrub is horrible for your skin. But most beauty aficionados seem to be on team no-apricot-scrub.

It completely ruined my skin 3 years ago. I got a bacterial infection because I used it. From perfect skin to constant folliculitus and break outs.. I wish I can go back in time ???? I’m still suffering from pustules and constantly inflamed skin. —Reddit user plantshit

Watch: The easiest (and cheapest) skincare routine ever. Post continues after video.

Video via Mollie Makeup

The Zoe ReportVanessa Hernandez

Hernandez adds that, “It also contains sulfates which are drying and irritating, and several ingredients that are comedogenic, which means it clogs pores.”

Still, one thing’s for sure: St. Ives Apricot Scrub is still better than any scrub that contains plastic microbeads—for the environment, and in the long-run, for us too. The reason? Microbeads don’t dissolve after being washed down the drain, and get eaten by many species of fish, who absorb the toxins from the plastic—before ending up on our plates.

Consider yourself warned.

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