Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a type of sugar that adds rich, sweet and nutty flavors to dishes. Molasses is the key element that distinguishes brown sugar from granulated white sugar. Many people know brown sugar as a food additive to enhance dishes, but not many people are aware of its incredible benefits for the skin!
Due to its high molasses content, brown sugar is a natural humectant meaning it draws moisture from your environment and deposits it into your skin. Brown sugar is both hydrating and conditioning for the skin, working to help retain moisture.
Types of Brown Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar: The most common type of brown sugar. Light brown sugar is made by mixing refined white sugar with a small amount of molasses (about 3.5%). Molasses is what gives light brown sugar its color and moist texture.
- Dark Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar is made similarly to light brown sugar, but has about double the amount of molasses than light brown sugar (about 6.5%). Due to the higher amount of molasses, dark brown sugar is both darker and more moist than light brown sugar. Because dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, it has more nutrients and minerals in it.
Why Use Brown Sugar for Skin?
- Brown sugar is a gentle exfoliator that helps loosen dead skin cells from the outer skin so they can be washed away. This improves circulation, while also cleansing and polishing your skin for a radiant, youthful glow.
- The gentle exfoliation can increase cell turnover, which can lead to fresher, firmer skin.
- It is a natural source of glycolic acid, which is a small size AHA (alpha-hydroxy-acid) that is able to penetrate deeply into the skin. Glycolic acid also helps to lighten scars.
- Brown sugar helps clean pores, removes impurities and also has some anti-bacterial properties that can prevent pimples and acne.
Brown Sugar vs. White Sugar vs. Salt
Brown sugar is white sugar that has molasses added to it. Molasses is a natural humectant that draws moisture into the skin. Molasses on its own is also a gentle exfoliator which helps to remove dead skin cells, revealing brighter, more youthful skin. It will leave the skin moisturized, soft, and smooth. Brown sugar is much softer than white sugar and more gentle than salt. This makes it a better agent to use on sensitive skin, such as the skin on the face. As for salt, it has its respective place in skincare. Due to its rougher texture, it is more suited to be used as body scrub.
We use dark brown sugar in our face scrubs to get the most molasses for its skin-loving benefits.
Gangsta Grease
If you’re looking for a no mess, no hassle, ready-made brown sugar exfoliating scrub with skin-loving ingredients, check out these products!
Our Brown Sugar Facial Scrubs include dark brown sugar, honey (except for our vegan version), and can contain various oils based on your skin’s needs such as coconut oil, olive oil or hemp seed oil.
- Dark brown sugar: A hydrating and conditioning humectant, helps to retain moisture
- Honey: Humectant with antibacterial properties. It helps to keep pores clear and free of dirt and impurities while promoting supple skin. Honey also has antioxidants to fight signs of aging - reducing appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Coconut and olive oils: Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, these oils help to lock moisture into the skin, fighting winter dryness.
- Hemp seed oil: Anti-inflammatory, can soothe acne, eczema and atopic dermatitis. It can control oil production, and is able to moisturize without clogging pores (comedogenic rating of 0).
All of these ingredients taken into consideration, our brown sugar facial scrub is perfect for these dry winter months! Consider giving it a try to enhance your facial skincare routine and let us know what you think!
How to Use Our Exfoliating Brown Sugar Facial Scrubs
- Cleanse skin.
- Take a small amount of the scrub (about a quarter-sized amount), and rub in circular motions all over the face including the lips. Take care to avoid the eyes and sensitive areas of skin around the eyes.
- Thoroughly rinse off the scrub with clear water that is cold to tepid in temperature.
- Pat dry.
