Konjac Exfoliating sponges

During summer 2017 I bought an Erborian konjac exfoliating sponge at Sephora on a whim. I was standing in a loooooong queue and they were next to the cash register so (as many people do) I bought something I was not intending to buy just because it was there, not too pricey, and looked interesting.

Konjac sponges (The Japanese word is kon’nyaku) are gentle cleansing exfoliators made from konjac root, which is a porous root vegetable that grows in Asia. So, not a sea sponge at all! They come in several varieties – infused with natural, green tea, charcoal, and I have even seen rose, lavender and lemon. To be honest though, there can’t be much of the ingredient infused in them so I would not go by that.

Well, I loved it. I originally bought the Erborian Green Tea sponge because it was there, but later I went back and tried a Sephora own-brand purifying charcoal one which was bigger and cheaper. I actually prefer the Sephora one because it is easier to hold in your hand.

You can use these sponges by themselves to cleanse your face, or you can use them with your favourite cleanser. I use the sponge with my cleanser and then rinse it out afterwards. I wet the sponge and put a little cleanser on it, but you could also put the cleanser on your face first and then wet the sponge and gently wipe it over your cleanser. I replace them monthly. They are biodegradable. You can get sponges for face and for body but you can also use the face one on your body.

I find they leave your face feeling really nice and clean. Far cleaner than with cleanser only. They exfoliate but very gently so they are not like a scrub. Some of them are moist in the packaging and some of them are dry.

I gave one to a friend for her birthday and she loved it so much I gave her two more for Christmas!

I have only used the Sephora one and the Erborian one but I have seen many pharmacies and beauty shops have their own brands which are probably just as good.