Drugstore vs. Designer: Konjac Sponges

Back in November of  2015, I reviewed the boscia Charcoal Konjac Sponge. I received a mini version in one of my Sephora Play! boxes, and it was the first time I had ever used one. If you read that review, you know that I fell in love! For me, it's the perfect cleansing/exfoliating tool.

Since then, I have purchased several more of the boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponges (for both my daughter and myself), but only when they were 50% off. They usually sell for $15 each, and even though they last for a couple of months, I think that's a little pricey. Yes, I love them enough to pay $15 every 2 months if I have to - but if I don't have to...


The big question in my mind was - Could there really be that much difference in "brands"? Considering what it is, shouldn't a konjac sponge be a konjac sponge, no matter the price? Can you tell drugstore from designer in the photo above?


How about now? They look very similar, don't they? The boscia sponge is the green one ($15), and is two months old - the yellow sponge is new, and was purchased on Amazon for about $3.25.


I looked on Amazon, and found a ton of konjac sponges with a huge price range. I decided on a 4-pack for $12.95* and free Prime shipping. There were four versions in the package: plain/gentle (white), green tea/oily skin (green), charcoal/oily skin (grey), tumeric/anti-aging (yellow). I've used boscia's plain version (white), the hydrating clay version (pink), the clearing clay version (green), as well as the bamboo charcoal version (grey).
*(At the time of writing this review, these particular sponges are not available from that seller (sorry!) - but in case they are available in the future, the seller was Rustin Enterprises, and the brand was The Geisha Secret. There is a similar package of 5 konjac sponges for $15.99 with free Prime shipping that is currently available from a different seller, but I have not tried those.)

My daughter took the green and grey sponges, and I kept the white and yellow ones. Since she had used boscia sponges in the past, she was also able to compare the two. After she had her Geisha Secret sponges about a month, I asked her how she liked them compared to the boscia sponges. She said she had forgotten that she was using a different sponge and really couldn't tell the difference between the two!


I didn't start using my Geisha Secret sponge until about three weeks ago (because I had just opened a new boscia sponge when they arrived). When I look at the two sponges side by side, they only look slightly different (other than color - again, the boscia sponge is green, the Geisha sponge is yellow). The spaces/holes in the Geisha sponge appear to be a little larger than those in the boscia sponge - but every sponge looks different, so I don't necessarily count this as a difference. I feel like the Geisha sponge takes a just a little longer to soften up - however, it's only a matter of seconds. The textures feel slightly different in my hand, however, once I put cleanser on them and start moving the sponges over my face, I can't tell a difference between the two. And they both keep my face/skin perfectly exfoliated without any irritation. Honestly, they're comparable in every way that matters - except that one is $15 and the other is $3.25.

Bottom line - I wouldn't hesitate to buy my konjac sponges from Amazon in the future. If you want a specific shape, you can find it - they even have ones that are shaped like hearts. I'm even thinking about getting a larger one for my body.

If you haven't tried konjac sponges, you should give them a try - I think you'll really like them! Just remember to use a clean, dry towel to squeeze out the excess water (I keep a roll of paper towels in the bathroom), and hang it up to dry after every use. Also remember to toss them after 1-2 months. My skin has never looked better!