REVIEW: Lush Cosmetics Dark Angels

This is the Lush Cosmetics’s Dark Angels black sugar cleanser. It retails on their website for $14.95 CAD for 100g of product (or the larger tub $36.95 CAD for 240g of product. It is marketed as a charcoal face and body scrub that “exfoliate and absorb excess oils to leave dull, oily or acne-prone skin feeling fresh and matte.”

This vegan mask is suitable for sensitive skin types and is intended to soften the skin, calm redness and irritation. Its Rhassoul mud base is designed to help deeply cleanse the skin to help prevent breakouts while its avocado oil helps nourish the skin leaving it feeling moisturized. Today I’m sharing my thoughts about Dark Angels.

First impressions

The majority of Lush’s products are packaged the same so I won’t speak too much on that. If you’ve ever seen their products, they have simple, reusable, and recyclable packaging. The company also has an in-house recycling program: bring in 5 empty/clean pots and receive 1 fresh mask free (try the Cosmetic Warrior if you need something for breakouts!)

I’ve said before, that I am not the biggest fan of fragrance when it comes to my face products but the body has thicker skin so I don’t actually mind using fragrance. The product itself smells of sandalwood and it is definitely enough to scent your entire bathroom.

At first glance, the scrub has a thick clay-like consistency that quickly emulsifies when it comes in contact with water. As you add more water, the sugar starts to break down and the scrub becomes more gentler - the scent does not get watered down.

My Experience

A little it about my skin. I have dry skin (to the point where I have had patches of eczema), and also suffer from body acne on my chest, back and arms. Needless to say, I was looking for a gentle scrub that would help prevent acne, as well as lighten up some of my dark spots.

I mostly used this product on my body rather than my face for reasons I explained already. In general, I don’t recommend using scrubs on my face especially if you’re someone who has active pimples. However, I did use this either on a weekly basis or a bi-weekly basis just to help exfoliate the top layer of my skin.

I did notice my face getting a little big or redness while using this so I discontinued using it on my face as I believe the fragrance was a little much for my face.

I would use the scrub right away in the shower, and let it sit for a while to let the Rhassoul mud work its magic while I double cleansed my face. The scrub does leave a layer of charcoal on your skin so afterwards, I would use my regular cleanser to get that off (and clean the shower right away unless you want dried, dark water marks). My skin felt smooth but not stripped and I experienced less breakouts.

Before

The above photo was taken when I first started using the scrub in November 2019. As you can see, I had some breakouts on my chest as well as deep dark marks post breakout.

After 6 months using this (May 2020) I have noticed a reduction in breakouts, my dark marks have significantly faded (without the use of any other lightening creams) and my skin is really soft.

Overall

If you’re someone who is looking for a vegan scrub, with minimal ingredients, that not only smells great but is effective at lightening dark marks, exfoliating the skin, helping to prevent breakouts without stripping the skin, then I suggest trying this one out (that was a long sentence). But seriously, I will be repurchasing Dark Angels product because I thoroughly enjoyed using it. Not for the face but for the body.