Best exfoliating gloves and mitts 2022: Dry skin and self tan removal for body and face

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

With its large size, this glove was incredibly easy to slide on and off, and has a handy loop to hang it up to dry. Getting its 2-1 name from having a coarse side for exfoliation and a soft, gentle surface for cleansing, it feels more like a luxurious process than a must-do task. Our tester enjoyed adding body wash to the softer side for a post-scrub cleanse.

As far as exfoliating goes, it effectively removed any left-over fake tan and nicely buffed the skin. It was gentle enough to use dry, too, in a similar way to a dry brush. For anyone less mobile, or those who have difficulty reaching their feet or backs, the shower back strap (£4.80, Lookfantastic.com) is a great extra for those harder-to-reach places.

Best: Tight-fit gloves

Rating: 8/10

Typical-looking exfoliating gloves, Soap & Glory is always a failsafe option for low-cost mini luxuries and skincare essentials. Bright-pink, these really jazzed up our tester’s bathroom and were very easy to use.

Made from 100 per cent nylon, they’re pretty coarse, and can really get into every nook and cranny, thanks to the stretchy finger holes. The wrist area was double-layered, meaning there was no worry of tearing or breaking when pulling them on and off. Again, these gloves have a nifty loop attached so can be hung up to dry.

Due to their coarseness, we’d suggest using them only wet and on wet skin, while the brand recommends wearing them to rub your body wash in – killing two birds with one stone.

Best: Intense exfoliation

Rating: 9/10

Now, this is an exfoliating mitt for those who like a really rough rub (ooh-er!). Our tester even used this on hard-skin areas like their heels and feet, and was impressed at just how well it removed this stubborn skin.

Double-sided for easier use, this mitt design is on the small side, meaning it fit our tester’s hand quite snugly. The black colourway is great for those who prefer a minimal bathroom aesthetic, and also made it easier to see exactly what was coming off – in a grossly intriguing way.

Although we do have to stress that anyone with sensitive skin may want to look at some of the other options, this really is a brilliant choice for those who want a strong-working product.

Best: Face exfoliating mitt

Rating: 9/10

Known for having a roster of famous clients, Sarah Chapman is quite the go-to brand for luxury skincare. So, when it comes to exfoliating an area as sensitive as the face, we trust her products to be gentle yet effective – and we weren’t disappointed.

Just like a mini body exfoliation mitt with one textured side and one softer side, these mini mitts easily slot over the fingers for a deeper cleanse. We used ours with the No7 cleansing balm (reviewed here) and were really impressed with how clean our skin felt afterwards. It easily removed stubborn eye make-up in seconds, handling even the dreaded glitter eyeshadow with no problem.

The whole process felt more like a spa-like experience than our regular washing routine, and you can just wash and re-use the mitt over and over again – a definite win.

Best: High street buy

Rating: 7/10

At £4, these bath gloves from The Body Shop are a great budget-friendly option that are sure to see you through for a long time. Available in four colourways – pink, green, yellow and orange – they’ll brighten up your bathroom, too.

Typical glove style, they can get into every crease, between the toes, and around the bikini line to combat ingrown hairs. They weren’t as coarse as some of the other options in this round-up, so would be a better option for gentler exfoliation or on sensitive skin. Our tester used them to apply body wash, providing a lubrication between the skin and the glove, and giving a deeper clean in a shorter amount of time.

Best: Pre-tan exfoliating mitt

Rating: 8/10

This mitt has been designed to exfoliate before using fake tan – a vital step in pre-tan prep – and that’s exactly what our tester used it for. It wasn’t the most intense exfoliation, but the fine ridges did whip away dead skin as well as remnants of a lingering old tan, too.

More like a sock than a glove or a mitt, with just one space for the hand and a tight wrist band, it stays on tightly for easy use, with no faffing around trying to get fingers into the right holes.

Being double-sided, it’s easy to rotate and use all over the body, including the back. Like most of the other mitts here, we’d recommend using this one only while wet and on wet skin.

Best: Large exfoliation mitt

Rating: 9/10

Face Halo has been causing quite a stir with its reusable face pads – which our tester already uses on a daily basis – so it was no surprise that the body mitt was one of the first options to try in our exfoliation glove and mitt round-up.

At first glance, it doesn’t look like this will do much, due to its soft fluffy exterior, but we were really quite impressed with just how exfoliating it was once we started to use it. One side is more textured, which was great for a deep exfoliation that really worked across tougher areas like the feet and hands. The other side is softer, designed to polish the body post-scrubbing – it delivered great results without any scratchiness.

Another big plus is that it can be used up to 200 times on both wet and dry skin, making it great value for money.

Best: Budget buy

Rating: 8/10

Superdrug is a regular go-to for budget-friendly products, so it’s no surprise that it has one of the cheapest exfoliating gloves on offer. Simple in design, the 100 per cent nylon gloves have no fancy features but just get the job done.

Like the other exfoliation gloves in this round-up, they’re great for covering all areas (bar the face). But again, we’d recommend using them wet and on wet skin with a body wash for an effective, quick and less scratchy feel. If you prefer dry exfoliating with a gentler option, the Superdrug spaa body exfoliating gloves (£3.49, Superdrug.com) are a thicker yet softer version, delivering more of a spa feel.

Best: Gentle exfoliator

Rating: 9/10

For a light exfoliation that can be done on a more regular basis or used on sensitive skin, we’d recommend the Ameliorate body mitt. It’s a double-sided sock-like mitt with a tight wrist strap, which makes for easy use.

Specifically designed to help with ingrown hairs, it’s gentle enough to be used on more delicate areas of the body (though not the face) without irritation, but it still whips away dead skin cells effectively. And, being black, our fair-skin tester took great pleasure in being able to see just how much was being buffed away onto the mitt.