We’re highly impressed with how well, and how quickly, the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub cleared and improved our skin. The difference was so vast, that people in our social group not only noticed that our skin had improved, but they commented on it.
We test skincare for a living and this hardly ever happens. And while it didn’t permanently solve the problems of redness and oiliness – which would have been a stretch, we admit – the results do last longer than with other products we’ve used.
Despite the fact the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub costs £34 for what seems like a relatively small tube, it lasts a long time. We bought this scrub back at launch and have used it twice a week every week – for months (other than when we took a four-week break). It’s still going. You only need a very small amount of make a difference.
For more than a decade, Huda Kattan – the brains behind the Wishful Skin brand – has had access to some of the world’s best beauty experts and technologies so it’s no surprise that her Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub works as well as it does.
In tests, 97% of people said they would recommend the scrub and, almost by accident, we ended up doing the same because our skin spoke for itself.
| Cult Beauty | £34 |
| Boots | £34 |
Since its debut product in March, Huda Kattan’s Wishful Skin has released a host of products – the Yo Glow Enzyme scrub came first, closely followed by the Chin Lift Sculpting mask and the Thirst Trap Cocoon Mask. Then came the Cleansing Genie balm and most recently, the Honey Jelly Balm moisturiser.
You can read about each one in our guide on where to buy Wishful Skin in the UK.
Each is designed to target different needs and fit into different parts of your skincare routine and each comes with bold claims about how much they brighten, lift and hydrate the skin.
READ NEXT: How to layer your skincare
In the case of the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub, Wishful claims this scrub-cum-polish leaves your skin looking brighter while reducing the appearance of sun damage and dark spots.
Having previously written a Wishful Chin Lift mask review, we’ve spent the past six months using the Yo Glow Enzyme scrub twice a week to see if it really does live up to these claims and if it’s worth the rather extortionate £34.
Buy now from Boots
The Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub was the first product in Huda Kattan’s Wishful Skin range
Described as “a gentle, yet powerful exfoliating scrub”, the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub is infused with a mix of pineapple and papaya enzymes, beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs). If you want to know more about these products, check out our skincare ingredient checker.
Papaya and pineapple, or specifically the papain and bromelain extracts found in these ingredients are known to help reduce redness and pigmentation while making the skin look clearer.
AHAs are, largely, used for chemical exfoliation and reducing wrinkles while BHAs work further beneath the surface to “melt the bonds binding dead cells to the skin’s surface”. BHAs also help clear congestion which can minimise spots and blemishes.
These ingredients come together to gradually reduce dark spots and scars, get rid of sun damage, and even out your skin tone. Until recently, the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub came in one “flavour”, but you can currently buy a limited-edition Tropical Fruits version. The formula is the same, but it has a fruity, bergamot and amber musk fragrance.
You can read more about AHAs, BHAs and the other ingredients listed in the Wishful products in our The truth about the acids in your skincare guide.
Buy now from Boots
If you’re like us, when we buy anything that contains the word “scrub”, we expect it to contain tiny, scratchy particles that scrub away the dead skin cells. The feeling is tangible and it’s satisfying to feel these particles seemingly getting to work.
The Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub is not like this. The slightly opaque, white gel feels smooth – even when you start massaging it in to your face.
However, the longer you rub it in, so-called cellulosic fibres bind to dead skin cells, pulls them together and causes small white lumps of product to gather on your face.
READ NEXT: Wishful Chin Lift review: Before and after photos reveal if the new sheet mask is actually worth it
Keep massaging the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub until these lumps stop being produced and then, when you wash them off, they reveal smooth, bright skin.
It doesn’t smell overly strongly of pineapple, which is a pity as we think that would be a bonus – in fact there’s hardly any scent to it at all but this suggests it should better suit more sensitive skin types.
Buy now from Boots
In tests involving a panel of 60 people, each with different skin types and tones, Wishful Skin claims that 99% agreed their skin felt softer after one use, 98% agreed that their skin appeared to have less impurities, and 93% agreed their skin appeared brighter.
We must be in the minority then because this is not what we experienced. Our skin didn’t feel, or look any different.
In fact, it looked slightly irritated and the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub seemed to exacerbate existing patches of redness. This was disappointing.
THE WISHFUL SKIN RANGE
Available from Cult Beauty, Selfridges, Boots, Sephora and Harrods, as well as Huda Beauty’s own online store, Kattan’s first Wishful product was the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub.
This pineapple-infused scrub was then joined by:
However, when we woke up the next morning, the results were vastly improved. The red patches that we tend to have on our left cheek and nose were barely noticeable.
The pimples we get on and around our jawline were minimised and our pores looked tighter. This lasted for a couple of days before our various skin concerns started to rear their head again.
We had chosen to only use the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub once a week at the start of the process, but we increased this to twice a week in an attempt to stay on top of these concerns.
It is gentle enough to be used everyday if you have particular problematic skin.
By the end of the second week, having used the scrub four times by this point, our skin looked noticeable brighter.
We found ourselves using less foundation and makeup and even spent a couple of days using tinted moisturiser which is something we can’t usually get away with.
A number of friends – and a rather blunt and honest parent – even told us our skin looked “glowy” and asked what we had changed.
We don’t have sun damage (we’ve always been obsessed with using SPF) and we don’t yet have noticeable dark spots so we can’t comment on the effectiveness of the scrub on darker pigmentation, but we can vouch for the fact it balanced our skin tone over the course of a fortnight.
In the two weeks that followed, we didn’t see any further improvement – or at least not to the point it was as noticeable as in the first two weeks.
Our skin remained clear and as we approached our period, our blemishes didn’t stick around as long as they usually do. We also noticed less oily patches as the day went on and our makeup stayed put.
READ NEXT: What does non-comedogenic mean when it comes to makeup and skincare?
Once the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub review ended, we stopped using it. Not because we didn’t like or because we weren’t impressed, but because we wanted to see whether it had made a lasting impact on our skin or not.
In some respects, it did. The red patches that have plagued us for years are definitely more pale than they were. However, our skin soon became a little dull again – within about three weeks of stopping using the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub – and oiliness have been creeping back in.
And one minor complaint, which is far from Wishful Skin’s fault – the small lumps of product and dead skin cells often got tangled in the hairs on our face.
We don’t have a particular hairy face (!) and the hairs are very fine but we had to get rid of them with a reusable makeup removal pad soaked in warm water.
Buy now from Boots
Wishful Skin There is now a Yo Glow Detox that’s for your face and body
It is possible to use the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub on your body, but Wishful recently released the Yo Detox Face & Body Enzyme Scrub. This takes the exfoliating power of the original to the next level.
Not only is it suitable for your body and face but it has been designed specifically to tackle the problem of ingrown hairs; making it ideal for men and their shaving bumps, as well as women.
It contains papaya (papain) and pineapple (bromelain) extracts which both help reduce pigmentation and maximise clarity. The inclusion of alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids help to lift dead cells to the skin’s surface, while charcoal draws out impurities.
It then uses witch hazel to close pores and lessen dark spots and scars.
Like the original scrub, as you massage the Yo Detox into your skin, cellulosic fibres bind to dead skin cells and cause skin pilling. So don’t be alarmed if little blobs appear on your face! You just need to then wash them off to reveal clean, smooth skin.
Alternatively, you can buy a “jumbo” tube of the original Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub and this may do the same job. The jumbo 200ml version costs £55, while the 100ml costs £34. The Yo Detox Face & Body Enzyme Scrub also comes in at £34.
Buy now from Boots
It’s incredibly rare for people in our social groups to not only notice that our skin had improved but to comment on it and praise how it looks.
We’re highly impressed with how well, and how quickly, the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub cleared and improved our skin and while it didn’t permanently solve the problems – which would have been a stretch, we admit – the results do last longer than with other products we’ve used.
Despite the fact the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub costs £34 for what seems like a relatively small tube, it lasts a long time. We bought this scrub back at launch and have used it twice a week every week – for months (other than when we took a four-week break).
It’s still going. You only need a very small amount to make a difference.
We’ve also noticed that the Yo Glow Enzyme Scrub only really scrubs our dead skin cells on our cheeks and nose. Very few lumps appear when we scrub our chin or forehead so while we still use the scrub on those areas, we use less. This makes the tube last even longer.
Buy now from Boots
Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
