How often should I exfoliate? Get your weekly schedule
Over-exfoliation is the most common self-inflicted skin problem: tight, shiny, red, breaking out, and getting worse the more you 'fix' it. Pick your skin type and exfoliant and get a schedule that actually fits.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Texture is one of the four numbers Gloss tracks
Exfoliation should raise your texture score without dropping your hydration score. Gloss measures both from a daily selfie, so you can tell the difference between smoother and stripped.
Cosmetic tracking only, not medical advice. Your scan photo is analyzed and discarded, never stored.
The short answer by skin type
- Oily: two to three times a week with salicylic acid or a mild AHA.
- Combination: twice a week, and you can limit it to the T-zone.
- Normal: once or twice a week.
- Dry: once or twice a week with lactic acid, which hydrates as it exfoliates.
- Sensitive or rosacea-prone: once a week at most, with a PHA, mandelic acid or an enzyme. Sometimes not at all.
- Acne-prone: two to three times a week with salicylic acid. No scrubs.
Chemical versus physical
Chemical exfoliants (acids, enzymes) loosen the bonds between dead cells so they shed evenly. Physical ones (scrubs, brushes) remove them by friction, which is uneven and can create micro-tears, especially with large or jagged particles. For most people a leave-on acid two nights a week does more than a scrub and does less damage. If you like the feeling of a scrub, use a fine one once a week and skip the acid that night.
Signs you are over-exfoliating
- Skin looks shiny and tight at the same time, sometimes described as waxy
- Products that never stung now sting
- Redness that lingers, especially on the cheeks
- New breakouts, often small and clustered
- Flaking that gets worse when you exfoliate to "fix" it
- Makeup looks patchy
The fix is the same in every case: stop all exfoliation and actives for two weeks, use a gentle cleanser, a ceramide moisturizer and sunscreen, then restart at once a week.
Do you need to exfoliate at all?
Skin sheds itself. Exfoliation speeds up something that already happens, which helps with congestion, dullness and texture, but it is optional. Sensitive skin, skin that is already using a retinoid, and skin in the middle of a barrier crisis usually do better without a separate exfoliant. If your texture and clarity are already fine, you can skip it.
Common questions
How often should you exfoliate your face?
One to three times a week depending on skin type and exfoliant. Oily and acne-prone skin tolerates two to three nights of salicylic acid. Dry and normal skin does well at one to two. Sensitive skin should stay at one or fewer, with a gentle acid.
Can I exfoliate every day?
Most people should not. Daily leave-on acid over-exfoliates the average face within a few weeks. A very mild exfoliating cleanser or a low-strength PHA can be tolerated daily by oily, resilient skin, but there is little benefit over two or three nights.
Should I exfoliate before or after cleansing?
After. Cleanse, pat dry, apply the exfoliant to dry skin, wait a minute, then follow with your hydrating steps and moisturizer.
Can I use retinol and exfoliate in the same week?
Yes, on different nights. A typical week is two acid nights, three retinoid nights and two rest nights. Reduce both if your skin gets tight or stings.
How do I know if I'm over-exfoliating?
Tightness combined with shine, stinging from previously fine products, lingering redness, small clustered breakouts and flaking that worsens with more exfoliation. Stop for two weeks and rebuild the barrier.
Gloss and the tools on this site are for cosmetic and general information only. They do not diagnose or treat any condition. If something on your skin is new, changing, painful or worrying, see a dermatologist or doctor.
More free skin tools
What is my skin type?
Eight questions. Oily, dry, combination, normal or sensitive, with a routine to match.
ScorecardRate my skin
Score your own hydration, clarity, texture and radiance the way Gloss does.
BuilderSkincare routine order
Tick the products you own and get the correct AM and PM order.
QuizDry or dehydrated?
They feel similar and need opposite fixes. Find out which one you have.