I first heard about U Beauty (a women-owned, POC brand) through Jennifer Fisher’s Instagram, though I’ve known about Tina since her BagSnob days (one of the OG bag blogs). I’ve trusted JF before when she led me to Augustinus Bader (I talk about that in my Augustinus Bader Rich Cream review), so I thought I’d take a chance with this U Beauty Resurfacing Compound on her recommendation. Since my skin tends to be finicky I started with a free sample when U Beauty first launched (just in case it gave my skin a rash at least I wouldn’t have had to pay for it). That actually lasted me awhile but when I ran out I then purchased a trial size (at the time it was $38 and I got it for $28 but it’s no longer being sold). That lasted me even longer (I would say months since at first I didn’t use it everyday). And when that ran out I purchased the 15ml Resurfacing Compound and finally decided it was high time to write a review.

If you’re not familiar with the Resurfacing Compound (RC) from U Beauty, it’s a kind of like serum you put on before your moisturizer but after cleansing. Yet it’s not a serum in the traditional sense, but more like an exfoliator. I didn’t actually know what it was and what it did when I started using it, but I had the general idea it made your skin look better lol. When I finally took a peek at the ingredients I saw why this compound helps your skin: it has vitamin C, E, retinol, hyaluronic acid, and AHAs. For the most part I see it as a gentle exfoliator that also brightens dark spots on the skin.

If you’re not familiar with my skin woes (some of which I talk about here) let’s keep it short by saying I have acne-prone but highly-sensitive skin. Some products will clog my pores and give me zits, some products will give me a rash, and some can unfortunately do both. So I’m uber picky about what beauty items I use even though I’ve tried quite a few. When I was younger I would try more things, but nowadays if I find something good I tend to stick with it (hence my years-long patronage of AB rich cream lol). Well I’m happy to report this U Beauty RC has earned its place in my skin care line-up. I like that it’s a gentle enough exfoliator that I can use nightly. I did have to work up to it though, starting by using it every 2-3 nights first. I’ve tried Good Genes by Sunday Riley before and that formula was way too strong for my skin. I would use that as a face mask 5 minutes tops because if I left it on any longer my skin would start to burn. I love that I have zero burning sensations with the U Beauty RC. I also have a hard time with retinols because most would be too harsh for my sensitive skin (though I’ve used Dr. Dennis Gross ferulic+retinol before and had mild success). I’m not sure how the U Beauty RC has both ingredients, and yet my skin does not freak out.

Perhaps what I like most about the U Beauty RC is that when I use it, the AB Rich cream I put on after it tends to go on more smoothly. The AB Rich cream tends to have a slightly tacky texture that makes spreading on a thin layer somewhat of a challenge. But with the U Beauty RC underneath it just glides right on. I find that I end up using less AB Rich cream (I need less pumps of it per use) whenever I use the RC first. Yes I’m spending more money by buying an extra product to make the more expensive product last longer, but it’s worth it in my book because I think the combo helps my skin look better overall. Now that I have a nightly regimen of using both products, I find the color of my acne scars fading faster and my skin tone looking more even overall. It really is a 1-2 punch that’s making my skin look better in general. I also find that when I use the RC over new zits, they tend to disappear faster (though not without looking real gross for one day—thanks a lot maskne). There’s some photos on the U Beauty RC site showing the differences in other people’s skin before and after using the product, and you can see how it evens their skin tone (though of course I would take it with a grain of salt since they’re probably the “best” before and after photos here). But still I would say it works for me.

The picture up top is my full nightly regimen starting with the charcoal cleanser and sterilizing tonic (no longer sold 😩) from skinSalvation (a small POC woman-owned business and spa based in SF that is dedicated to help clearing acne—I’ve used these products for over 4 years now and stand by them). Then I follow with the U Beauty RC and AB Rich cream. I wouldn’t say my skin is the best it’s ever been due to maskne, my currently poor eating habits, and zero exercise. But I can definitely tell the difference between the times I use this regimen and times that I don’t (and when I don’t it looks reeeeaaaal bad).

Of course my skin will be different from your skin so I can’t guarantee that it will work for you. But I have to say it definitely works for my super sensitive and highly-prone-to-clogging skin (and it works for Jennifer Fisher’s already great looking skin). I think the only bad thing about this product is it’s egregious use of plastic (I mean c’mon beauty brands, less plastic plese) and the fact you can’t see the level of product left (so how am I going to know when to reorder in time?). But the actual product itself is pretty amazing and I foresee myself using it for a long time to come.

P.S. It’s not a perfect solution but now Nordstrom is accepting empty beauty product bottles/containers at its store locations. I’ve been saving up my empties to donate in store and this UBeauty container will eventually be part of that stash (when I’m back on the mainland—unfortunately they don’t have that program here in Hawaii so I decided to crack open my RC cream bottle when I was done. See my pics below).

{January 2021 update: Ok so I’ve been using this every night now and I am officially hooked. I just repurchased another 15ml bottle (but this time with the new super smart hydrator in a duo). I would say the 15ml lasted me about 3 months with nightly use. I’ll of course review the hydrator once I use it consistently and let you know how that goes! }

{Another Jan 2021 update: So I decided to try to crack open the plastic casing to see what’s inside (even though I risked flying plastic shards and had one get stuck under my nail which hurt a bit). See the pictures below. And as much as I love this product I’m so disappointed in the excessive using of packaging for such a small amount of liquid. Seriously so much plastic is being wasted for both the inner white chamber and the completely decorative and useless clear exterior chamber. C’mon Tina and UBeauty do better! I may have to rethink using this consistently in my skin regimen knowing how much excess plastic I’m wasting (at least with Augustinus Bader cream I have the option to purchase it in glass, which I do. And I reuse my SkinSalvation bottles as refilling bottles for things like hand sanitizer and lotion). Also by cracking open the container I had another four more applications left after the pump stopped working. And you bet I shook out every last drop!}

{End of March 2021 Update: Just reordered another bottle and this time I decided to go with the 1oz size since I still really love the product but am trying to waste less plastic. Hopefully this bottle will last me awhile. The 0.5oz has been lasting me an average of 3 months. Also just in case you guys were curious about the SuperSmart Hydrator, it was a total dud for me and I say don’t waste your money on it. You can read my full review of the SuperSmart Hydrator here. AB rich cream is still my nightly go-to.}

{November 2021 update: So I finally decided to get a subscription of this Ubeauty Resurfacing compound because I found myself repurchasing it a couple more times after this review. The subscription price is the best deal at 20% off and I have it refilling about every 2-3 months. Also I just wanted to add that I sometimes find using the RC (at night) can give me a zit if I don’t wash my face in the mornings (I know what kind of beast forgets to wash their face in the morning? Lol let’s just say it sometimes happens 🤷🏻‍♀️).

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