Personally, I much prefer chemical exfoliants to manual exfoliants. What’s the difference? Manual exfoliants are scrubs which need to be massaged into the skin, whilst chemical exfoliants use acids to dissolve dead skin cells. For me, chemical exfoliants are kinder to the skin as they don’t aggravate or scratch it. There are two types of chemical exfoliant – alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) or beta hydroxy acid (BHA) products.

You don’t need both of these though. AHAs are usually best suited for dry, sun-damaged skin while BHAs are best for acne prone or easily congested skin types.