The 12 Best Exfoliators for Sensitive Skin to Keep It Looking Smooth and Even
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Dead skin cells don’t stand a chance against these gentle formulas.
InStyle / Jessica Juliao
Exfoliation can be a game-changer in your routine: In a single step (and depending on the formula) it can tackle breakouts, dark spots, dryness, fine lines, and, occasionally, all of the above. But as important as it is, exfoliation isn’t always feasible for sensitive skin, since the very act of exfoliating — that is, removing dead skin cells from skin’s surface — is inherently a delicate process. For those with reactive skin, it's especially important to consider the type of formula — physical or chemical — that you use as choosing the wrong one can “potentially leave your skin red, tender, and sensitive,” says Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology in New York City. The good news? New, super-gentle formulas can both deliver the benefits of exfoliation while leaving skin calm and comfortable, giving you the best of both worlds.
To determine just that, a group of InStyle editors tested 15 exfoliators specifically developed for sensitive skin by integrating them into their regular skincare routines for four weeks. Editors evaluated each one against a set of criteria, keeping an eye out for the formula's texture, consistency and the way it felt on the skin, and of course, the results each one delivered both immediately as well as at the end of the month.
Consider Your Skin Goals
“Generally, oily skin types or combination skin can tolerate physical exfoliants better,” says Dr. Nazarian. Meanwhile, people with sensitive skin, or those living with skin conditions like rosacea and acne, tend to do better with chemical exfoliants. “If you’re looking to treat acne, salicylic acid can be useful to unclog pores, but also decrease acne inflammation,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Glycolic acid is an exfoliator that can increase hyaluronic acid production, a great substance to improve dry skin, and lactic acid has been shown to improve hyperpigmentation as well as texture.”
Best Overall: Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
What We Love: It can improve skin on a number of fronts, like dark spots and dryness
What We Don't Love: It was a little too harsh for very sensitive skin types, so patch-test it first.
Rather than a scrub, this is a lightweight cream that feels smooth and silky; you can either leave it on overnight or wash it off after 15 minutes (we opted for the former). The first few times we used it, our skin tingled slightly, although it never hurt — and we eventually stopped feeling any sensation when we applied it.
And it was worth sticking with: Every time we applied it, we noticed that our skin felt smoother, softer, and even more hydrated. In fact, our fine lines on our forehead looked less visible after we used it for a month, as did the bumpy texture on our cheeks. While we're still waiting to see a change in our hyperpigmentation, we're convinced enough to stick with it.
Formula: Chemical｜Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, licorice, arnica, aloe｜Best for: Signs of sun damage｜Usage: Apply 1-2 pumps to skin｜Size: 1.7 oz
Best Exfoliator for Oily, Sensitive Skin: PCA Skin Pore Refining Treatment
What We Love: It helped control our excess oil production without stripping skin of its moisture.
What We Don't Love: It’s one of the more expensive exfoliating scrubs we’ve tested.
There's no rule saying you have to stick with just one type of exfoliation. In fact, doubling up — as with this scrub, which pairs chemical and physical exfoliants — can actually be great for some skin types. We set out hoping that the combination of alpha hydroxy acid, fruit enzymes, rice powder, and oil-absorbing clay would smooth our overall skin texture and shrink the look of our large pores, and did it ever deliver.
Rather than feeling like overkill, the texture of the scrub was creamy with just a little grit. We saw less congestion on our cheeks; where we're especially prone to breakouts. Another perk is that our T-zone seemed to be less oily after using this scrub, but our skin never felt dried out or stripped of moisture.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Mandelic acid, papain, rice powder, kaolin clay｜Best for: Oily or breakout-prone skin types｜Usage: After cleansing, apply and massage it in gentle circular motions｜Size: 2.1 oz
Best Gentle Exfoliator for Very Sensitive Skin: Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Exfoliating Peeling Gel
What We Love: It didn’t inflame our highly reactive skin, and it did make skin feel smoother.
What We Don't Love: The results didn’t wow us as much as we’d hoped.
If seeing is believing, then you can trust the results of this peeling gel, which literally rolls dead skin away with a combination of cellulose, plus pineapple and pomegranate enzymes. We rubbed this onto freshly cleansed skin and our skin was noticeably softer and smoother, and we experienced zero redness or dryness as a result, which was a huge plus for us. In fact, our skin still felt moisturized after we used it.
The only downside is that we didn't see much of an improvement in our skin tone and all-around radiance like we'd hoped. That might be because it’s so gentle that it takes more continued use to see results, so we plan to keep trying it.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Pineapple enzymes, pomegranate enzymes, cellulose, glycerin, hyaluronic acid｜Best for: People prone to redness or inflammation｜Usage: Apply a generous amount to clean, dry skin and gently massage in a circular motion, then rinse well｜Size: 3.4 fl oz
Best Exfoliator for Dull Sensitive Skin: SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight
What We Love: It feels like an exfoliant and moisturizer in a single step, and delivers really impressive results.
What We Don't Love: It’s expensive, and it can be a little harsh if you use other actives, like retinol.
SkinCeuticals is known for its fan-favorite products (exhibit A: CE Ferulic), but their more under-the-radar products deliver, too — for instance, we found this to be one of the best exfoliating masks we’ve tried. In an effort to smooth and soften our skin, we alternated our evening retinol with the overnight cream, which uses glycolic acid to dissolve the glue (aka excess oil and gunk) that holds together dead skin cells — allowing them to slough off.
For a chemical peel-type product, it was surprisingly gentle; in fact, we were able to skip our moisturizer after applying a pea-size amount. Since using this, we've found that our clogged pores have disappeared, and we no longer get errant whiteheads. Overall, our skin looks more radiant, putting this among our best exfoliators for uneven skin tone. Worth keeping in mind is that even though our skin didn't feel overly dry, it did feel a little more sensitive than usual in the mornings, even though we regularly use retinol and alpha hydroxy acids. And it made us more sensitive to sunlight, so we felt a little irritation after a day outdoors. Still, we think it’s worth it for one of the best brightening exfoliators out there.
Formula: Chemical｜Key Ingredients: Glycolic acid, phytic acid, jojoba oil, sunflower seed oil｜Best for: Dullness or discoloration｜Usage: Smooth a pea-sized amount over face and neck｜Size: 1.7 fl oz
Best Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin and Rosacea: Dermalogica Daily Milkfoliant
What We Love: It won’t upset or irritate even the most sensitive skin types, and actually can help alleviate certain symptoms.
What We Don't Love: The powder format can take a little getting used to. The results aren’t dramatic.
An exfoliant that doesn't aggravate our dry, eczema-prone skin is hard to find — but it exists in the form of this powder exfoliant, which is activated by adding water. The only hiccup we found was knowing how much powder and water was needing to make the exfoliating paste for our whole face. We tried this product in the middle of an eczema flare-up, since it contains oat bran extract (which is known for its ability to soothe skin), and woke up to calmer skin in the morning, with less burning and irritation.
Plus, it has the exfoliating action of the alpha hydroxy acids, beta hydroxy acids, and fruit enzymes, which made our skin look brighter and more even in tone. After rinsing, our skin also felt fresh and hydrated, and as we continued using it over the course of testing, our dry patches improved and skin got smoother.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Coconut milk, oat bran extract, papaya enzyme, hyaluronic acid, alpha hydroxy acid｜Best for: Rosacea- or eczema-prone skin｜Usage: Dispense a half-teaspoon between wet hands and rub them to create a lather, then massage onto skin in circular motions and rinse｜Size: 0.45 oz
Best Physical Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Tula Skincare So Polished Exfoliating Sugar Scrub
What We Love: It offers instant gratification, clearing pores in one use.
What We Don't Love: It can be take some time to rinse off thoroughly.
We have large pores and were looking for a product that can keep them clear and free of build-up, and this was it. We used right after a shower and saw an immediate difference in how our skin looked and felt, with a more radiant glow and smaller-looking pores. In fact, we felt comfortable going without foundation, and a friend said that we were "glowing." On top of that, this formula seemed to help our skin look like glass, leaving it even smoother and softer instead of dry and tight.
If we were in a rush and didn't thoroughly rinse off the scrub, we did see flecks of sugar around our hairline — but otherwise it's a foolproof addition to a routine, and the best face scrub for sensitive skin, especially if you have large pores.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Probiotic extracts, sugar, papaya enzymes, pineapple enzymes｜Best for: Those with large or clogged pores｜Usage: Apply a dime-sized amount and massage, then rinse｜Size: 2.9 oz
Best Natural Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Eminence Organic Skin Care Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant
What We Love: It gives skin a thorough cleanse, and leaves our complexion soft.
What We Don't Love: The bottle design led to clogs, and we didn’t love the potent smell.
This particular scrub is powered by strawberry, a natural source of salicylic acid, as well as a blend of rice, oat, and chickpea powders to buff and polish skin. It's packaged as a powder in a bottle and it took us a few tries to get the product-to-water ratio right for our preferences, but we didn't feel any irritation or see any redness. After using it, our skin felt like it had gotten a deep clean, and it felt smoother every time we used it. And rather than dry out skin, it left our complexion feeling so soft that we could skip moisturizer afterwards.
We found the smell to be a little too potent for our taste, and the bottle design was a challenge; it had small holes in the cap (similar to baby powder), and the bottle often got clogged.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, strawberry extract, chickpea flour, rhubarb extract｜Best for: People seeking a vegan or plant-based option｜Usage: After cleansing, dispense a small amount into wet hands, rub hands together to create a paste, apply to your skin in circular motions, and then rinse｜Size: 4.2 oz
Best Korean Beauty Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Peach & Lily Glass Skin Face Polisher
What We Love: It’s gentle enough to use daily.
What We Don't Love: It won’t necessarily improve the look of fine lines or discoloration.
Thanks to our combination skin (which leans oily), we can see our pores from a mile away. Or we could, at least, since it's no longer the case thanks to this scrub. Similar to others on this list, it comes as a powder that you mix with water, which we liked since we could control the consistency. And it worked incredibly well for our pores: After a single use, it unclogged our pores like some kind of "skin vacuum." Now that we've used it regularly, we've found that it does an equally good job at keeping them clean, too, and leaves our skin looking healthy and bright.
That said, it didn't do much else for our skin besides seriously clearing out our pores, so it might not be your go-to pick if you're looking to, say, fade dark spots. But we plan to keep it in our rotation just to keep our pores in check from here on out.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, ginseng, allantoin, rice bran, corn starch｜Best for: Large pores｜Usage: Dispense a dime-sized amount into wet hands and rub together to create a creamy texture, then massage in circular motions and rinse｜Size: 75 g
Best Dermatologist-Tested Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Bliss Jelly Glow Peel
What We Love: It’s gentle enough for everyday use. It can improve the look of acne scars.
What We Don't Love: While it doesn’t dry skin out, it also isn’t very hydrating.
Exfoliating is non-negotiable when you're dealing with acne, acne scars, and uneven skin tone, since it can help keep pores clear and prevent breakouts from popping up. But that can be tough if you have sensitive skin, too. That's where this peel exfoliant stands out. It uses a gommage method — meaning it kind of balls up dead skin cells, excess oil, and other debris, which you then rinse off — along with mild resurfacing, courtesy of fruit enzymes. We immediately liked the cool, jelly-like texture, and appreciated that it didn't seem to create any redness as we rubbed it into our skin. But it did work: We saw the redness and texture of our breakouts become lessen, and our recent acne scars were also less red.
Despite the improvements in our breakouts, it didn’t seem to really clear our pores significantly.
Formula: Chemical｜Key Ingredients: Pineapple enzyme, papaya enzyme, cellulose, coconut fruit extract, niacinamide｜Best for: Breakouts and uneven skin tone｜Usage: With damp skin, apply a dot to cheeks, forehead, and chin, then massage in a circular motion and rinse｜Size: 4 fl oz
Best Exfoliator for Dry Sensitive Skin: Banila Co. Clean it Zero Brightening Peeling Gel Scrub
What We Love: It worked wonders to counteract dry patches on our skin.
What We Don't Love: The peeling effect might not be for everyone.
Our skin is prone to dryness, especially in the winter — so much so that even the average cleanser can lead to dry patches. But ever since we've started following our usual face wash with this peeling scrub, the patchiness has virtually disappeared. It left us with a glowing, radiant complexion, and we even saw that the pigment within our dark spots faded. It was also easy to rinse off, and our skin felt so hydrated after we used it that we needed minimal moisturizer before we applied makeup.
The results were subtle, so if you're in the market for dramatic results or, say, anti-aging benefits, this might not be for you.
Formula: Chemical｜Key Ingredients: Mandarin orange peel extract, cellulose, tangerine fruit extract｜Best for: People prone to dryness｜Usage: With damp skin, apply a dot to cheeks, forehead, and chin, then massage in a circular motion and rinse｜Size: 4.05 oz
Best Drugstore Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub
What We Love: It’s ultra-gentle and oil-free, so it’s suitable for most skin types.
What We Don't Love: The results weren’t as dramatic as we had hoped. It doesn’t lather that well.
Micro-exfoliating beads might give some people some pause, especially if they used the harsh, gritty exfoliating scrubs of years past, but this formula is designed to redeem them. We found that the exfoliating beads are so fine, they're almost hard to detect — and the formula was incredibly easy to massage into our skin. As soon as we rinsed, our skin felt more supple and soft, and we noticed less bumpy texture on our skin. While we usually prefer to use chemical exfoliants, we were impressed by just how well this physical option worked; it didn't dry out or irritate our skin at all.
Our only gripe is that it didn't seem to improve our acne at all, even though it didn't exacerbate it, either.
Formula: Physical｜Key Ingredients: Glycerin, vitamin B5, vitamin E｜Best for: Uneven skin texture｜Usage: Massage into damp skin, then rinse｜Size: 6 fl oz
Best Budget Exfoliator for Sensitive Skin: Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Daily Facial Scrub
What We Love: It delivers on leaving skin soft and smooth without being too harsh.
What We Don't Love: It has a fragrance, and your satisfaction might depend on your expectations.
For a straightforward, frills-free exfoliation, it doesn't get much better than this product, which we used every evening before bed as our cleanser. The dual-exfoliant formula had just the right amount of grittiness, and it easily removed our makeup, too. We could tell our skin was smoother immediately, and the results have only gotten better — after using it for several weeks, our skin is more radiant than it was in week one. Even with daily use, our skin hasn't been dry.
Some might not love the light, citrusy fragrance, which we found pleasant.
Formula: Hybrid｜Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, cellulose, glycerin｜Best for: Anyone looking for a deep clean｜Usage: Massage into damp skin, then rinse｜Size: 4.2 fl oz
What to Keep in Mind
Formula Type: “Physical exfoliants use mechanical mechanisms to slough surface dead skin cells, that is, ‘physically’ removing skin,” says Dr. Nazarian. Meanwhile, “chemical exfoliants use ingredients that cause the loosening of bonds between skin cells, dissolving them in an effort to slough the cells off,” she says. These days, you can find hybrid formulas that include a blend of the two and are still gentle enough for sensitive skin. “Physical exfoliants that have smaller, more delicate exfoliating particles can be tolerated by many different skin types,” says Dr. Nazarian. “Ones that are most superficial, such as mandelic acid, are the most gentle,” she says. “The deeper you exfoliate, such as with glycolic, the more aggressive the chemical peel.” She also points to salicylic and lactic acids as two more superficial chemical exfoliants to consider.
Time on Skin: “Those with sensitive skin can absolutely use a leave-on peel so long as it is very mild,” says Dr. Geeta Yadav, a board-certified dermatologist based in Toronto; she points to polyhydroxy acid as a good ingredient for this, as their large size means they can’t penetrate that deeply. “While the concept of a short-contact exfoliator makes sense in regard to limiting irritation, if it uses large granules of something highly abrasive like crushed walnut shells, that would be far more damaging to the skin than a light peel,” she says.
Your Questions, Answered
Should you exfoliate if you have sensitive skin?
You can and you should. “Unless your skin barrier has been highly compromised due to skin conditions like eczema or over-exfoliation from a prescription retinoid, you should exfoliate,” says Dr. Yadav. Start less frequently — think once a week — and remember to use sunscreen during the day. After all, “removal of the top layers of cells leaves you more sensitive to sunlight, radiation, and burns,” says Dr. Nazarian.
How often should people with sensitive skin exfoliate?
Dr. Nazarian recommends exfoliating once or twice a week, max, and to skip it on days you use a retinoid or other potentially irritating ingredients. “Use it on clean skin, and follow up with a gentle calming moisturizer,” she says.
Is physical or chemical exfoliation better for sensitive skin?
Both our experts agree that chemical exfoliation tends to be better for sensitive skin. However, it’s more important to look at the formula as a whole: A physical exfoliant with super-fine granules may be a better option than a leave-on exfoliant with 10 percent glycolic acid — so it really depends.
Why Shop With Us
Deanna Pai is a freelance writer and editor who has been covering beauty, health, and wellness for more than a decade. She’s been exfoliating for longer than she can remember, primarily with chemical exfoliants. She interviewed two dermatologists, Dr. Geeta Yadav and Dr. Rachel Nazarian for this story.
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