Give Your Skin a DIY Refresh with These Expert-Approved At-Home Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are an amazing secret weapon to battle a myriad of skin issues. They help you brighten a dull complexion, slough off dead skin cells, and get a healthy, refreshed glow in just a matter of minutes.

Effective, professional chemical peel treatments conducted by an esthetician can be costly — we get that these luxuries may not fit in your budget. Luckily, many brands offer a more affordable way to get similar spa results at home for less than the price of one professional peel.

What to Know About At-Home Chemical Peels

Before you go playing spa day at home, it's important that you do your research to make sure you aren't doing more harm than good to your precious skin. Many of these kinds of products contain high concentrations of acid to chemically exfoliate your skin, so you need to be educated on what you're using. To demystify chemical peels, we chatted with dermatologists Dr. Dendy Engelman and Dr. Dennis Gross — along with esthetician Shani Darden — to get their take on these popular treatments.

“A chemical peel will exfoliate the skin to reveal brighter, smoother skin,” Darden says. “It’s important to remove the layer of dead skin on the surface so that your products can absorb more deeply.”

At-Home Chemical Peels vs. In-Office Treatments

Both Darden and Engelman agree that it is possible to achieve skin-brightening exfoliation with at-home peels, although they likely won't be as potent or fast-acting as an in-office peel procedure.

"At-home peels target the very top layers of the skin, exfoliating dead cells and exposing healthier cells," Engelman says. "In-office procedures are used with stronger concentrations and penetrate deeper into the skin, revealing greater results in comparison to an at-home peel. That said, you can achieve effective exfoliation, but the usage of products would be more frequent than an in-office treatment."

Dr. Gross suggests that more doesn’t necessarily mean better when it comes to at-home chemical peels. “Don’t overdo it,” he says. “Never assume that more is better. There is a limit to what is useful, beneficial, or safe, and just know that you want to match your skin type."

It's also a good idea to go easy on the concentration level with your at-home chemical peels. Gross continues,"Your skin will respond much better to a daily micro peel than a very harsh once-per-week peel. Look for peels with multiple acids at lower concentrations – this will allow your skin to receive multiple benefits at once. For example, lactic acid is very hydrating while salicylic acid is perfect to dissolve oil and unclog pores.”

He also suggests choosing chemical exfoliators, such as alpha and beta hydroxy acids, rather than physically exfoliating products (as in, products that exfoliate your skin with small granules or beads). "Some physical exfoliators can be too rough on skin and can even cause micro tears in the epidermis," he says.

The Best At-Home Chemical Peels

• Best Overall: The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
• Most Intense Formula: Perfect Image Lactic Acid 50% Gel Peel
• Best Kit: Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel
• Best Overnight Gel: Versed The Shortcut Overnight Facial Peel
• Best for Body: StackedSkincare TCA Lactic & Glycolic Body Peel
  
• Best for Sensitive Skin Types: HydroPeptide 5X Power Peel
• Best for Post-Peel: PCA Skin The Post-Procedure Solution Kit
• Dr. Engelman's Choice: Peter Thomas Roth 8% Glycolic Solutions Toner
• Targets Acne & Fine Lines: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial
• Best Liquid Formula: Kate Somerville Liquid ExfoliKate Triple Acid Resurfacing Treatment
• Best Peel Pads: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
• Best of Clean Beauty: Tata Harper Resurfacing BHA Glow Mask
• Packed With Glycolic Acid: goop Beauty GOOPGLOW 15% Glycolic Acid Overnight Glow Peel
• Non-Irritating Formula: AMOREPACIFIC Treatment Enzyme Peel
• Best Overnight Pads: Bliss That's Incredi-Peel Pads

Read on as we share what else we learned from this trio of experts, along with everything that you need to know about the 15 best at-home chemical peels.