Medik8 Sleep Glycolic for combination skin
Glycolic Acid
Glycerin
Lespedeza Capitata Stem Extract Flower Leaf
Dimethicone
Cyclodextrin
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- Low RiskSafety
Works for combination skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 combination skin, as glycolic acid helps to resurface texture and manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration to balance drier areas.
- The Lespedeza Capitata stem extract and flower leaf offer additional antioxidant benefits, supporting overall skin health.
- The product is generally safe for your skin, with a low risk of irritation from the glycolic acid.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product in your PM routine starting once a week, then increase frequency carefully if your skin feels fine.
- Apply this exfoliant step after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and wait a minute before layering.
- Apply the exfoliant to clean, dry skin to help control your oily shine comfortably.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 1.9k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly praised for its ability to transform dull skin into a glowing, radiant complexion. Users report significant improvements in skin texture, hyperpigmentation, and fine lines, with many noting a lack of irritation. Some users experience a mild tingling sensation or dryness.
Highlights
Glowing, radiant skin Mostly Mentioned
- “I wake up glowing. It adds back that youthful bloom that I've lost.”
- “My skin looks beautiful the next morning after using sleep glycolic.”
- “I felt like I was wearing highlighter all over my face due to the luminosity.”
- “Skin is literally like a baby's bottom - soft, plump and smooth.”
Smoother skin texture Mostly Mentioned
- “My skin was smoother, my skin texture felt more resurfaced.”
- “Skin is clearer and smoother, I'm 70 so never going to have glass skin but pleased with the result.”
- “It leaves my skin feeling SO smooth the next morning!”
- “My skin texture is smoother and complexion clearer.”
No irritation Often Mentioned
- “No issues with sensitivity and super easy to use a couple of times a week.”
- “I was worried it might irritate my 50 year old skin, but it doesn't at all.”
- “Not a tiny bit of irritation in sight. In fact, it felt beautiful as I applied.”
- “I have experienced no irritation and my skin feels much smoother the following day.”
Reduces dullness Sometimes Noted
- “Banished skin dullness and started to scare wrinkles into submission.”
- “It left my skin tone so much more clearer and lighter.”
- “I also think the dark rings on my neck are less noticeable since using this.”
- “With only one use, the Sleep Glycolic had transformed my dull complexion.”
Causes mild dryness Rarely Noted
- “The next morning, my skin felt a touch dry but I think that is to be expected.”
- “The first couple of times I used it my skin felt a bit dry a few days afterwards.”
- “Not sure if it's just me but I do notice a little light itchiness on the drier parts of my face.”
Slight tingling sensation Rarely Noted
- “I do notice a little light itchiness on the drier parts of my face a day or two after use.”
- “I personally only experienced very slight mild irritation.”
- “It's just the right amount of tingle, and at the right price point.”
Too strong frequently Rarely Noted
- “Can't use frequently, too much for my skin.”
- “I cut down from a 'large-ish' pea-sized amount to a 'petit pois' size and that solved the issue.”
- “I use it once a week, that's enough for my skin which can be slightly sensitive.”
Sources: lovi.care, medik8.com, spacenk.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, lookfantastic.com, adorebeauty.com.au, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Medik8 Sleep Glycolic work for combination skin?
Medik8 Sleep Glycolic works for your combination skin, though other products fit it better. It offers moderate exfoliation because glycolic acid helps to smooth texture and manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration to balance drier areas. A product for this skin needs effective ingredients like niacinamide, propolis, or zinc PCA that regulate oiliness, enhance radiance, and provide optimal hydration without any risk of irritation.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin?
Glycolic acid helps to smooth texture and manage oily shine, while glycerin provides essential hydration to balance drier areas. To fit combination skin even better, this type of product needs ingredients like niacinamide, propolis, and zinc PCA to regulate oiliness and enhance radiance without irritation.
What does Glycolic Acid do for combination skin?
Glycolic acid helps smooth and brighten combination skin by gently loosening dead surface cells to speed up skin renewal. This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation when used properly, but it needs a reliable sunscreen during the day since it makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1995Archives of Dermatological Research, 1997
What does Glycerin do for combination skin?
Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does it go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This treatment goes in your evening routine, starting at once a week before moisturizing. Combination skin needs glycolic acid to resurface texture and manage oily shine alongside glycerin for essential hydration in drier areas.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
It is best not to use this exfoliant in the same routine as retinol, as combining them may easily cause dryness or irritation on your combination skin. Instead, alternate the nights you use them or use retinol on different days to keep your skin smooth and calm.
How often should I use it?
Start by using this treatment once a week in the evening, and if your skin handles it well and shows good results, you may carefully use it more often. This approach helps you manage oily shine while avoiding irritation on drier areas of your combination skin. A product of this type needs a balance of exfoliating ingredients like glycolic acid alongside hydrating ingredients like glycerin to properly care for combination skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can Medik8 Sleep Glycolic clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
Medik8 Sleep Glycolic is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on combination skin, as it helps resurface texture and manage oily shine. Combination skin needs ingredients like glycolic acid to clear dead cells and glycerin to hydrate drier areas without heaviness.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
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, 2017Repeated 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, 2017The 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, 2012The circadian clock component PER represses MMP-1 expression via the cAMP signaling pathway and mediates the MMP-1 suppression induced by Lespedeza capitata extract in HaCaT keratinocytes.
Molecules, 2018Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.
Skin Research and Technology, 2000Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Topical retinoic acid-beta-cyclodextrin complex formulations at 0.025% showed greater acne improvement scores (4.0-4.1) and lower irritation than a commercial 0.05% retinoic acid gel (score 3, with side effects in all patients) after 3 months in 66 patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2004Tretinoin cyclodextrin complex demonstrated an antiwrinkle effect equal to that of conventional tretinoin with more moderate irritant reactions in photoaged patients.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2012Binary systems of trans-resveratrol with polyethylene glycol or beta-cyclodextrin enhanced its antioxidant activity and in vivo skin anti-aging effects compared to trans-resveratrol alone in human keratinocytes and volunteers.
Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, 2014
Ingredients
Water, Glycolic Acid, Cyclodextrin, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Sucrose Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Lespedeza Capitata Stem Extract Flower Leaf, Propanediol, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Isostearate
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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