Are the new wave of vibrating silicone cleansing brushes worth it? This little cutie scrubs up well according to Megan Bedford.
It used to be a bit of soap and water was all you need to clean your skin. Before you shudder, we mean waaay back. Then we learnt a thing or two about being kinder to our skin, cleansing products turned from bars, to creams to foams to balms and back again. And here we find ourselves with the latest cleansing idea – to use a vibrating silicone pad to massage and deep cleanse skin.
Sonic brushes aren’t new – Clarisonic, a cleansing brush with detachable spinning brush heads, made big waves several years ago and while effective, some medium to sensitive skin types found it too exfoliating for regular use.
Enter the Cutisonic. This little baby (and we mean little, this gadget is not much bigger than your average jar of eye cream) promises sonic vibrations at 22,000 waves per minute. That’s twice that of other sonic brushes. Why should we care? Because the gentle vibrations help loosen dirt, debris and excess from pores as well as stimulate circulation, along with the help of the soft silicone bristles.
To give it a whirl, I tested it both as an initial cleanse to remove makeup with a makeup remover and also as the second step of my cleansing routine with a gentle cream cleanser.
Both times I splashed my face with warm water and used my fingers to spread the cleanser over my face. I then used the Cutisonic with the silicone brush head to massage the cleanser around my face. I used the slower speed but it buzzed away comfortably on my face and was super easy to use, guiding it over my skin in small circular motions. After rinsing my skin felt super smooth and plump and soaked up my serums quick smart before I applied a hydrating moisturiser like usual. I prefered using it as the second part of my double cleanse, because it feels nicer with a lush cream or gel cleanser to glide over skin with.
Afterwards I held the device under the tap and rinsed it. It’s waterproof so you can even use in the shower. After a few uses I put a tiny bit of antibacterial soap on the pad to give it a good clean but the brand claims the silicone is far more resistant to bacteria than your average bristle brush.
After 4 weeks use of the Cutisonic for my night cleanse only, I can definitely say I’m impressed with the state of my skin and the way makeup goes on.
I did try switching the brush head with the makeup sponge it comes with as it’s claimed it also delivers a flawless application of foundation. I have to say I didn’t love this element of it, as the sponge soaked up way too much product, and didn’t transfer it effectively to my face. I feel like using a beauty blender to buff on product gives a similar polished effect.
That said, the cleansing mode was effective enough that even though I was sent the product to review, I would repurchase it myself if I needed to – the texture of my skin afterwards is that good. One of the other points that absolutely sold me is that one charge of the tiny cordless handpiece lasts for up to 6 months! No need to take the charging cord on a week-long holiday.
There are other silicone face cleansers on the market like the ones by Foreo and O Cosmedics, but I loved the size and ease of this one. If you don’t love the vibration element, try a simple silicon pad that fits over your fingers when you cleanse – Simply Essential makes a cheap and effective one.
