Tarte Knockout or DE Babyfacial ??

[Rosegold47]

I have pretty much always had acne and I am on a mission to get my skin whipped back into shape in the next month, i'm getting there but slower than i had hoped. I already use the DE day C-Firma serum and night Glycolic serum, along with a slew of other skin care (10 step Korean + 7 skin method) and I am wanting to add a little extra kick to my regimen. My questions are: have any of you tried either of these for skin clearing purposes? Is either more effective than the other? Is the DE Babyfacial worth the money when Tarte Knockout is an option?

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Rosegold47 Here's the review for Tarte's Knockout from beautypedia (2/5 stars):

Spoiler

Tarte's Knockout Tingling Treatment is one of those products we wish we could give a higher rating, but it includes ingredients that just make it bad news all-around (not to mention how it perpetuates some skincare myths).

Knockout Tingling Treatment comes in a plastic bottle with a twist-off cap. The texture is a water-like fluid that you dispense onto a cotton pad or your fingers. It's easy to smooth onto skin, and delivers an immediate brightening effect.

Reviewing the ingredient list, things start off great! There's skin-restoring niacinamide along with exfoliating acids like lactic acid, gluconolactone, malic acid, and salicylic acid. Even better is that the pH of this product is 3.3, meaning all these acids are at the proper pH to exfoliate skin.

That's where things start to go downhill. Tarte adds acetic acid (the main acid found in vinegar), along with sensitizing horseradish root extract, myrrh extract, myrtus communis extract, and sulfur. Ouch!

This leads to another issue with this product: Tarte labels this as a "tingling treatment" and in its advertising says, "you'll like the burn, but love the return!" We cannot stress enough that good skincare shouldn't be painful! While it's true that high concentrations of AHA can sting skin if it's abraded (for instance, if you've used a harsh scrub beforehand) or extra-sensitive, as a rule skincare shouldn't sting, burn, or tingle. Those sensations are your skin's way of telling you that it's being irritated, which is pro-aging.

As a side note, the burning sensation that's experienced with this product (and we tried it more than once and can attest it does sting!) isn't the result of the acids, rather it's those sensitizing ingredients we mentioned earlier.

It's a shame, because otherwise this is a great exfoliant. But the issues this could cause for skin aren't worth it; you're much better off with one of the alternatives you'll find on our list of Best AHA or BHA exfoliants.

PROS:

• Contains beneficial AHAs and salicylic acid, at a pH where they are effective as exfoliants.

CONS:

• Contains several skin-sensitizing ingredients.
• Skincare shouldn't burn or tingle!

And here's the one for DE Baby Facial (4/5 stars):

Spoiler

T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial is an exfoliating mask whose mission is to improve skin's texture and radiance while minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Thanks to a formula that contains 25% AHAs (led by glycolic acid) and 2% BHA (salicylic acid), we're happy to report all those benefits are possible, and quickly, too. The only concern is that the combined AHA potency is intense and can be too strong for some, especially those with sensitive skin. However, the manner in which this product is used should make a difference in terms of whether the high concentration of AHA will be an issue or not. As with any such active product, pay attention to how your skin responds.

Per Drunk Elephant's instructions, you're advised to use T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial once a week, leaving it on skin for 20 minutes before rinsing off. While we usually advocate for leaving an AHA or BHA exfoliant on skin longer, at this strength and the formula’s pH, 20 minutes should be long enough for exfoliation to happen. After rinsing, you should see improved skin texture and tone along with enhanced softness.

If you're new to using an AHA exfoliant or haven’t tried one that contains this much AHA, stick to the once per week usage recommendation. The brand mentions that slight tingling may occur within the first couple minutes—if that's the case and if the tingling persists, we recommend rinsing before the 20 minutes are up. AHAs don’t have to tingle to work but it can happen, the likelihood increasing in tandem with the concentration of AHAs. To their credit, Drunk Elephant took steps to minimize this possibility by including soothing plant ingredients such as green tea, milk thistle, and a form of anti-irritant licorice.

As for the rest of the fragrance-free formula, it contains several antioxidant-rich plant extracts, as well as replenishing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and restorative niacinamide, which help boost T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial's anti-aging power. However, those ingredients aren't quite as useful as they would be in a product that is left on skin instead of rinsed, but it’s still nice to see them included.

Along with the aforementioned soothing agents, the 2% BHA deserves special mention because it unleashes additional anti-inflammatory benefit along with helping to unclog pores and eliminate blackheads (although the latter concern needs more than once-per-week attention to remain in the clear).

You may notice that Babyfacial contains finely milled green tea and chickpea powder. The particles are dispersed so intermittently that you may not even detect them, but either way, they're completely gentle—neither a help nor a hindrance.

The bottom line: T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial delivers on its promises of smoothing all skin types, and although it might seem pricey, it costs less than a professional in-office peel and comes pretty close to delivering the same results. If you have extra-sensitive skin, you might want to check out the options on our list of Best Exfoliants or consider leaving Babyfacial on skin for 5 to 10 minutes and seeing how your skin responds.

PROS:

• High-strength glycolic acid (AHA) successfully improve skin's texture and radiance.
• BHA adds pore-unclogging benefit.
• Antioxidant-rich plant extracts, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide boost the anti-aging power.
• Contains plant-derived soothing agents to enhance tolerability of the high amount of AHA.
• Fragrance-free formula.

CONS:

• This potency of AHA can be sensitizing for some (prolonged stinging or tingling are a sign of this).

[darlyndar]

@Rosegold47 I follow the “7 Skin” method along with a lot of other Korean skincare products. At night, I will always swear by Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and Luna. I recently added Knockout to my daytime routine. I have to say, I’m very impressed. I don’t have any sensitivity or redness, which is why I use it during the day. I love the way it refines my skin’s texture and the glow it gives. I definitely recommend it over DE. It’s been duped for the P50 treatment and for good reason. Tarte did an amazing job with Knockout.