Nip & Fab is a brand that seems to have been created to appease my blackhead ridden teen self. It has a strong focus around exfoliation, and they use marketing words like “fix” and “extreme”. Right up my 15-year-old self alley.
These are called cleansing pads but I would consider them more exfoliant than cleansing. I don’t suggest using this to remove makeup – and neither does Nip + Fab, because directions mention to apply this to already cleansed skin.
I swipe one of these pads on freshly cleansed skin in the evening, and I can feel that very subtle tingling sensation, which is to be expected with glycolic acid. It’s not painful nor uncomfortable, it’s really just a light tingle. The pads themselves feel a bit rough, which I believe to be intentional because they add to the exfoliation, but on that note, you shouldn’t press too hard on the skin with these, just a light swipe, otherwise it can bee too aggressive for the face.
Right after application, my skin actually feels moisturised, and it’s almost like a “creamy” film is left behind. This was a very welcomed surprise, because daily exfoliation can be too stripping to the skin but having hydrating ingredients supports their “daily use” claim. But the best thing about this is the next day: my skin looks radiant, plump, and like I just had a facial. I was really impressed at how visible (and how fast!) the results are. These pads are meant to “retexture and brighten” skin, and that’s just what they do. They remind me of the Dr. Dennis Gross daily peels (which I love, and will be reviewing shortly), only less intense, but more affordable.
Ingredients wise, glycerin is the second on the list, which explains the “creamy” film and the fact that I feel my skin is moisturised after using a pad. This also contains hyaluronic acid, which adds to skin hydration. For exfoliation, there’s glycolic acid, obviously, but there is also lactic acid, which besides exfoliating, also has some skin hydrating properties. There are a few ingredients we could do without (alcohol and a bunch of perfuming ingredients) but the results on my skin are so quick and noticeable that I’m willing to keep using these pads and maybe even repurchase – at least until I have an adverse reaction or my skin gets too sensitised. There are a few soothing ingredients (witch hazel, blue daisy and vitamin B5) that can be balancing out these potential irritants.
Nip & Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Hamamelis Virginiana Water, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Globularia Alypum Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Lactic Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linalool, Geraniol, Citral.
The wastefulness of single use items is not lost on Nip+Fab, so the pads are made from 100% biodegradable fabric and the exterior packaging is fully recyclable. This costs 18,95€ but you can easily find a deal or sale that’ll chop off that price a little bit. This contains 60 pads, so for me it’ll last around 4 months (I use them every other day). All in all, a good product, and probably the glycolic acid product that I’ve noticed the biggest results from.
