A sugar body scrub is a mixture of oil and sugar along with other ingredients that are used to exfoliate the skin. This mixture is the same thing as a body scrub with sugar. Sometimes other body scrubs are made with coffee, salt, or jojoba beads that exfoliate the skin.

This mixture is applied to the skin and rubbed in to help the skin exfoliate dead skin cells. The removal of the dead skin cells will often leave the skin looking and feeling smooth. This type of scrub is said to have many other benefits to the skin and is a great way to relax yourself after a long day.

How To Use A Body Scrub With Sugar:


You want to shave before you start since shaving afterward could cause irritation and redness to the area where you did the scrub. Many shaving creams are also drying to the skin and you don’t want to dry out your skin, you want to keep it moisturized.

Cleanse Your Skin:

It’s a good idea to cleanse your skin before starting. You don’t want to keep rubbing dirt or makeup into your skin along with the sugar body scrub. Cleansing will remove everything so you can start off with a clean face or body. Some sugar scrubs have soap mixed in with them. If this is your case, you can go ahead and skip this step.

Wet Your Skin:

It’s recommended that you wet or dampen your skin before getting started. This is so the scrub has something to glide over your face with. Sometimes,  irritation or redness  could be caused if you don’t wet or dampen your skin first. This could be because the product may be harder to apply and you may end up pushing harder onto your skin.

Apply The Scrub:

Apply the product by taking a small amount and putting it on the tips of your fingers. You don’t have to start off with a lot of product; you can always add more if needed.

Rub In Small Circles:

The thing to remember is that you need to rub in small circles. You should rub easily and gingerly, also be careful not to press too hard. This could cause redness and sensitive skin to occur.


Rinse off with warm water and pat your skin dry.


Don’t forget to moisturize your skin when you are done. Freshly exfoliated skin needs plenty of moisture to thrive and stay soft and hydrated. Try to moisturize for a few days after you use any kind of scrub to keep your skin really hydrated.

It shouldn’t take you long to do after you get the hang of it. You can always speed things up or slow things down if you want to. One last thing to remember is to always listen to your skin, if you need more rest between scrubs, take more time.

What Are The Ingredients?

A sugar body scrub doesn’t have a lot of ingredients. The main ingredients are sugar, oil, fragrance, and a preservative. All of the ingredients are mixed together and then put into bottles.

Just because they don’t have a lot of ingredients, doesn’t mean that the scrub isn’t any good. This is the total opposite in my experience, we will get to the benefits later on in this post.


Sugar is the main ingredient that give a sugar body scrub its name. Different types of sugar can be used depending on your skin goals. These include brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar, and white granulated sugar.

There is no right type of sugar that is put into a scrub. Each kind of sugar is different in size and texture.

For example, brown sugar is generally more soft than white sugar. This makes brown sugar perfect for the face. Every company doesn’t use the same kind of sugar and some companies even mix different kinds of sugar together. The sugar can also come in organic.

It’s best to always look for a sugar body scrub that you can use over your entire body. You don’t want to have to buy 2 different types of sugar scrubs for different part of your body.


Just like sugar, different oils are used in sugar body scrubs. Each company has a formula that they use for their sugar body scrub. Usually different kinds of oil are mixed together to make the sugar body scrub apply well to the body.

Some oils will absorb into the skin faster and that could cause the scrub to dry out faster and irritate your skin when you’re doing a sugar body scrub. Other oils don’t absorb well and could make the sugar scrub too runny if used alone.

Some of the common different types of oil in a sugar body scrub can include coconut, jojoba, rice bran, olive, and almond.

Other types of oil such as hemp seed, and sesame seed oil can be used as well.

It can take a long time for a company to find the right amount of each oil that works best for their sugar body scrub.


A fragrance is often added to give the sugar body scrub a scent. These scents can range from anything you can think of. Fragrances can be added to a sugar body scrub by a fragrance oil or by essential oils.


A preservative isn’t technically needed but it should be added on the safe side. A preservative will prevent bacterial growth and keep it fresher for longer. If a preservative isn’t added, it can eventually lead to mold and other germs in your product.

Bacteria need water to grow and thrive in so you will not get bacteria in a sugar body scrub since it doesn’t have water.

However, water can always be added to your sugar body scrub accidentally. This can happen if you use wet hands to get more of the product out or if you leave the lid off in a humid or steamy environment like a hot shower.

That is all of the main ingredients that are in sugar body scrubs. Of course, if you look at the label you will see a lot more ingredients. These ingredients are to help with the consistency of the product. Other ingredients could be coloring to give the sugar body scrub a different color.

What Are The Benefits Of A Body Scrub With Sugar?

The benefits will vary from person to person. This is because each person has different skin and each skin type will react differently. Many people notice that their skin gets really exfoliated. This is the main benefit of why so many people use the scrubs.

Other main benefits include softer skin, hydrated skin, less oily skin, and the feeling of the scrub.
We did an entire blog post on the benefits of a body scrub here.

The same benefits apply to a regular body scrub as they do a sugar body scrub. Each has the same purpose and works the same way. They may have different ways of doing it but, they get the same benefit from it.

See For Yourself:

I think that everyone should at least try a sugar body scrub once. Some people notice immediate results with soft skin right after they are done. Other people tend to need more time to see results. Remember, the main job and benefit of a sugar body scrub is to help the skin exfoliate the skin.

Some people say they notice a difference in the cosmetic issues they may have. I have heard of people talk using one to help with uneven skin tone, cellulite, and stretch marks.

FDA Rules:

Companies aren’t allowed to advertise these since they are medical conditions and these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical conditions. These companies would have to get approval from the FDA before selling if the product is used to treat medical conditions.

We all heard of the main benefits that you may get, however, If you have any health issues you should talk to your medical doctor before using a sugar body scrub.

To get the most benefits you need to use the scrub more than once. A sugar body scrub should be used around 3 times a week depending on your skin. If you have more delicate skin, use it less often otherwise you could take away all the benefits and make your skin worse.

Does The Sugar In A Body Scrub Attract Ants?

If you don’t take the necessary precautions, it’s possible that you will attract ants. However this is rare, Most people don’t have a problem with ants around their sugar body scrub.

This is because some sugar body scrubs come with a detergent mixed in to help cleanse the skin and ants don’t like that. Ants are attracted to the smell of sugar. They love sugar since it gives them energy and is lightweight for them to move.

I put together a few tips for you to help avoid ants to your sugar body scrub:

Wash The Product Away:

After you wash off your sugar body scrub, make sure that it all gets washed down the drain. Any little bits of sugar leftover in the sink or bathtub could attract ants.

Apply The Lid Tight:

After you are done apply the lid tight. This will prevent any ants from being able to get inside of the container. If you do have ants inside the container, you will have to replace the product and get a new one.

Clean Up A Spill:

When applying you may accidentally spill some product on the floor or counter. This needs to be cleaned up as soon as you can get to it. Make sure you wipe it down well to get rid of any extra scrub that you could have missed.

Wash Off The Container:

It would be a good idea to wipe off the container every now and then. It doesn’t have to be done daily or anything like that. You could wipe down the container once a week or so. This will just help keep any  from spilling on the side of the container and attracting ants.

Most people never experience ants in their sugar body scrub. All of those tips were for the extremely rare case that you do have ants from your scrub. Don’t let the very small possibility of ants stop you from getting all the great benefits that a sugar body scrub has to offer.

Will A Body Scrub With Sugar Clog My Drain?

It’s possible that your drain could become clogged with the oil. You won’t have to worry about the sugar itself clogging the drain. This is because sugar is a solute and water is a solvent. All that means is that the water will dissolve the sugar and it won’t clog your drain. The water going down the drain will dissolve the sugar and take it with.

However, other ingredients in the sugar body scrub may cause your drain to clog.

Your drain could clog depending on the type of oil that is used in the sugar scrub. Many types of oil can clog a drain including olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil, rice bran oil, and others. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use a sugar body scrub, you will just need to take a few precautions every time you use the scrub.

Keep in mind, the amount of the sugar body scrub that you will use will likely be so small that your drain won’t get clogged. This is for more extreme cases.

Never Dump The Product Down The Drain Alone:

If you have to get rid of the sugar body scrub for some reason, never dump the entire container down the drain directly. This is almost a guaranteed way to clog your drain. Even if you dump it down with water, the sugar body scrub could still clog your drain.

Use Warm Water While Rinsing:

Another trick is to use warm water when rinsing off the product. Sometimes the oil can freeze in your drain if you use cold water. Coconut oil is a good example, the freezing point of coconut oil is 76 degrees F (24C).

Use An Emulsified Version:

An emulsified version will not clog your drain at all. This is because the water and oil molecules are bonded together. When rinsing, the oil and water molecules will stick together and the oil won’t separate off and clog your drain.

Is A Body Scrub With Sugar Safe For My Skin?

For most people, using a body scrub with sugar is safe. The sugar never enters your body and therefore shouldn’t affect anything. This is especially important for diabetics since they have to monitor their sugar intake. Also, the  scrub could take longer for your skin to heal if you’re a diabetic. You may need more than one or two recovery days that most people need.

For other people, your skin shouldn’t be affected at all. However, if you have any health problems or concerns you should always consult with your medical doctor for advice.

The two main ingredients are sugar and oil. These ingredients are generally safe and you shouldn’t have any problems.


Some people like to use organic sugar. This ensures the user that no chemicals were used during the growing season. Organic sugar could have a little brown shade to it but you shouldn’t get it confused with regular brown sugar. All other types of sugar as safe to use on the skin as well. Sugar body scrubs have different kinds of sugar that each one uses. Some sugar scrubs use a mix of sugars as well.

Sometimes sugar can irritate your skin if you have any cuts. This could make any small cuts longer to scab over and heal. You should avoid any areas of the skin where you have any cuts.


Sugar body scrubs are also made with different kinds of oil. Some different types of oil that are most commonly used are coconut, jojoba, almond, olive, and rice bran oil. All of these oils are safe to put onto your skin.

If you are allergic to one of the ingredients that these oils is made from, it’s best to avoid that type on in your sugar body scrub. For example, if you’re allergic to almonds, I wouldn’t recommend using a sugar body scrub with almond oil.

Check the label to make sure that it’s not expired. If the product is expired, throw it away and never use it on your body. Applying an outdated product to your skin isn’t safe and could cause health problems.

How Often Should I Use A Body Scrub With Sugar?

Many people recommend that starting off multiple times a week is a good starting point. Most users prefer anywhere between 2-3 times a week.

If you use it too often, you will start to irritate your skin. However, if you’re using it too less, you may not help your skin reach its potential. You want to find your skins sweet spot and stick to that.

Everyone has different skin and it’s really hard to tell you how often to do a sugar scrub.

After using the product a few times, you will be able to answer that question and have a more accurate answer. A schedule should be set so that your skin has some time to rest after each scrub.

Most people chose to give their skin a 3-4 days rest before doing another one.

Some people seem like they have really thick skin and can do one everyday. Other people have very delicate skin and should wait every three days or so.

Not Too Much:

You don’t want to overwhelm your skin by using a sugar scrub too much. A good idea is to set a schedule and stick to it.

The bottom line is just to test it out. Test it at different time intervals and see which time interval is right for you. I would wait at least 3-4 before doing another one to give your skin some time to rest.

If you are getting any sensitivity or redness you probably using a sugar scrub too much and need to cut back and give your skin some time to rest. Using one more often will not always give you faster results. It could actually slow the results down since your skin will need a proper resting period after each scrub.