Kiehl's Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion for sensitive skin
Micronized Shells
Epilobium Angustifolium
Diatomaceous Earth
Shea Butter
Glycerin
High
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for sensitive skin; a few products fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 suitable for your normal skin, with glycerin and shea butter providing beneficial humectant and emollient actions to maintain hydration and smoothness.
- While it offers general skincare benefits, it lacks specialized ingredients to directly target your concerns of redness and irritation.
- The product is safe for your normal skin with sensitivity, as it contains no prohibited or harsh ingredients that would cause irritation.
How to apply
- Use your exfoliant PM once a week to help with redness and irritation. Start slowly and only increase frequency if your skin feels happy and comfortable.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner , but always before your moisturizer . This ensures the product absorbs properly into the skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin without rubbing . Let it absorb for a minute before moving on.
- Since your skin is sensitive , apply the exfoliant on completely dry skin for the best tolerance. This helps prevent any extra stinging or discomfort.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area .
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsThis product is highly praised for its ability to instantly smooth rough skin texture and clear stubborn dry patches. It also effectively minimizes the appearance of pores and fine lines, and improves the absorption of subsequent skincare products. However, users with sensitive skin should exercise caution as the physical exfoliant can cause redness and irritation if overused.
Highlights
Instantly smooths skin Often Mentioned
- “After rinsing the product off, my skin feels instantly smooth.”
- “Customers report skin feels noticeably softer, smoother, and more radiant.”
- “After cleansing with this, I find my skin smoother and softer.”
- “My skin felt extremely polished, invigorated, smoother, brighter.”
Clears dry patches Sometimes Noted
- “Finally cleared my stubborn dry patches.”
- “Finally cleared my stubborn rough patches.”
- “Finally cleared up my stubborn forehead texture.”
- “Does an efficient job in removing the bumps and smoothening the skin.”
Gentle yet effective Sometimes Noted
- “Reviewers praise the gentle yet powerful exfoliation.”
- “The abrasives of product is non-irritating to my skin.”
- “The abrasives of the scrub are very tiny and comfortable on skin.”
- “Sensitive-skin users noting no irritation or redness.”
Improves product absorption Sometimes Noted
- “Customers report other skincare products absorb better.”
- “Makeup applies more smoothly after use.”
- “Helps to facilitate the absorption of topical skin treatments.”
- “Clinically-demonstrated to refine skin surface and condition skin for treatment.”
Causes skin redness Sometimes Noted
- “After I used this, I experience more redness and my face feels pain.”
- “Some redness is to be expected as the skin is being re-texturized.”
- “I've read a few reviews stating that it did irritate their sensitive skin.”
- “Right after, your skin feels this pain and redness.”
Harsh sandy texture Rarely Noted
- “Would reject this in a heartbeat because she thinks that the grains are way too coarse.”
- “Can be a bit harsh if exposed to your skin for too long.”
- “If you sandpaper a surface for too long, it'll naturally wear down.”
- “The texture can be a hit or miss – it's somewhat finely ground sand-like grains.”
Incomplete exfoliation Rarely Noted
- “Right after you clean your face, there are still dead skin that is left not exfoliated.”
- “The bumpy skin isn't completely removed.”
- “It cannot complete the exfoliation within the time that you apply it.”
- “I have not seen much difference in skin re-texturizing.”
Sources: lovi.care, macys.com, kiehls.com.my, dillards.com, reviewstream.com, wordpress.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Kiehl's Micro-Dermabrasion a great fit for sensitive skin?
Kiehl's Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion is a great fit because it offers moderate exfoliation while using glycerin and shea butter to help keep your skin feeling soft and smooth. It is safe to use since it contains no harsh ingredients that typically cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin and shea butter make this exfoliant a good fit for sensitive skin by keeping it soft, smooth, and hydrated. These ingredients help maintain moisture and protect the skin barrier while you exfoliate.
What do Micronized Shells do for sensitive skin?
Micronized Shells are generally too rough for sensitive skin, as physical scrubs can easily cause micro-tears and redness. Sensitive skin needs very gentle, non-abrasive cleansers that protect the skin barrier and soothing ingredients like glycerin to keep skin calm and hydrated without irritation.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2004The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
What does Willow Herb do for sensitive skin?
Willow Herb helps calm sensitive skin by reducing redness and irritation. It works because it is packed with natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe angry or reactive skin.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes into the evening routine once a week, and people who tolerate it well may carefully use it more often. It helps keep your skin smooth, and is unlikely to cause irritation since it is a great fit.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant in your routine, but you should avoid applying it on the same nights you use retinol to prevent irritation. Instead, alternate them on different nights or use the exfoliant in the morning.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant treatment once a week as part of your evening routine to see how your sensitive skin handles it. If your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for sensitive skin because it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that trigger irritation. Glycerin and shea butter help maintain smooth hydration while you exfoliate.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Stearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Camellia oleifera Abel shell 1,3-butanediol extract decreased facial melanin levels by 59% from baseline at 6 weeks compared to a placebo group showing no effect in 30 female subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Eggshell membrane hydrolysate fractions, particularly the >10 kDa fraction, inhibit lipopolysaccharide and IFN-gamma-induced cell and skin inflammation, suppress collagenase and elastase activities, exhibit antibiotic effects, and provide skin moisture-protection.
Korean Journal for Food Science of Animal Resources, 2014Nacre extract recovered memory impairment, suppressed neuronal cell death, prevented skin aging symptoms like wrinkle formation and decreased moisture, and reduced oxidative stress in D-galactose-induced aging mice.
Marine Biotechnology, 2023Epilobium angustifolium extract increased cell viability, altered gene expressions in senescent normal human dermal fibroblasts, down-regulated UV-induced release of matrix metalloproteinases, and protected skin against UV-induced erythema formation in vivo.
General Physiology and Biophysics, 2013Epilobium angustifolium extract reduces lipid synthesis in sebocytes, protects against Malassezia-induced morphological changes, and reduces nonadherent and adherent dandruff by -54% and -48% while inhibiting scalp sebum production by -67% in volunteers with dandruff and greasy scalp.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2017Topical hydrogels containing Epilobium angustifolium extracts demonstrated antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties, with active ingredients penetrating human skin.
Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
Ingredients
Water, Alumina, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii Shea Butter, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Solum Diatomeae Diatomaceous Earth, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Epilobium Angustifolium Epilobium Angustifolium Extract, Disodium Edta, Hydrolyzed Algin
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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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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