The skincare sensation that leaves skin refreshed and more youthful

When Clarisonic first launched its sonic face brush, women were left wondering if we really needed a £150 oversized toothbrush to clean our faces.

After all, we’d done pretty well with a flannel until now. But these brushes, which claim to remove make-up six times more effectively than manual cleansing, have become a skincare sensation.

Their cleaning power comes from a brush with a vibrating head, used with a gel cleanser on damp skin to remove dirt, oil and make-up. 

New research shows that far from being a gimmick (or a lazy girl's way out of a proper cleanse), facial brushes don't just get rid of the day's grime, but can make you look younger, too

The brush not only leaves skin refreshed, but also stimulates circulation and exfoliates. Devotees claim it can reduce oily areas, patches of dry skin and blemishes, too.

Four years after the UK launch, there are four different Clarisonic models available — including a travel version and one for the body — and a wave of copycat brushes are now hitting the market.

Clarisonic claims its patented vibrating technology is gentler on the skin and more effective than the rotating mechanism that the new wave of brushes use. But even without vibrations, these new models are causing a buzz. 

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The No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush from Boots, £24.95, has two speeds and promises radiant and healthier looking skin in less than 60 seconds.

JML’s Ayvo, £29.99, claims to dramatically improve your skin tone and texture and Philips’s £150 VisaPure brush has a selection of different heads and boasts it’s ten times more effective than hand-cleansing.

And with skincare institution Olay launching its own brush this autumn, this is one beauty trend that isn’t going anywhere.

New research shows that far from being a gimmick (or a lazy girl’s way out of a proper cleanse), these brushes don’t just get rid of the day’s grime, but can make you look younger, too.

‘Dirt left on the skin accentuates the textural changes we see on the surface as we age,’ says Dr Sian Morris, principal scientist at Olay. ‘But it can also make skin look dull. 

Philips's £150 VisaPure brush (L) has a selection of different heads and boasts it's ten times more effective than hand-cleansing and Olay are launching its own brush this autumn (R)

‘As we know, skin radiance diminishes with age, and residue that makes skin look less radiant inevitably makes us look older, too.’

But the anti-ageing benefit of brushes isn’t simply down to thorough cleaning. They can also super-charge the potency of your skincare.

Lancome recently conducted a two-week study using its flagship Visionnaire skincare range in association with Clarisonic.

Fifty women cleansed as normal and then used the Clarisonic brush on wet skin on just one half of their face before using the Visionnaire products all over.

The results? Pores appeared smaller and skin looked brighter on the side that had been cleansed using the Clarisonic. 

Women who had used the facial brush has smaller pores and their skin looked brighter on the side that had been cleansed using the Clarisonic

All the women in the study said the skin on that side of their face looked and felt more radiant and toned than the skin on the other side.

‘We saw results after two weeks using Visionnaire that we’d normally only see after a month,’ says Philippe Barbarat, who carried out the research. ‘This is because the brush effectively removed obstacles on the skin’s surface such as impurities and dead skin that stop the product getting to the skin.’

This result was echoed in research carried out by Olay on their new gadget. It showed that 30 per cent more anti-ageing ingredients made it into the skin when it was cleaned with their rotating brush first. And, over at Philips, research demonstrated a 10 per cent increase in blood circulation under the skin, making it more radiant.

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Cosmetic dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting is convinced. ‘More thorough removal of make-up can only be a good thing. If your foundation is left on the skin, it’s a barrier to penetration. Why splurge on a pricey serum if it’s not getting to where it needs to go?’

But does it matter whether you use a  super-expensive brush, or just a £30 one?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Olay says no — its research showed that when it comes to cleansing and exfoliating, the cheaper brush was as effective as the Clarisonic.

But Clarisonic argues that its brushes, which move 50 times faster than any others on the market and at a carefully designed frequency, don’t just scrub at skin as rotating brushes do, but create turbulence in the cleanser and water, helping to dislodge oil, dirt and make-up more effectively.

With a more expensive brush, you get better quality bristles, meaning heads don’t need to be replaced as often. You also get chargers instead of batteries and timers so you don’t overdo it.

But if your budget is tight and you just want improved cleaning — and to get more from your anti-ageing serum — even cheaper brushes will supercharge your skincare regime better than a flannel ever could.

HOW TO USE A FACIAL BRUSH

Dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting warns not to overdo it when cleansing with a facial brush.

And, as with introducing anything new into your skincare regime, there can be downsides.

‘If you’ve got problem skin or sensitive skin, start by using a brush every other day at night for no more than a minute altogether (try 20 seconds on each side and 20 seconds on your forehead). See how your skin reacts.

‘Avoid overly foaming cleansers, which can irritate, and if skin feels tight, you’ve gone too far.’