Best exfoliating gloves and mitts for soft, glowing skin

This pink pair is often on offer for less than a fiver and was the plushiest we found out of all the gloves we tried. They’re ideal for gentle exfoliation as they’re not too scratchy, instead, they’re the perfect amount of softness for feeling comfortable even on our tester’s sensitive skin.

We found they prevented the typical dryness we experience on our legs after shaving and our tester loved how easy they were to slip on and off when our hands were wet. They dry quickly too and don’t retain any damp smells as long as they’re rinsed out properly once you’re finished with them.

You can’t really go wrong with this pair for the very affordable £2 price tag. It’s one of the least expensive ways to indulge in regular manual exfoliation. Simple in design, they get the job done with a bit of warm water, however, we much preferred the sensorial experience of using them with body wash to work it into a lather and massage into the skin. They’re not too tight, with just enough snugness to feel secure while in use. You can also shop them in a selection of colours too, we love the light blue style.

The large size of this singular glove meant slipping your hand in and out is easy, and doesn’t require you to wrestle with any elasticated cuffs. It also makes areas of your back easier to reach, especially if you don’t have a partner or flatmate who can help you out. It’s much thicker than other gloves we tested, so does take longer to dry, but this can be sped up by hanging it upside down using the attached loop. One side is an abrasive texture for exfoliating, the other is a soft, smooth surface for general cleansing. We did enjoy that it can be used on dry or wet skin, as the coarse surface isn’t too harsh, so you can get multiple uses out of it.

This budget-friendly pair of gloves is a cheap and cheerful find that gets the job done. We did find that they are more abrasive than the Soap & Glory pair, so provide a much stronger exfoliation, which is ideal for prepping skin for self-tan application. Made from recycled plastic, they’re tight-fitting, however, we did find the cuffs a little too tight for our liking, so we stretched them out in between uses by putting them over a shampoo bottle to loosen the elastic.

This playfully patterned body mitt was a fun and colourful addition to our shower routine, and toe the line well between being abrasive enough to leave skin feeling instantly smoother, and soft enough that it’s not overly scratchy.

Thanks to a thick elasticated band, it fits well and it is fuss-free to use, simply rub it all over (except the face) for smoother, softer limbs. If you love a statement shower piece, this ticks all the boxes and gets the exfoliating job done – and is less than £10.

Our beauty tester is a huge fan of Face Halo’s make-up removing pads and uses them daily, and this one for the body is a larger version with more exfoliating benefits. While not technically a mitt or glove, it works so well, we had to include it.

It’s double-sided, one is your classic exfoliant fabric and the other is a softer, plusher feel for a post-scrub polish. Apply a thick layer of moisturiser as soon as you step out of the shower and your skin will feel baby soft. Better yet, it promises to provide 200 uses, a claim we haven’t seen from any other of the brands we tried.

This is another double-sided mitt but offers the most intense exfoliation of all the ones we tried on this list. While we found it a tad too abrasive on areas like our décolletage, it worked a treat on our cracked heels and ankles to slough off the tougher areas of dry and dead skin. If you like a deeper scratchiness from your manual exfoliating products, this is a great option, but we’d recommend steering clear if you have sensitive skin as it may be too harsh.