What skincare experts have to say about Kylie Jenner’s walnut scrub

Kylie Skin debuts next week with a concerning product: a walnut face scrub. We talked to a couple of skincare experts about whether this should be your next beauty buy.

With anything the Kar-Jenner family does, people have opinions and concerns — and a lot at that. Once Kylie Jenner announced she had a skincare line in the works, dubbed Kylie Skin, social media lit up with opinions.

Now, the social discussion is not so much about Kylie Skin itself, which debuts May 22. Instead, netizens are upset with the main ingredient in the walnut face scrub.

For skincare aficionados, you may already be aware of the issues with harsh scrubs. St. Ives’ Apricot Scrub is facing a class action lawsuit that claims it can actually damage your skin. Not surprisingly, apricot scrubs and walnut scrubs aren’t that different.

Apricot scrubs use walnut shells as the exfoliant property. Whereas, walnut scrubs use finely ground walnut powder. However, the tiny particles don’t make walnut-based exfoliants any less damaging to your face  — because your face is typically a lot more sensitive than the rest of your skin.

Sharon McEntee, a licensed medical Esthetician at Embody Med Spa, explains that it is important to exfoliant your skin to remove dead skin cells. McEntee continues:

"Seed/nut/shell based scrubs are great for the skin on the body but can be too abrasive for the face because the pieces often have sharp edges and can have a negative impact on the skin over time. The goal of at-home exfoliation is to gently remove dead skin cells without irritation."

Coupled with the sensitivity of your face and the abrasiveness of seed and nut-based exfoliants, such as a walnut face scrub, the irritation can cause inflammation. While the post-rough scrubbing inflammation will only be temporary, regularly using a rough scrub will leave your face more susceptible to infections in the form of pimples.

Nandi Wagner, Esthetician, Skin Care Educator, and owner of Blush & Bourbon, adds that the inflammatory side effects from walnut-based scrubs are far from great for acne-prone skin:

"Due to the harsh and inflammatory nature of walnut/based scrubs, their use can worsen these conditions. Moderate to severe acne can be negatively impacted by these scrubs spreading bacteria to other areas of the face. Inflammatory conditions like Rosacea or Psoriasis can experience increased redness, flakiness, and in extreme cases injury to the epidermis with continued use."

Wagner notes that walnut, seeds, and husks are naturally abrasive, so even when they’re meticulously ground and cleaned, they’re still going to have sharp edges that can cause irritation that can lead to acne. Don’t blame “micro-tears” for this increased chance of acne. As she clarifies, the “micro-tears” rumor regarding rough scrubs is more of a case of mistaken identity:

"[Micro-tears are] a very real concern but I do think “micro-tears” is a misnomer. Physical exfoliant ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and husks are incredibly abrasive and can irritate the epidermis. That irritation can lead to increased breakouts, redness, broken capillaries, flakiness, or excessive dryness. Consumers are looking for a way to improve their skin, not injure it."

When the goal of exfoliation is to remove the first layer of your dead skin so that your living skin is more permeable to soap and water (so you can get that fresh-out-of-the-shower smell all day), Wagner claims that walnut and other nut-based scrubs don’t even perform well as exfoliants.

Noting that there aren’t any safe or less abrasive methods to incorporate these exfoliants in your skincare routine, Wagner adds, “Walnut or apricot powders are the least effective and most abrasive physical exfoliant and pit the skin at risk for long-term damage.”

Conversely, McEntee claims that some people might be able to incorporate a walnut scrub into their skincare routine a couple of times a week if they mix some of the scrubs in with a gentle face wash — the key here is to do this separately, not add the scrub to your face wash.

While McEntee adds that abrasive seed and nut-based exfoliants can be great for body exfoliation, they can be too rough for your face. Instead opt for safer alternatives:

"If clients prefer exfoliants that feel gritty, there are options that use smooth granules to gently remove the dead skin cells without the risk of injuring the skin. Examples of these are jojoba beads or oatmeal."

If grainy exfoliants that feel gritty or rough to the touch aren’t your jam, McEntee suggests chemical or enzyme exfoliants because they get rid of your dead skin without scraping your skin:

"These can be found in the form of cleansers, toners, masks, moisturizers, and serums. Some chemical exfoliants include glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, or retinol. Enzyme exfoliants include papain (from papaya) and bromelain (from pineapple). Enzyme exfoliants are generally safe for everyone – including those with inflammatory skin conditions and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding."

TL;DR: Walnut scrubs are typically a painful journey for your skin. While you might be able to use Kylie Skin’s walnut face scrub on your body, we wouldn’t recommend using it on your face unless your dermatologist has sleuthed through the ingredients list and is positive that your face will survive using the walnut scrub a couple of times a week.

Although Kylie Jenner reassured us in her video that her walnut face scrub is gentle, “gentle” and “nut-based scrubs” aren’t typically spoken in the same sentence.

We were already a little skeptical when Kylie didn’t actually have a demonstration of the walnut face scrub product in her brief video, but now we’re even more skeptical of any and all nut and seed exfoliant.

Regardless of what skincare products you do or don’t add to your shopping cart, we agree with Nandi Wagner and Sharon McEntee: Consult a dermatologist or other skin care professional whenever possible.