Exfoliant Recommendations

Affiliate Disclosure: I receive a small commission for purchases made via affiliate links.

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:

Physical Exfoliants

Chemical Exfoliants

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

SKINFOOD | Black Sugar Mask Wash Off  (also on Amazon)

  • 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

AVEENO | Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub (also on Amazon)

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

Back to top

Peeling Gels and Gommages

SKINFOOD | Pineapple Peeling Gel*

  • 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

Back to top

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

FACE HALO | The Modern Makeup Remover Pro

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

Back to top

Face Brushes

CLARISONIC | Mia Smart (also on Amazon)

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

Manicare | Facial Cleansing Brush*

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

NATUROPATHICA | Facial Cleansing Brush

  • 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

FOREO | Luna 3 Facial Cleansing Brush

  • 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

VANITY PLANET | Raedia Facial Cleansing Brush

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

Back to top

Konjac Sponges

ECO TOOLS | Pure Complexion Sponge* (Also available on Amazon)

  • 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

Back to top

Hydroxy Acids

PAULA’S CHOICE | Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant* (Also available on Amazon)

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

NEOSTRATA | Clarify Gel Plus

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

PAULA’S CHOICE | Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid 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

COSRX | BHA Blackhead Power Liquid

  • 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

THE ORDINARY | Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution

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

THE ORDINARY | Lactic Acid 10% + HA

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

EXUVIANCE PROFESSIONAL | Vespera Bionic Serum*

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

ALPHA H | Alpha-H Liquid Gold 24 Hour Moisture Repair Cream

  • 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

ALPHA-H | Instant Facial

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

PIXI | Glow Tonic (Also available at Amazon, Target)

  • 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

Back to top

Retinoids

Life Flo Health Retinol A 1%* 

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

PAULA’S CHOICE | Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment* (Also available on Amazon)

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

INDEED LABS | Retinol Reface Retinol Skin Resurfacer (Also available on Amazon)

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

Back to top

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

ELLA BACHE | Ella Baché Revealing Fruit Enzyme Exfoliant*

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

Back to top

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)

PETER THOMAS ROTH | Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

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

TULA SKINCARE | So Smooth Re-Surfacing Brightening Fruit Enzyme Mask

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

DERMALOGICA | Daily Microfoliant

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

Back to top