Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel for oily acne-prone skin
Glycolic Acid
Salicylic Acid
Lactic Acid
Retinol
ResveratrolHigh
- HighOily Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few products fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Highly suitable for your oily skin, the glycolic and salicylic acids offer excellent exfoliation to decongest pores and smooth texture, addressing your acne and oiliness concerns.
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract provide soothing benefits, complementing the active ingredients for a balanced approach to your skin.
- The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of beneficial botanical extracts.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but before your final moisturizer step.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product directly onto clean, dry skin for the best results against breakouts.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and always use a daily SPF since exfoliating makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 2.5k+ reviewsThis two-step chemical peel is highly praised for delivering professional-level results at home, with users consistently reporting immediate improvements in skin radiance and smoothness. It is effective for treating dullness, uneven texture, and mild acne across various skin types. However, it is a potent treatment that can cause stinging or purging in sensitive individuals and comes with a high price tag. This summary is based on a very large amount of data and should be definitely taken into account.
Highlights
Instant glow Mostly Mentioned
- “My skin looks brighter and more even in just five days.”
- “Gives me a healthy glow that isn't highlighter.”
- “Restores radiance immediately after use.”
- “Woke up with glowing skin the next morning.”
Smoother skin texture Often Mentioned
- “My skin feels so soft and smooth, like a baby's.”
- “Completely got rid of the rough bumps on my forehead.”
- “Makeup applies so much better on my exfoliated skin.”
- “Texture is significantly refined after a few uses.”
Expensive price point Often Mentioned
- “Incredible stuff but pricey for what it is.”
- “Hard to justify the cost for a daily item.”
- “I only buy it during sales because it's so expensive.”
- “Wish it was cheaper so I could use it every day.”
Acne and pore reduction Sometimes Noted
- “Keeps my hormonal acne and clogged pores at bay.”
- “Helps clear up breakouts faster than anything else.”
- “Noticed my pores look smaller and cleaner.”
- “Great for keeping blackheads away.”
Convenient and easy Sometimes Noted
- “Love the pre-soaked pads, perfect for travel.”
- “The two-step process is quick and effortless.”
- “Fuss-free application, takes only two minutes.”
- “So much easier than messy liquid toners.”
Stinging sensation Sometimes Noted
- “Felt a strong burning sensation upon application.”
- “My face was on fire and red instantly.”
- “Too strong for my sensitive skin, caused irritation.”
- “Stings a bit too much for comfort.”
Anti-aging benefits Rarely Noted
- “Softens fine lines on my forehead.”
- “Skin feels firmer and more plump.”
- “Helps with sun spots and discoloration over time.”
Drying or dehydrating Rarely Noted
- “Dried my skin out significantly at first.”
- “Left my face feeling tight and stripped.”
- “Need to use a heavy moisturizer afterwards.”
Purging and breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Experienced bad purging with new breakouts for a week.”
- “Caused a rash and tiny bumps all over my face.”
- “Made me break out in cystic acne initially.”
Strong chemical smell Rarely Noted
- “Smells very chemically and strong.”
- “The fumes can be a bit overpowering.”
- “Has a harsh alcohol-like scent.”
Sources: lovi.care, drdennisgross.com, sephora.ph, sephora.my, influenster.com, spacenk.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Dr. Dennis Gross Universal Daily Peel a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant treatment is a great fit because the glycolic and salicylic acids clear out clogged pores and smooth your skin texture, which helps tackle oiliness and breakouts. Soothing plant extracts like green tea and chamomile calm your skin, and the formula is gentle enough to keep irritation at bay.
BioMed Research International, 2020Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and lactic acid make this exfoliant a great fit by clearing out pores and smoothing out texture for oily skin. Additionally, ingredients like retinol and soothing plant extracts help balance the formula to keep your skin calm.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Glycolic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing pimples and soothing breakouts. It exfoliates the surface to keep pores clear and leaves the skin feeling smooth.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Dermatologic Surgery, 2014
What does Salicylic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Salicylic acid helps clear breakouts and keeps oily skin balanced by reducing oil levels and calming inflammation. It is well suited for oily, acne-prone skin because it targets pimples while helping keep the skin hydrated and protected.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine. Lovi routines start exfoliating steps once a week, and people who tolerate them well and see good results can carefully use them more often.
Can I use this exfoliant with niacinamide, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant with niacinamide by applying the exfoliant first on clean skin, letting it absorb fully, and then following with your niacinamide serum and moisturizer. Using them together helps smooth texture and control oiliness, while soothing plant extracts keep your skin calm and comfortable.
BioMed Research International, 2020Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your oily acne-prone skin handles it well, you can carefully use it more often. The glycolic and salicylic acids help clear out pores and smooth texture, while soothing botanical extracts keep skin calm.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2003Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts, as glycolic and salicylic acids help clear out congestion and smooth your skin. While a stinging sensation may happen, the formula is generally well-tolerated by oily and acne-prone skin.
BioMed Research International, 2020Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It contains fragrance (parfum) and drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
What the research says
A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.
BioMed Research International, 2020Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene showed no hindrance compared to adapalene monotherapy and provided benefits in reducing complications in 25 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024An anti-acne hydrogel containing Aloe barbadensis, Garcinia mangostana, and Camellia sinensis extracts showed superior antiacne and antiblotch activities compared to 1% clindamycin gel in sixty subjects with mild-moderate acne.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.
CMAJ, 2010Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.
Cutis, 2004Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020Topical 0.4% retinol significantly increased epidermal thickness, dermal vascularity, and extracellular matrix production by stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, endothelial cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation in naturally aged human skin compared to vehicle.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical bakuchiol 0.5% applied twice daily compared with retinol 0.5% applied daily significantly decreased wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation with no statistical difference between the compounds in 44 patients over 12 weeks, while retinol users reported more facial skin scaling and stinging.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2019Silicone particles encapsulating retinol increased its half-life by 9-fold and yielded 12-23% lower skin irritation in human subjects compared to Microsponge particles while maintaining biological activity.
Journal of Controlled Release, 2018Topical CE Ferulic plus resveratrol BE serum following ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment reduced erythema index (308.9 vs. 325.3), shortened complete scabbing detachment time (6.0 vs. 6.5 days), decreased melanin index (-7.4% vs. +0.2%), and improved skin hydration compared to normal saline in 51 Chinese patients.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2024Topical treatment with a combination of pyridine-2, 4-dicarboxylic acid diethyl ester and resveratrol significantly increased hair density in 79 Caucasian female subjects starting from 1.5 months compared to baseline.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2020A nighttime topical antioxidant containing resveratrol, baicalin, and vitamin E significantly improved fine lines, wrinkles, firmness, elasticity, laxity, hyperpigmentation, radiance, roughness, and dermal thickness in subjects with mild to moderately photodamaged skin over 12 weeks.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2014
Ingredients
Water, Alcohol Denat, Glycolic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Witch Hazel Water, Salicylic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Malic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Achillea Millefolium Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Glycerin, Copper Pca, Zinc Pca, Lecithin, Disodium Edta, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Ascorbic Acid, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Resveratrol, Ubiquinone, Adenosine, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Dimethicone, Octoxynol-9, Bht, Bha, Tetrasodium Edta
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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