Is St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub worth it?

Mostly no. Only 1 of the 13 gurus who reviewed it approve, which leaves it a Guru Score of 39%.

What is St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub's Guru Score?

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub holds a Guru Score of 39%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 13 expert reviewers we have collected.

St. Ives

Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub.

Masks & Peels

About this product

A physical exfoliating scrub formulated with crushed apricot kernel particles and ceramides, designed to remove dead skin and buff the skin surface.

Full ingredients

Water (Aqua, Eau), Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Meal, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetyl Acetate, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Polysorbate 60, Ceteareth-20, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Fragrance (Parfum), PPG-2 Methyl Ether, Phenethyl Alcohol, Limonene, Linalool, Methylisothiazolinone, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Fruit Extract

Guru Score

39%

Nay

13 experts · Strong agreement

13Gurus

1Yay

2Mixed

10Nay

#15 in Masks & PeelsSee the ranking →

What they flagged

Jagged particles create micro tears in skin
Denatured alcohol dries skin significantly
Too harsh for face, body only

What the gurus are saying

The jagged, irregular shape of apricot kernel particles can create micro tears in the skin barrier rather than gently buffing the surface, triggering inflammation and potentially worsening acne in those already prone to it. Most gurus steer people away from this scrub as unnecessarily harsh, though a few find it acceptable for thicker, oilier skin or stubborn cases if used gently on wet skin. The formula also tends to leave skin feeling tight and dry despite added ceramides.

Synthesized from 13 expert reviews · most recent take June 2026

Type

Masks & PeelsCream

Formula notes

Contains fragranceNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google → iHerb →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Dr. Mamina

281k subs

✕Nay

"St. Ives Apricot Scrub, and anything with large, jagged, irregular particles, has a fundamental design problem. These particles can create micro tears in the skin barrier rather than gently buffing the surface, and those micro tears trigger inflammation, can accelerate barrier breakdown, and can worsen acne in people already prone to it. The apricot kernel specifically has an irregular, sharp shape under a microscope, there's litigation about this, and the data supports the concern."

All 3 takes from Dr. Mamina

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"The particles are jagged and irregular, which means that they create micro tears in the skin barrier rather than gently buffing the surface. Those micro tears can cause inflammation. They can accelerate barrier breakdown and they can worsen acne in people who are already prone to it. The apricot kernel specifically has a shape under a microscope that is genuinely damaging to the skin. And there have actually been lawsuits about this and the data is not on St. Ives's side."

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"St. Ives is a long-standing object of hate amongst dermatologists. It's ground up walnut shells. It might be something different now but the exfoliating agents in there, the harsh beads or like the ground up walnut can potentially cause micro tears to your skin affecting your skin barrier and causing more damage."

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April Basi

71k subs

✕Nay

"I won't use walnut scrubs like the St. Ives apricot scrub. Walnut shell powder has sharp, irregular edges under a microscope that create micro tears in the skin rather than smooth exfoliation, and for melanin rich skin even that micro inflammation can trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation over time."

Doctorly

3.58M subs

✕Mixed

"That's your St. Ives apricot scrub. I recommend these on the body, but I generally do not recommend these on the face."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.72M subs

✕Nay

"Within the physical world, you have your physical scrubs, your loofah, etc. But you also have scrubs that are formulated in a product like a St. Ives scrub where they used to use crushed walnut shells. And these physical scrubs can be abrasive and they're often too harsh if they're overdone and they can lead to micro tears and irritations and they're therefore not my favorite category."

Dr. Daniel Sugai

720k subs

✕Nay

"I feel like people are damaging their skin by trying to grab unnecessary physical exfoliating scrubs like St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub or other scrubs with harsh beads."

The Budget Dermatologist

723k subs

✕Nay

"The last product I do not recommend you buy is a harsh scrub. St. Ives Apricot Scrub. I'm looking at you. These are so harsh and so abrasive on your skin barrier. They are more likely causing more damage than any benefit you are looking for them to do on your skin."

208SkinDoc

2.09M subs

✕Nay

"My first experience with physical exfoliation was the St. Ives apricot scrub. It has little shards of walnut shells in it that are just tearing your skin. We just didn't know better, we were rubbing that stuff all over our face thinking it was doing something, but what it's doing is causing little micro tears all over your face and compromising your skin barrier. I typically don't recommend physical exfoliants very often because it is harsh on the skin and it can tear it."

All 2 takes from 208SkinDoc

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"The classic is Saint Ives apricot scrub, and I know it was a staple of my teenage skincare routine trying to scrub away acne, and most of you have probably used it too. But when you use these harsh abrasive scrubs, they do break down your skin barrier and cause micro tears in the skin. That damage to the barrier leads to inflammation, which is unfriendly to your collagen and elastin, and puts you at increased risk of developing rosacea and skin barrier problems, and more likely to become allergic or sensitive to ingredients even if you have been using the same products for years."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

✕Mixed

"St. Ives apricot scrub is safe to use as long as you don't scrub like we used to in the '90s, gently and in moderation like any other exfoliant. Listen, it's not my favorite exfoliant, I think it's drying as hell, but if it works for you keep using it."

All 2 takes from James Welsh

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"I used to love St. Ives Apricot Scrub as a teenager. The apricot bits were harsh and jagged, and I do remember actually cutting my skin on one of these apricot kernel shards. I have tried St. Ives Apricot Scrub recently. Was it the best? No. Was it as bad as I remember? Definitely not. I think St. Ives have kind of jet milled their scrub particles a bit more. It felt a lot less harsh. The only issue is, even though they say with Ceramides on the front, it's still incredibly drying. I just feel there is no need for a modern day product to leave your skin feeling that dry and tight."

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Dr Dray

2.68M subs

✕Nay

"The product that everybody loves to hate on is the St Ives apricot scrub. You guys know that product, it's abrasive, it can be very irritating, but some people use it and they don't have any problem with it, it doesn't cause them problems, they enjoy using it. If you're one of those people who uses that or any other facial scrub to exfoliate your skin, get your face wet first before going in dry because those corneocytes, the skin smoothing effect that you are seeking, it's going to go much more efficiently if you have hydrated the stratum corneum first."

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"Mechanical exfoliation can actually be helpful for stubborn cases of eruptive vellus hairs. Believe it or not, this is where you could make a case for everyone's favorite skincare villains St Ives Apricot Scrub and or the Buff Puff may be helpful here."

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"I'm not a fan of these mechanical exfoliants because they can lead to a lot of irritation. Some people do just fine with these, especially people who maybe have thicker oilier skin, but it can end up being irritating in the long run. I always thought that the St. Ives one had salicylic acid in it, this one does not appear to have salicylic acid but it does have lactic acid which can help with exfoliating."

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"People love to hate on the St. Ives Apricot Scrub because it's so abrasive, and that can end up causing dryness, irritation, and aggravating hyperpigmentation, especially in medium to deep skin tones. But a lot of people truthfully use this and have absolutely no issue with it, they like it, it's not causing problems. I'd say the main issue you can run into with a product like this is if you scrub too hard or use too much pressure, that's more likely to make it irritating for you."

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"St. Ives Apricot Scrub, everybody and their mother likes to rag on that product, it has these walnut shell particles in it, it can be irritating to the skin. I would never recommend it necessarily to a general audience, but if you've been using it and it's never caused you any problems, truthfully if it were that problematic it would not still be on the market."

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"These scrubs can traumatize the stratum corneum creating little holes where you have increased trans-epidermal water loss and better penetration of ingredients that might be irritating. The warning is that it can increase irritation. For people with eczema, rosacea, and if for people who have melasma or hyperpigmentation, this is something that is not in your best interest to use lightly because of those little areas of tiny erosions."

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"This started out as a salicylic acid face wash, but it had those walnut particles in it which create little tears in the skin, leading to more dryness and irritation. The salicylic acid alone is a good ingredient for improving oiliness and acne, but those walnut particles created a sensory experience that made people feel like they were doing something good for their skin when really they're just too harsh."

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"As much as people rag on this product, you'd think that St. Ives would cave under the pressure and at least come out with a salicylic acid face wash that didn't have the scrub particles in it, but no. They don't back down; they just keep coming out with more walnut scrubs."

Hyram

4.34M subs

✕Nay

"I just can't wait for the scrub to just slowly die out. I'm waiting for the day that St Ives comes out with better exfoliant products instead of scrubs, but that day is not here I guess."

All 2 takes from Hyram

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"I just can't wait for the scrub to just slowly die out. I'm waiting for the day that St Ives comes out with better exfoliant products instead of scrubs, but that day is not here I guess."

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"The worst thing I did was use the St. Ives scrub on my face and aggressively scrub it in."

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

✕Yay

"There's this hard rule going around that you should never use the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but I actually think that's wrong. There was a lawsuit against St. Ives over this idea of micro tears in the skin, a concept that people on the internet basically invented, and the case was thrown out because they couldn't prove that made up concept actually happens. So no, the scrub everyone should eliminate from their lives isn't the St. Ives Apricot Scrub."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✕Nay

"Came up with Saint Ives for its scrubs"

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✕Nay

"At first I saw the St. Ives Scrub, and I still remember that as the first product that I thought was going to cure my acne. I thought when I have acne I need to scrub my face until it goes away, but actually it becomes so much worse on my skin. My acne kept getting worse and worse, so of course I was panicked back then because I didn't know how to treat my acne. I kept scrubbing every single day until my skin barrier was damaged."

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"I even have that target haul where I pulled out like a stupid St Ives apricot scrub, the things that I used because I didn't know better. Abhorrent and embarrassing."