Every now and then I come across products that are almost dupes for more expensive products, and I came across a duo at The Body Shop recently that was a real steal. I was at the mall at the beginning of May, and I wandered into The Body Shop. I had a bottle of Drops of Youth Liquid Peel that is at least 3 years old. Even though I use it frequently, I still have a lot left. I began to think I should probably toss it and buy a new one. The sales associate told me that for Mother’s Day, they were selling a Cleansing Duo that contained Drops of Youth Liquid Peel and Drops of Youth Gentle Foaming Wash, for $25.
The Drops of Youth Liquid Peel is usually $25 alone. I bought the duo online, and I think I paid even less for it because The Body Shop was having one of their frequent sales. I also got cash back via Ebates. The only thing I forgot was to get points for the purchase for being a member of their frequent shopper program. Oh well.
Now the Mother’s Day promotion is over, and the price for the two products is $30. Today, TBS has a 25% off promotion. If you wait a day or two, the sale could be 30% off or more. Regardless, this duo is well worth it.
Drops of Youth Liquid Peel vs. Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel
A few years ago, I wrote about my experiences with Drops of Youth Liquid Peel (reviewed here). It is a gentle chemical exfoliator that’s applied in a thin layer to clean skin. I leave it on for about 30 seconds or so, and then with my fingers, I make circles on my skin and the dead skin balls up. I know that sounds kind of gross, but it works. Then I wash the somewhat sticky gel and dead skin off with lukewarm water and a facecloth, and my skin feels super smooth and clean as a whistle.
The key ingredients in the Liquid Peel are 3 plant stem cells: Edelweiss from the Italian alps, Criste Marine and Sea Holly from the Brittany Coast and Community Trade organic Babassu Oil from Brazil.
Here is the complete ingredient list: Aqua/Water/Eau, Alcohol Denat., Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Palmitamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Quaternium-80, Parfum/Fragrance, Behentrimonium Chloride, Linalool, Citronellol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Isopropyl Alcohol, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Eryngium Maritimum Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, CitricAcid, Xanthan Gum.
I think the sticky sensation I mentioned above may come from the alcohol in the peel, so if alcohol is a no-no for your skin, you may need to pass. I have semi-sensitive skin, and have no issues with it.
Prior to discovering Liquid Peel, I had been sent a bottle of Japanese brand Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel (reviewed here). I loved the clear gel chemical exfoliator. It was the first one I tried, and it seemed to be a miracle-worker. It comes in a cool clear plastic tube with an interesting pump. It looked very Space Age. But it’s priced at $55 for 2 oz. It’s out of my price range. It would cost over $100 for the same amount of product as in the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel.
Here are the ingredients for Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel that also contains alcohol: Water, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Dicocodimonium Chloride, Steartrimonium Bromide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Arbutin, Fullerenes, Uncaria Tomentosa Extract, Maltodextrin, Butylene Glycol, PVP, Isopropyl Alcohol.
Drops of Youth Liquid Peel comes in a green translucent plastic traditional pump bottle, and it contains 4.9 fl. oz. Like I said above, it lasts forever. The regular price for all that goodness is $25. As much as I loved the Skin Inc. peel, to me, it’s a no brainer to go with the entrant from The Body Shop.
Drops of Youth Gentle Foam Wash vs. Skinceuticals Foaming Wash
Drops of Youth Gentle Foaming Wash was a new-to-me product, but since it was essentially free I was glad to try it. I have about a million cleansers, but I couldn’t resist giving it a go. I know this will be my go to cleanser until next winter.
It too comes in a translucent green plastic pump bottle. It’s one of those pumps that creates foam when you pump it. This foam is light, but when I apply it to my face, it is truly rich and creamy. I love the feel of it so much that I often put on more just to play with it. Silly, I know. It rinses off easily and leaves my skin clean but hydrated.
The Drops of Youth Gentle Foam Wash bottle contains 5 fl. oz., and the regular price is $18. The key ingredients are: 3 plant stem cells: Edelweiss from the Italian alps, Criste Marine and Sea Holly from the Brittany Coast and Community Trade organic Babassu Oil from Brazil.
Here’s the full ingredient list: Water, Glycerin, Sucrose, Coco-Glucoside, Propanediol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Laurate, Sodium Benzoate, Salicylic Acid, Parfum/Fragrance, Linalool, Citronellol, Eryngium Maritimum Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Hydroxide.
A couple of years ago, a friend gave me a bunch of skincare products from Skinceuticals that she wasn’t going to use. I gladly accepted them because I had heard good things about the brand. One of the products among the loot was Skinceuticals Foaming Wash. It has the same kind of pump that turns liquid soap into foam. The pump pumps out light as air foam. When I apply it to my face, it feels very lightweight. I am never sure that it’s actually doing anything. It’s very easy to rinse off. My skin feels clean enough, and it’s neither hydrated nor dry. I keep the bottle at Jeff’s because it’s never been my favorite. I still have a little left.
Here are the ingredients: water, sodium methyl cocoyl taurate, lauramidopropyl betaine, dimethicone copolyol, fragrance, sodium pca, phenoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, dipotassium glycyrrhizate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylparaben, citric acid, ethylparaben, propylparaben, sambucus nigra extract / sambucus nigra flower extract, hedera helix (ivy) extract, tilia cordata extract/tilia cordata flower extract, arnica montana flower extract, parietaria officinalis/parietaria officinalis extract, cucumis sativus (cucumber) seed extract, malva sylvestris (mallow) extract, isobutylparaben, butylparaben
Skinceuticals Foaming Wash contains 5 fl. oz., and it was priced at $34. I say “was” priced because the product was recently discontinued. It was replaced with Skinceutcals Soothing Cleanser. It sounds quite similar to the old product, but it is suggested for use after dermatological procedures including dermabrasion and microneedling and the ingredient list is a bit different. Cucumber is one of the key ingredients, and it no longer contains parabens or fragrance. The new price for 5 fl. oz. is $35.
Here is the shorter ingredient list in the new Soothing Cleanser: water, sorbitol, glycerin, sodium cocoyl glycinate, peg-8, hexylene glycol, coco-betaine, propylene glycol, phenoxyethanol, disodium edta, sodium chloride, orchis mascula extract, cucumis sativus fruit extract/cucumber fruit extract
Since I haven’t tried the new Skinceuticals Soothing Cleanser that certainly has a better ingredient list than the old one, maybe this isn’t a fair comparison. But for my money, I’ll stick with The Body Shop Drops of Youth Gentle Foam Wash for less than half the price.
Final Thoughts
While the Drops of Youth Liquid Peel and Gentle Foam Wash are not exact dupes for Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel and Skinceuticals Foaming Wash or Soothing Cleanser because their ingredients are not exactly the same, they feel very close and the usage experience and results are similar or better. Plus the price/value difference makes it an easy decision for me.
Finally, The Body Shop is a cruelty-free brand as is Skin Inc. Skinceuticals is not. BTW, the Drops of Youth Cleansing Duo products are vegan. I do not know about the others, though they may be as well.
So what do you think? Would you try the Drops of Youth Cleansing Duo from The Body Shop?
Their Drops of Youth Exfoliator is extraordinary in my view. I just pulled my bottle out to use the other day, and forgot how much I loved it!
I’m glad you’re a TBS Drops of Youth Liquid Peel fan too! Such an effective, affordable, natural & CF product!
I used up my Drops of Youth Exfoliator and somehow managed to forget all about it! Your post reminded me I should get another, and with the duo pack, that’s an excellent price!
I have to pay more attention to the body shop. I only remember them for their cremes. I’ll definitely want to shop a sale!
The sales online are very frequent, Michelle. Definitely worth a look from time to time
I love finding cheaper dupes that are also cruelty free! Woot!
My derm office sells Skinceuticals so I know it’s a great brand but overpriced. I remember reading the praise for The Body Shop peel and it’s great to know it’s just as good now as before.
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I love clear gel exfoliators, I think the one from Skin Inc was the first one I tried too. I feel like they are much gentler than traditional scrubs.
Yes, I think we all got the Skin Inc. via a blogging group we were in back then. It was a terrific peel, but the price, not so much. So happy I found the TBS Drops of Youth Liquid Peel, just as good, a fraction of the price
I still have never been in The Body Shop! I love that the salesperson was able to help you out – I hate being clueless in a store!
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I started going to The Body Shop in London years ago when it was still owned by the woman who started it, so I’m a long time fan. But I usually buy from TBS online coz that’s where the sales are! I went in the store to check whether my 3 yr old bottle of Liquid Peel was still good, and I was thrilled that the SA told me about the product duo and the Mother’s Day sale. So nice!
I adore Skinceuticals as you already know but the price is enough to give me a heart attack so this post is brilliant! I am good on cleansers for now but I am definitely intrigued by the peel.
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Definitely worth thinking about the TBS Drops of Youth Gentle Cleanser in the future. I strongly prefer it to at least the old Skinceuticals version, and so much less money. Plus cruelty-free
I used to buy a lot of TBS products before especially right around Black Friday. I will keep these in mind next time
Now TBS has Black Friday-worthy sales all year round! These are both excellent vegan choices
I love the Body Shop! Great cruelty-free products.
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I can’t remember the last time I tried anything from The Body Shop and considering how much I loved a good exfoliator, I think it may be time to change that!
I love the Body Shop liquid peel!
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What a great deal for The Body Shop duo. I still have my face peel and I love it.
I used to shop at The Body Shop all the time in middle school and high school. I haven’t been in there in years (prob because of Lush), but sounds like it’s worthwhile to check it out!
Ooo this looks nice! I’ve not used anything from them in a long time, or maybe ever? Seems like I have and it was a lotion! LOL
Probably a body butter from The Body Shop? I think people tend to forget about TBS, but they have some truly excellent products and with their frequent discounts, they’re a steal.
I’ve been wanting to try the Drops of Youth range, but always have so much on the go that I haven’t. It sounds great!