Exfoliating toners may be found in skin care routines to treat acne or melasma routines.  These are some toners that we recommend mostly to Oily Baumann Skin Types.

Essences, which are another name for facial toners, may contain exfoliating ingredients such as hydroxy acids and enzymes. The best exfoliating face toners for oily skin or combination skin have salicylic acid to clear pores. The best essences and face toners for dry skin should have hydroxy acids like glycolic acid.

There are two main types of skincare products that exfoliate skin: 

1. Mechanical exfoliators 
2. Chemical Exfoliators

Skincare products to exfoliate the skin may contain mechanical exfoliators, chemical exfoliators, or both. Other products that you might not realize are exfoliants are retinoids and ascorbic acid.

Choose exfoliators by your Baumann Skin Type for best results. You can shop and read reviews by your skin type. Once you take the quiz -  look for your skin type octagon with your skin type number and color. This will guide you to the best exfoliants and exfoliators for your skin type. If you do not see the octagons- it means you need to take the quiz or log in.

Mechanical exfoliation is also called physical exfoliation and is a skincare method that involves using a hard substance or tool to manually remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. This process can be achieved by applying a liquid, gel, or scrub containing granules like microbeads or sugars, or by using tools such as sponges, towels, or brushes. The manual exfoliation technique essentially works by gently 'scrubbing' the skin to slough off dead cells and reveal a smoother complexion. While physical exfoliation offers various benefits, there is a risk of over-exfoliation if too much pressure is applied or if the process is repeated too frequently. Additionally, the abrasiveness of some exfoliants can potentially cause skin irritation and compromise the skin's natural barrier function. It is crucial to choose the right physical exfoliant based on individual skin thickness and sensitivity to avoid these issues and achieve optimal results.Mechanical exfoliators use a rough substance s to scratch the surface of the skin removing dead skin cells.

Types of mechanical exfoliators are:

• sugar
• apricot seeds
• jojoba beads
• aluminum crystals
• face brush
• face scrub
• loofa
• microdermabrasion
• dermaplaning

Manual exfoliation involves using a physical tool, liquid, gel, or scrub to physically slough off the dead surface cells from the skin. On the contrary, chemical exfoliation involves the use of alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs), beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs), or enzymes to break down the bonds that hold dead skin cells together, allowing them to be shed more easily. In essence, manual exfoliation physically scrubs away dead cells while chemical exfoliation chemically dissolves them. The two methods differ in their mechanism of action and the potential level of skin irritation they may cause. Chemical exfoliation is generally considered gentler and more suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin due to its less abrasive nature, while manual exfoliation can be more aggressive and may not be suitable for all skin types.

Chemical exfoliators that use low pH ingredients such as acids or enzymes help dissolve the attachments between cells.

Types of chemicals exfoliators are:

• AHAs
• Azelaic acid
• Gluconolactone,
• Glycolic acid
• Hydroxy acids
• Lactic acid
• Papaya enzymes
• Pumpkin enzymes
• Salicylic acid

The skin exfoliates itself in a process called desquamation- so using extra exfoliation is  not necessary to maintain skin health.  However, exfoliation can make your skin glow and look radiant instantly. 

When the skin’s surface is not smooth, dead skin cells heap upon the top layer of the skin. This decreases light reflection.

5 things that can happen if you do not exfoliate skin:

1. Your skin will look dull
2. Your skin will not glow
3. Your skin will feel rough
4. Darker skin may get a grey and ashy 
5. You may have tiny dry lines

When dead skin cells heap up on the skin's surface, your skin looks less radiant and stops glowing.

7 signs that you need to exfoliate:

1. Ashy skin
2. Skin feels rough
3. Skin is dull
4. Skin does not reflect light
5. Skin is not radiant
6. Your skin looks old
7. Crepey skin with a rough texture

How many times a day or week you should exfoliate depends upon your Baumann Skin Type. If you have a Resistant Baumann Skin Type, you can exfoliate every day. Below is what I tell my patients about how often to exfoliate depending on their skin type.

Sensitive Baumann Skin Types should be careful and only exfoliate 2-3 times a week. Some subtypes of sensitive skin such as rosacea prone skin, may not be able to exfoliate at all.  Never exfoliate if your skin if it hurts, or is red or stinging.  

Exfoliate dry skin one to two times a week.  Only exfoliate if your skin is dull or is flaking. Exfoliate in the day time or before an event.  There is no need to exfoliate your skin before bedtime because the dead skin cells will build up on the top layer of your skin again overnight.

Yes!  Exfoliating skin injures the skin barrier.  If you want to exfoliate your dry skin, use a barrier repair moisturizer afterwards.

Barrier repair moisturizers to use after exfoliating dry skin:

The skin naturally exfoliates itself in a process called desquamation. In some instances, the face needs help exfoliating because it is not desquamating enough, resulting in retained skin cells on the surface of the skin.These dead skin cells on the surface of skin make the skin feel rough. When the surface of the skin is not smooth, the skin looks dull because light is not reflected well. Exfoliants renew skin and make it  radiant and glowing. 

10 benefits of exfoliating skin are:

1. Fading age spots and dark spots
2. Reducing fine lines and wrinkles (temporarily)
3. Increasing absorption of other products
4. Unclogging pores
5. Shrinking pores
6. Improving the appearance of aged skin
7. Smoothing skin
8. Removing hard skin
9. Thin calluses
10. Get rid of bumps on skin

You probably do not realize how many exfoliators are in your skin care routine. Many ingredients such as Vitamin C exfoliate but you do not realize it.

When starting a new skin care routine, most Baumann Skin Types should only use 1 type of exfoliation per day.  However, some skin types can use 2-3 types per day.

The key is to not over-exfoliate.  When you begin a new skincare routine,  do not use more than 1 or 2 types of exfoliators at once or you can over-exfoliate the skin.  The amount of exfoliators you use, the frequency that you exfoliate every day, and which exfoliator is best depends upon your Baumann Skin Type®.  

Many medical spas offer skin treatments to exfoliate. These are the types of exfoliating treatments to ask your doctor or medical provider about:

• Body Scrubs
• Dermaplaning
• Exfoliating Masks
• Face brushes
• Facial scrubs
• HydraFacial
• Microdermabrasion
• Chemical Peels
• Laser

List of exfoliants and exfoliators in skin care products:

• AHAs
• BHA
• Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
• Azelaic acid
• Defensins
• Hydroxyacids such as glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and phytic acid
• Jojoba beads
• Retinoids
• Salicylic acid

There are many natural exfoliants and exfoliators that meet clean ingredient standards.  Some examples are:

• Apricot Pits- finely ground
• Almonds- finely ground
• Oatmeal- ground
• Papaya enzymes
• Pumpkin enzymes
• Sugar

Sea salt is very rough on the skin so if you choose to exfoliate with kosher salt or sea salt- be very gentle.  Sugar is a better natural option to exfoliate skin.

Do not use baking soda to exfoliate your face! Baking soda has a pH of 8 and is very alkaline and irritating to your skin.  You can cause a chemical burn.

There are many face scrubs to exfoliate the face, however, many have come under scrutiny because they can hurt the environment. In fact, plastic microbeads have been banned from beauty products in the US because of plastic buildup in the waterways. 

Environmentally friendly, eco-friendly, sustainable face scrub ingredients include:

• Coffee grounds- Can have sharp edges that are too rough for sensitive skin
• Jojoba beads - Do not have rough edges that can damage the skin. Come in different sizes that can determine mild, moderate, or deep exfoliation.
• Oatmeal- Best exfoliating ingredient for sensitive skin but not very exfoliating
• Sugar- A very common DIY at home exfoliator, but very harsh and irritating due to small size and large surface area, causing increased amounts of friction.

Ascorbic acid is an exfoliant. Vitamin C is an acid called ascorbic acid. 

Most vitamin C serums are at a low acidic pH.  The Vitamin C serums that are pH 3 or lower are exfoliants.  For example, SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic is an exfoliant.

Vitamin C creams are not a low pH in most cases- so Vitamin C creams do not exfoliate skin like serums do.

However, Vitamin C serums are strong exfoliants.  They are also antioxidants and tyrosinase inhibitors. 

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is not an exfoliant.  It is a glycosaminoglycan and a humectant.  It helps skin hold onto water but HA does not exfoliate skin.

It increases penetration of other ingredients and can increase effectiveness of exfoliants and exfoliators.

Niacinamide is not an exfoliant.  It is an anti inflammatory ingredientand a skin lightening ingredient that blocks the PAR-2 receptor.

It can be used to soothe over-exfoliated skin.

Retinol and other retinoids are one of the best exfoliants which is why you peel when you first begin a retinoid.

The exfoliant properties of retinoids is part of the cause of side effects seen with retinol.

Be careful when beginning retinoids. You can easily over exfoliate.  I recommend using no more than one other exfoliant when beginning retinoids.

The best exfoliant for your face is one that will make your skin glow but will not over exfoliate. Which is best for your face depends upon your Baumann Skin type and what other products are in your skin care regimen.  Here is some general advice and tips to help learn about which exfoliators are best for your face or body.

Our top recommendation is to take the quiz and shop for scrubs, exfoliants, and exfoliators by your Baumann Skin Type.

Sensitive skin is more prone to inflammation.  Too much inflammation can lead to uneven skin pigmentation and skin aging.

Exfoliators can increase inflammation in sensitive skin types and hurt your skin! They can also cause hyperpigmentation if you get inflamed from overuse.

If you have sensitive skin, you should only use exfoliating ingredients that are right for your Baumann Skin Type®.  This is important because every day in our dermatology practices we see patients who have made their acne, rosacea, or irritated skin worse by using the wrong exfoliating ingredients.

Salicylic acid cleansers might be right for you if you have oily sensitive skin and hydroxyacid cleansers might be right for you if you have dry sensitive skin, but please take the quiz and get our recommendations before using any type of scrubs, exfoliants and exfoliators.

Misuse of exfoliators is one of the biggest mistake that I see my sensitive skin patients make!

The best exfoliators for dry skin are hydroxyacid cleansers or creams that contain hydroxyacids. Here are some low strength hydroxyacid creams that can be used to exfoliate dry skin:

For oily skin, we prefer salicylic acid cleansers or toners. Here are some exfoliating salicylic acid toners for oily skin types. Toners should be applied after cleansing the face.

For most skin types I recommend exfoliating the face with a low pH cleanser. If you are dry, chose a hydoxyacid cleanser.  If you are oily, choose a salicylic acid cleanser. You can learn more about shopping for cleansers by your skin type here. 

The best face wash to exfoliate the face daily will have chemical exfoliators.  These can be natural skin exfoliators like papaya or pumpkin enzymes that are gentle or strong exfoliators like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and phytic acid.

The best face washes to exfoliate dry types are hydroxyacid face washes.

There are many good face brushes to exfoliate the face. Face brushes should be used with the best cleanser for your Baumann Skin Type.

Face brushes are not advised for dry skin types because increased friction can impair the skin barrier. 

Sensitive skin types should not use a face brush. (See discussion of exfoliation for sensitive skin above).

If you choose to use a face brush, you should only use one other type of exfoliation in your skincare routine, and this includes the type of cleanser that you are using with the face brush.

So- if you are using a retinoid and a face brush, do not use a hydroxy acid cleanser, toner, or face cream to exfoliate the skin.

Don’t want to spend a lot of money on a face exfoliator? You can exfoliate the face naturally at home.  Most people use sugar mixed with a lotion of milk or honey on the face, however, sugar is too rough on the skin and leads to over-exfoliation. Sugar is a good exfoliator for the lips when mixed with a little honey or oil, but it is too irritating to the face.  The best natural way to exfoliate the face at home is with a washcloth. Use the cloth in circular movements gently around the face to loosen the attachments between cells using mechanical exfoliation.

Exfoliation treatments make the skin glow immediately. If you want to have a professional exfoliation treatment with a dermatologist or aesthetician, consider the following exfoliation treatments:

• Chemical Peels
• Dermaplaning
• HydroFacial®
• Microdermabrasion

• Wash your face twice a day
• Use warm water to wash face and body
• Stay in bath or shower for at least 7 minutes once a day
• Wipe skin gently with a cloth or loofa in a circular motion
• Drink more water
• Use a sugar or oatmeal scrub

There are face exfoliators, feet exfoliators, hand exfoliators, leg exfoliators and even lip exfoliators. These all use similar technologies to exfoliate the skin.

The best exfoliator depends on:

• what your skin type is
• what body area you want to exfoliate
• other products in your regimen
• are you on retinoids
• if you want a natural exfoliator
• if you want a DIY exfoliator to use at home
• if you want to go to your aesthetician or dermatologist

All of these treatments with exfoliants and exfoliators do the same thing- they remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin, helping the skin to reflect light and increase glow. The nice thing about exfoliators is that they work fast.

Exfoliators can be used to exfoliate the body, arms, shoulders, legs and feet.

When feet get scaly, rough or have thick skin and calluses, scrubs, feet feels and other exfoliators can help. You can use mechanical or chemical exfoliators on the feet.

There are many benefits of exfoliating the feet using chemical exfoliation products like glycolic, malic, and lactic acids. These can be applied as a mask, peel, cream or gel and lead to shedding of rough skin layers on the feet within a few days. These foot masks and peels  give you smoother and softer feet fast and address rough spots on the feet. You most likely will need to use these once a week.

The bottoms of the feet, known for rough spots, benefit from physical exfoliation methods like scrubs, stones, and files. For a more intense treatment, use chemical exfoliation first and follow with a scrub or pumice stone.

Always exfoliate before shaving your legs - not after. To exfoliate the legs, start with a brush or loofa using gentle pressure to loosen cell attachments. You do not need to do this step if you just shaved your legs because the razor has a similar effect.  I like to do this in the shower. Then use a chemical or physical exfoliator. For chemical exfoliants, massage into the skin and follow the directions on the product label. For physical exfoliants like scrubs, wet the legs with warm or hot water. Rub into the legs in a circular motion in the shower and rinse off with warm water. 

Lip exfoliators often contain sugar because sugar makes the lip smoothing product taste great. Sugar can be used to exfoliate the body and lips, but sugar is too harsh to use as a face exfoliator.

Bikini area exfoliators can be used to help prevent and remove in grown hairs in the groin area. For the bikini area, it is recommended to use a sensitive-skin product and gently scrub along the bikini line before letting it sit for a few minutes. For manual exfoliants like scrubs, gentle scrubbing and rinsing with warm water are advised. If using a chemical exfoliant, massage into the skin and follow up with a fragrance-free moisturizer.

Salicylic acid cleansers and scrubs a great choice to help prevent and treat in grown hairs, but make sure you wash off nay cleansers completely before moisturizing.

Although many of my patients have heard that mechanical exfoliating is good for acne, but over exfoliating the skin can make acne worse. If you have acne, you should avoid mechanical exfoliation such as scrubs which can irritate the hair follicle and cause breakouts and make it more likely that you will become irritated from your acne medications. If you have acne, exfoliate with chemical exfoliators like hydroxy acids and salicylic acids instead of facial brushes and scrubs.

Over-exfoliated skin in acne patients is very common because patients often feel that acne is caused by unclean skin and they think exfoliating will help acne. Over exfoliating disturbs the skin's natural desquamation process and can lead to clogged pores and skin purging.

Salicylic acid is the best exfoliator for acne because:

• Has anti-inflammatory soothing capabilities
• Helps treat acne
• Can unclog pores
• Lowers skin pH so acne bacteria can't thrive

Be careful when using salicylic acid with acne medications such as retinoids and benzoyl peroxides. This can lead to too much exfoliation and skin inflammation.

Do not use a mechanical or chemical exfoliator is you have eczema.  These can further disrupt the fragile skin barrier. Instead use a barrier repair moisturizer.

Over exfoliation can worsen psoriasis. Patients are often tempted to use exfoliators to remove psoriasis scales and improve skin roughness from eczema. However, friction and injury can lead to the Koebner phenomenon (skin injury) which worsens psoriasis.

If you have black skin, you may notice that the skin gets an ashy tone when dry.  The best way to exfoliate black skin is by using one of the exfoliators discussed above, followed by a moisturizer.  Make sure you do not over-exfoliate because that can lead to inflammation followed by hyperpigmentation. Using the best skincare routine for black skin that considers your Baumann Skin Type® will help prevent ashy skin. 

The top layer of the skin is thinner after exfoliating so you need to be careful what you us on your kin.  For example, don't use alcohol or astringents after exfoliating. These are often in toners. Below I discuss which ingredients you can and cannot use after exfoliating.

You can exfoliate before using Vitamin C.  It is best to use a low pH cleanser like a AHA or BHA to lower the pH before applying Vitamin C serum.  This helps the Vitamin C penetrate better. 

Vitamin C serums are expensive so you want as much absorption as possible because ascorbic acid does not absorb very well.

Retinoids are strong exfoliators themselves. For most skin types- it is best not to use another exfoliant in your skincare routine while using retinol.  You can add a scrub or chemical exfoliator once you are using the retinol every night with no side effects.

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2. Baumann, L. Ch. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients (McGraw Hill 2015)
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5. Trevisol, T. C., Henriques, R. O., Souza, A. J. A., & Furigo Jr, A. (2022). An overview of the use of proteolytic enzymes as exfoliating agents. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 21(8), 3300-3307.
6. Briden, M. E., & Green, B. A. (2006). Topical exfoliation-clinical effects and formulating considerations. Cosmetic science and technology series, 30, 237.
7. Packianathan, N., & Kandasamy, R. (2011). Skin care with herbal exfoliants. Functional Plant Science and Biotechnology, 5(1), 94-97.