After Half a Century of My Skipping Skin Care, This $9 Scrubber Finally Got Me Washing My Face

Is the Vwmyq scrubber the best silicone face scrubber for most people? How would I know? I test speakers for a living. Wirecutter doesn’t (yet) have a face scrubber guide, so I couldn’t rely on guidance from my more qualified colleagues. And there’s such a wide variety—some scrubbers cost more than $20, while others sell for as little as 33¢ each (although in a pack of 20, which, considering my age, would likely leave at least a dozen for my heirs to fight over).

The one thing I don’t like about the Vwmyq scrubber is the tiny loop on the side, which is intended to let you hang the scrubber from a hook so that it can dry. Threading the 0.375-inch loop onto the little hooks on the side of my shower caddy is a frustrating challenge for my age-addled eyes. However, I’ve been placing the scrubber fingers-down on the shower caddy for 20 months now, and it’s still free of soap scum and mildew. I just give it a cursory rinse before I use it in the shower with my Dove bar—which I know probably isn’t the best face wash but has worked for my basic needs. And my dermatologist hasn’t told me that I need to upgrade.

In the spirit of giving my evaluation at least a sliver of credibility, I tried a more expensive model: the $20 Sud Scrub, which has the advantage of a finger strap on the back. It claims to be antimicrobial—but in this post-pandemic age, what doesn’t? Because the Sud Scrub is flexible, it conforms better to my face’s curves, but this design also made scrubbing feel more like a chore than like a mini facial. I’ll stick with the Vwmyq model.

If you would feel more comfortable buying your face scrubber from one of the storied brands of the beauty industry, you can find more expensive options. Admittedly, in a time when products of seemingly unknown provenance are showing up all over sites like Amazon (the other silicone scrubbers that I found were from unfamiliar marques such as Coslus, Luckyiren, and Mr Lion), the Vwmyq name doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. And the fact that the Vwmyq brand has also found its way onto Pilates equipment, LED gloves, car vacuums, fake flowers, and cellophane bags doesn’t give me much faith in parent company Haikou Liukesong Technology’s dedication to my skin health. Still, my scrubber has lasted almost two years without losing a single silicone finger. I can’t think of many other $9 products that have lasted me this long.