What’s the square route of a healthy, glowing complexion? Repeat after me: exfoliation, exfoliation, exfoliation. It’s an inescapable truth that the grainy consistency of an exfoliator will refresh the skin’s surface like nothing else could. And let’s face it; there are very few sensations more satisfying than giving your face a really good scrub.

But, before you turn to your usual favoured tub in the bathroom cabinet, you ought to check out the new breed of exfoliators on the block. They’re designed to deliver the most utterly impressive radiance-boosting results imaginable, just without the harsh abrasive qualities of an old school scrub.

Each comes with their own little (but highly clever) quirk – be that a gentle but highly effective dose of dead skin dissolving glycolic or a fine grain powder so akin to flour, you could sprinkle it on a cake (though we don’t advise it).  And, since the Spring/Summer 2014 shows taught us the importance of healthy, radiant skin for the season ahead (see Alexander Wang and Isabel Marant if you need convincing) a decent exfoliator has never been more important.

Click through the gallery to see the newbie exfoliators that are well and truly worth their salt…