Welcome to my recommended exfoliant products list! You’ve probably arrived here via the The Essential Guide to Exfoliation (if you haven’t grabbed this yet, get it here, it’s FREE!).

I’ve marked my top picks with an asterisk (*) and included a quick summary of pros and cons for each product, but you may want to check out the full reviews for products that I’ve examined in detail.

Disclaimer: Some of these products were provided for editorial consideration, and some were purchased myself. This page does contain affiliate links – if you decide to click through and support Lab Muffin financially, thank you! You can read all about my affiliate links and product review policy here.

Click on the link to jump to the section:

1 Physical Exfoliants

2 Chemical Exfoliants

3 Scrubs

4 Peeling Gels and Gommages

Chemical Exfoliants

Hydroxy acids
Retinoids
Enzymes

Scrubs

DIY Sugar Scrub*

Pros: Cheap, easy – just mix sugar into your regular cleanser, water, oil or moisturiser and rinse off
Cons: Can be messy

Pros: Comes in many delicious scents (strawberry is great!), moisturising
Cons: Particles are a bit rough if you don’t let it sit for a while before scrubbing

Pros: Biodegradable soy beads
Cons: Several similar products, some use plastic microbeads (check the ingredient list of yours before buying)

Peeling Gels and Gommages

Pros:
Cons:

MISSHA | Super Aqua Ultra Hyalron Peeling Gel

Pros:
Cons:

BEAUTY OF JOSEON | Apricot Blossom Peeling Gel

Pros: All of these have dense peeling fibres that mean they can be used in the shower, gentle, remove flakes of dead skin gently for a smooth makeup base
Cons: Be careful not to press too hard or rub for too long

Face Cloths

Zwipes | Microfiber Cloths*

KITSCH | Ultra-Soft Microfiber Makeup Removing Towels

Pros: Gentle and thorough, cheap, reusable, dry quickly
Cons: Gather lint when washed in a washing machine

Pros: Good size for face, good for makeup removal
Cons: Can be too harsh to use daily, especially around eyes

Face Brushes

Pros: Popular, reliable
Cons: Expensive, expensive replacement parts

Pros: Budget friendly (~$12), soft bristles
Cons: Needs to be moved manually, bristles soak up water which could speed up bacterial buildup

Pros: Soft bristles, manual so you can control how much you scrub very easily
Cons: Need to take extra care to make sure dense bristles dry properly, manual so you have to actually move it around

Pros: Soft silicone bristles are gentle on skin and less likely to accumulate germs, lots of features
Cons: Expensive

NAGRA COOLA | Sonic Facial Cleansing Brush

Pros: Soft silicone bristles are gentle on skin and less likely to accumulate germs, cheaper than Foreo
Cons: Less features than the Foreo brush

Pros: Three head options (including soft bristles and silicone versions) plus a body brush
Cons: Spinning head it harsher than vibrating

Konjac Sponges

Pros: Cheap
Cons: A little flimsier than more expensive sponges, though this doesn’t make a difference to exfoliating ability
Full review

AfterSpa | Charcoal Konjac Sponge (Also available on Amazon)

Pros: Cheap, has a string to let it air dry
Cons: None

Hydroxy Acids

Pros: Effective (8%, pH 3.5-3.9), contains other beneficial ingredients (green tea, chamomile)
Cons: None!

Pros: Strong, effective
Cons: For stronger exfoliation, not for use as first exfoliant

Pros: Effective (2%, pH 3.2-3.8), also comes in body spray form (Clear Acne Body Spray)
Cons: Liquid can be a little messy

Stridex | Alcohol-Free 2% Salicylic Acid Pads* (Amazon)

Pros: Cheap, handy pre-soaked pads
Cons: Drying

Pros: Gentle BHA exfoliant, good for sensitive skin
Cons: Might be too gentle for some people

Elucent | Anti-Ageing Serum*

Pros: Mixture of glycolic and lactic acids for gentler exfoliation, high percentage (16%)
Cons: Weird texture, tricky packaging, may be too intense for beginners
Full review

Pros: Cheap, huge bottle
Cons: May be a bit too strong for some people

Pros: Inexpensive, gentle
Cons: People have varying experiences with how well this works

Pros: Contains PHAs which are supposedly gentler and more effective than AHAs and BHA
Cons: Expensive

Pros: Cult favourite, contains hyperpigmentation-fighting licorice as well as AHA
Cons: Expensive for 5% glycolic at pH 3-4, high alcohol content
Full review

Pros: Handy spray format, strong (10%, pH 3), no alcohol
Cons: May be too strong for some people, expensive
Full review

Pros: Gentle, ideal for people who can’t tolerate stronger exfoliants, hydrating
Cons: Low concentration (5%) and higher pH (4-5) makes it a bit too weak for most people
Full review

Retinoids

Life Flo Health | Retinol A 1%*

Pros: Very cheap
Cons: Jar packaging does not exclude light and air when open

Pros: Effective, inexpensive for well-formulated and packaged product
Cons: Cheaper products exist
Full review

Pros: Gentle with multiple retinoids, good packaging
Cons: Expensive, lots of oily occlusive dimethicone which may hinder absorption of other products

Enzymes

DIY Enzyme Mask*

Pros: Cheap and effective – just mash up appropriate fresh fruit (papaya, kiwi, pineapple, pumpkin), apply, then rinse after 10 minutes
Cons: Messy, relatively time-consuming

Pros: Powder form makes it last longer and customisable
Cons: Expensive

Combination

Kate Somerville | Exfolikate

physical, chemical, enzyme
Pros: Very quick to use in the shower, wash-off so it doesn’t add a layer to your routine
Cons: Expensive (but lasts for a long time)

physical, enzyme
Pros: Smells nice, effective
Cons: Scrubbing grains can be harsh if you’re not careful, fragrance might be a bit strong

chemical, enzyme
Pros: Wash-off so it doesn’t add a layer to your routine, gentle
Cons: None

physical, chemical, enzyme
Pros: Gentle exfoliator
Cons: Powder can be messy