Exfoliation is not just important for your face. It’s also crucial for your body. Body scrub removes dead skin cells, oils, and dirt that has built up on your skin.
This unclogs your pores, prevents in-grown hairs, clears your skin, and leaves your skin smoother and brighter. It can also prevent breakouts especially for men with oily skin.
A good body scrub should exfoliate your skin without drying it out or causing any irritation. We prefer natural or mostly natural scrubs that are free of harmful chemicals and are marked as cruelty-free. In this guide, we review the best body scrubs for men on the UK market, and give you tips on how to choose the right one.
What To Look For In A Good Body Scrub For Men
Ingredients
Look for a list of ingredients to make sure you are not buying a scrub that could cause issues for your skin.
Look for anything you know you are sensitive to. For example, some people don’t react well to scrubs and skin products containing alcohol.
You definitely should avoid anything with known harmful chemicals including phthalates and parabens. If you have sensitive skin, stay away from any scrub containing sulfates.
The best body scrubs are those that contain all or mostly natural ingredients. Our favourite scrubs use crushed almonds, sugar, or biodegradable beads that are safe for your skin as well as the environment.
Type of Scrub
When looking through the ingredients, check what kind of scrubbing agent is in the product. Here are some of the most common types of body scrubs.
- Sugar body scrub – Sugar is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin. So as it scrubs away dead skin cells and dirt, it also moisturizes you. Sugar is safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
- Salt body scrub – A salt scrub is ideal for men who want something more aggressive to smoothen and clear their skin. Avoid salt scrubs if you have sensitive skin as it can cause irritation.
- Coffee body scrub – Coffee is used in a wide range of skincare products, including scrubs, because it improves circulation, evens out skin tone, and reduces inflammation. Coffee scrubs are gentle and safe for all skin types.
- Charcoal body scrub – A charcoal scrub does much more than exfoliate the skin. The charcoal also pulls away dirt, oils, bacteria, and chemicals from your skin, providing a deeper cleansing effect. A charcoal scrub is the best choice if you live in an area with high air pollution.
- Microbead body scrubs – Body scrubs with plastic microbeads are getting less popular because of the danger they pose to the environment. If you want a microbead scrub, make sure it uses biodegradable beads.
Cruelty-Free & Vegan
Look for the cruelty-free mark on the label or description of a body scrub. While the mark doesn’t always mean the product wasn’t tested on animals, it’s usually an indication that it has been manufactured responsibly without harming or killing animals.
If you want to be sure a body scrub hasn’t been tested on animals, look for one that comes with certification from an organization like Choose Cruelty-Free (CCF), PETA or Leaping Bunny.
If you want to go even further and ensure the body scrub doesn’t contain any animal products, look for one that’s labeled as vegan.
Moisturizing
Exfoliation doesn’t have to be a rough process that leaves your skin raw and dry. A good body scrub contains oils and other moisturizing ingredients that hydrate your skin as you exfoliate.
This leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth, and reduces the risk of irritation or sensitivity.
That said, be careful not to scrub too hard or overuse the scrub. Exfoliating your body 2-3 times a week is adequate.
After scrubbing and showering, apply a generous amount of moisturizer on your skin.
Facial Scrub
Finally, check if the body scrub can also be used as a facial scrub. Most body scrubs are also safe for your face. But in a few cases, the manufacturer will expressly warn that it’s not for use on facial skin.
The advantage of a 2-in-1 body and facial scrub is that you don’t have to buy two separate scrubs, saving you money and bathroom space.
Best Body Scrubs For Men: Top 5 Reviews
1. ManCave Blackspice Body Scrub, 500ml
If you are looking for a charcoal body scrub, we recommend the ManCave Blackspice body scrub. It combines the cleansing benefits of charcoal with the exfoliating capability of pumice.
The scrub cleans off dead skin cells, dirt, and chemicals from your skin.
Aloe Vera and L’Arginine nourish your skin while giving it a soft and smooth finish. And for moisturization, the ManCave Blackspice scrub contains a number of natural oils including juniper, cardamom, and black pepper.
Most men using the Blacksprice scrub say it’s great. It’s gritty enough to clean the skin without being too rough and irritating. It also smells great.
As for safety, the ManCave Blackspice body scrub doesn’t contain any petrochemicals, parabens, sulphates, or synthetic dyes.
It is marked as cruelty-free and vegan. It also comes in recyclable packaging that carries the Compact by Design Amazon certification.
What we like about it:
- Cleans and exfoliates your skin.
- Smells great.
- Environmentally-friendly.
- Safe for all types of skins.
2. Every Man Jack Men’s Body Scrub, 500ml x 2
If you prefer the gentle even texture of microbeads scrubs, we recommend the Every Man Jack Men’s body scrub. It comes as a 2-pack, each bottle containing 500ml of bodys crub.
Don’t fret about environmental damage from the beads; the Every Man Jack body scrub is one of the most environmentally friendly in the market.
To start with, it contains biodegradable jojoba beads, not the awful plastic beads that get everywhere and damage the environment.
A lot of ingredients in the Every Man Jack scrub are natural – the company says the scrubs contain 97% naturally derived ingredients.
These include several oils such as orange peel oil and lemon peel oil that nourish and moisturize your skin as you exfoliate.
The Every Man Jack body scrub also contains glycerin for deep hydration.
Those with sensitive skin should note that the Every Man Jack body scrub contains sodium coco-sulfate (SCS), which is derived from coconuts.
While some manufacturers say SCS is safer and gentler than sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), it can still cause some irritation.
What we like about it:
- Nice citrus smell.
- Biodegradable microbeads.
- Certified cruelty-free by PETA.
- Vegan.
3. All Naturals, Exfoliating Body Scrub for Men, 400g
If you are looking for a natural sugar body scrub, get the All Naturals scrub scented with cedarwood and orange essential oils.
Sugar scrubs are great for men with sensitive skin. The All Naturals scrub contains a fine blend of three sugars that cleanse your skin without causing any irritation.
It also helps that 99.5% of the ingredients are naturally derived, so you don’t have to worry about harsh chemicals.
These include cedarwood oil, orange oil, moringa seed oil, and plant-derived glycerin.
Though thicker than most other bodys cribs, the All Naturals scrub is still easy to use and spreads easily on the skin.
The mostly natural ingredients make it safe for use on all areas of your body, including your face. If you get this, you don’t need to buy a separate facial scrub.
In addition to being natural, the All Naturals scrub is also cruelty-free (specifically, it’s not tested on animals) and vegan.
What we like about it:
- Great for sensitive skin – uses sugar and doesn’t contain sulfates.
- Can be used as a body or face scrub.
- Smells nice.
- Natural ingredients.
4. Brickell Men’s Polishing Body Scrub
This is a luxury body scrub that uses certified organic ingredients. It’s more expensive than other body scrubs, but many customers say it’s worth it.
The main exfoliating agent in the Brickell body scrub is natural walnut shell powder. The powder gives the scrub just the right amount of grit to get rid of dead skin cells, without causing irritation. In fact, it’s gentle enough to use daily without drying out your skin.
The scrub spreads easily on your skin. You can spread it with a loofah or washcloth, but your hand is the best tool. Peppermint oil in the scrub has a cool and refreshing feel on the skin. It also smells great.
In addition to walnut powder, the Brickell body scrub is packed with other natural ingredients that nourish and moisturize your skin.
These include Aloe Vera, Jojoba seed oil, oatstraw extract, vitamin E and others.
The Brickell body scrub doesn’t contain petrochemicals, phthalates, parabens, or sulfates. It’s safe for your skin as well as the environment.
While it’s suitable for sensitive skin, the manufacturer doesn’t recommend using it on your face.
What we like about it:
- Natural and organic ingredients.
- Good for sensitive skin.
- Cleanses and moisturizes skin.
- Smells great.
5. Rockface Mens Face & Body Scrub
If you are shopping for a body and face scrub, we recommend this one from Rockface. It scrubs your skin using crushed walnut shells and ground rice.
That sounds rough, but the scrub is really gentle. It will not hurt or irritate your skin.
We couldn’t find a complete ingredients list for the scrub, but the manufacturer says the main lubricating agent is castor oil. It doesn’t contain any bad stuff like parabens or plastic microbeads.
The Rockface body scrub comes in a small 150ml tube, so use just a little at a time and don’t exfoliate daily. 2 to 3 applications a week are enough.
The upside to the small size is that you can easily carry it with you when travelling, so you can keep up with your exfoliation schedule.
What we like about it:
- Effective and gentle exfoliator.
- Small tube that’s great for travelling.
- Suitable for body and face.
