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Kiehl's Daily Refining Milk-Peel Toner for dry skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Kiehl's Daily Refining Milk-Peel Toner

High

  • HighDry Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

One of the best toners for dry skin.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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

  • Offers moderate exfoliation for your dry skin due to the presence of Lipo-Hydroxy Acid and Lactic Acid, which gently smooth texture and address flakiness. Squalane and emollients provide emollient action, but the formula lacks sufficient humectants for optimal hydration.
  • The absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients ensures no risks of irritation for your dry skin.
  • This toner is safe for your skin.

How to apply

  • Use your exfoliating toner as part of your PM routine once a week to start. If your skin is happy, you can slowly use it more often.
  • Apply this exfoliating toner right after your cleanser and before your moisturizer. This keeps your skin care steps in the right order.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin with your hands. Let it soak in for a minute before the next step.
  • Put the exfoliating toner on clean and dry skin to help it work best. Avoid rubbing so your face stays calm and happy.
  • Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the sensitive eye area.

People Say

★4.7Overall rating based on 1.1k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, this toner is highly praised for delivering a radiant "glass skin" appearance and refining skin texture through gentle daily exfoliation. Its hydrating, milky formula is frequently recommended for dry and sensitive skin types, leaving it feeling soft and moisturized. Some users with oily or acne-prone skin have noted a sticky or heavy residue, and a small number experienced breakouts. The product is also considered expensive by many, with occasional reports of packaging issues.

Highlights

  • Instant glow Mostly Mentioned
    • “Instantly glowing, smooth and hydrated skin”
    • “Leaves my skin gleaming”
    • “Instant satisfaction and radiance”
  • Gentle exfoliation Often Mentioned
    • “Gentle enough for daily use”
    • “No redness or patches”
    • “Weak as gnat's wee but effective”
  • Hydrating formula Often Mentioned
    • “Major hit of hydration”
    • “Never felt dry or sensitive”
    • “Leaves skin soothed and comforted”
  • Smoothes texture Sometimes Noted
    • “Refines and smoothes”
    • “Bumpy feeling around nose is gone”
    • “Skin feels silky smooth”
  • Expensive product Sometimes Noted
    • “Gawked at the price”
    • “It's pricey”
    • “Expensive but lasts a long time”
  • Sticky residue Sometimes Noted
    • “Finish feels slightly oily”
    • “Super sticky after application”
    • “Can't get past the milky texture”
  • Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “Got one of the biggest breakouts”
    • “Small blemishes the day after”
    • “Might be too aggressive for some”
  • Packaging issues Rarely Noted
    • “Product has evaporated”
    • “Closed bottle no breakage but empty”
    • “Leaked in transit”

Sources: lovi.care, boots.com, kiehls.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, spacenk.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Kiehl's Daily Refining Milk-Peel Toner a great fit for dry skin?

This toner is a great fit because it offers gentle exfoliation with Lipo-Hydroxy Acid and Lactic Acid to smooth texture and address flakiness without causing irritation. Squalane and other emollients also help soften your skin while keeping it comfortable.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008

Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for dry skin?

This toner is a good fit for dry skin thanks to lactic acid and lipo-hydroxy acid, which gently smooth texture and address flakiness. Additionally, squalane and almond milk help keep your skin soft and comfortable.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008

What does Capryloyl Salicylic Acid do for dry skin?

Capryloyl salicylic acid helps smooth the skin and reduces fine lines, but because it can be drying, dry skin needs a gentle formula paired with rich moisturizers to keep it soft and comfortable.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008International Journal of Toxicology, 2003

What does Lactic Acid do for dry skin?

Lactic acid helps relieve dry skin by drawing in moisture and strengthening the skin's barrier so it stays soft and smooth. This ingredient gently sheds dead cells and supports natural moisturizing factors, making it very useful for improving rough or flaky areas.

International Journal of Dermatology, 2025Skin Research and Technology, 2013

Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for dry skin?

This toner goes in your routine after cleansing, starting at once a week to see how your dry skin tolerates it. Lovi routines start exfoliating steps once a week, and you can carefully use them more often if you tolerate them well and see good results.

Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this exfoliating toner with retinol by using them on alternate nights to help prevent dry skin irritation. When applying them, use the toner first after cleansing, let it absorb, and then follow with your retinol product and moisturizer.

How often should I use this toner?

Start by using this exfoliating toner once a week to see how your dry skin responds. People who tolerate it well and see good results may carefully use it more often.

Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?

This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for your dry skin. Reviewers rarely report breakouts, and the formula avoids harsh ingredients that typically cause irritation.

Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene and benzyl alcohol).

What the research says

  • Capryloyl salicylic acid peel reduced fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation comparably to glycolic acid peel in 44 female volunteers, with no statistically significant differences between the two treatments.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008

  • Combining a salicylic acid and lipohydroxy acid facial serum and mask improved closed comedones and acne severity significantly more than serum alone in adults with acne over 8 weeks, with no adverse reactions reported.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023

  • Parity was demonstrated between an OTC BPO 5.5% formulation with lipohydroxy acid and tretinoin cream 0.025% versus prescription clindamycin 1%-BPO 5% gel and tretinoin cream 0.025% in participants with mild to moderate acne vulgaris at 12 weeks.

    Cutis, 2012

  • Application 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, 2004

  • Topical 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, 1992

  • A 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, 2020

  • Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.

    Molecules, 2025

  • Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.

    Antioxidants, 2025

  • Cryotherapy 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, 2010

  • 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, 2020

  • Treatment 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, 2024

Ingredients

Lipo-Hydroxy Acid Lha, Emollients, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Milk, Water, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Cartamus Tinctorius Safflower Seed Oil, 1,2-Hexanediol, Peg-6 Caprylic Capric Glycerides, Peg-40 Glyceryl Cocoate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Coceth Sulfate, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citrus Nobilis Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Adenosine, Limonene, Caprylyl Glycol, Anthemis Nobilis Oil Flower, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil Nut Leaf Stem, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Sweet Almond Seed Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Xanthan Gum, Silybum Marianum Extract, Tocopherol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Lactic Acid

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
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