SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight for dry skin
High
- AverageDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for dry skin; a few products fit it even better.
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 excellent exfoliation for your dry skin due to glycolic acid and phytic acid, promoting skin renewal and smoothing texture. Glycerin provides humectant action, but the lack of sufficient emollient ingredients like jojoba esters means it may not fully address your dryness.
- The formula is safe for your dry skin, as it contains soothing ingredients like glycerin and tocopherol and avoids harsh or prohibited substances.
- This product is suitable for your dry skin, offering moderate exfoliation and renewal.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week, increasing slowly to twice a week if your dry skin tolerates it well. Always remember to apply SPF every morning to protect your newly smoothed skin.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but always before your rich moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute. Avoid rubbing to prevent any irritation on flaky areas.
- Apply the product directly to dry clean skin to ensure the best possible tolerance for your dry type. This helps address flaky patches without causing extra stress.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a quick patch test before your very first use. Do not mix this with other strong acids or retinoids on the same night.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 1.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this nighttime glycolic acid treatment is widely praised for delivering a radiant glow and significantly smoothing skin texture. It is also frequently noted for helping to clear acne and minimize pores. However, a significant number of recent reviews indicate a disappointing change in formula, resulting in a watery consistency that makes application difficult and can lead to waste.
Highlights
Noticeable glow Mostly Mentioned
- “woke up with a glow”
- “skin looks radiant”
- “fresh from a facial look”
- “noticeably brighter”
Smoother texture Often Mentioned
- “baby soft skin”
- “texture is much smoother”
- “bumps are gone”
- “glass-like finish”
Watery consistency Often Mentioned
- “pours out like water”
- “formula has changed”
- “too runny to apply”
- “liquid mess”
Acne and pores Sometimes Noted
- “keeps acne away”
- “pores look smaller”
- “cleared up my congestion”
- “helped with breakouts”
Gentle exfoliation Sometimes Noted
- “no irritation”
- “gentle but effective”
- “didn't dry me out”
- “great for sensitive skin”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for the amount”
- “not worth the price tag”
- “pricey for a runny product”
Dispensing issues Rarely Noted
- “leaks out of tube”
- “messy cap”
- “wasted product when opening”
Initial irritation Rarely Noted
- “stung upon application”
- “caused purging”
- “slight burning sensation”
- “redness at first”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, cocooncenter.co.uk, bluemercury.com, skinceuticals.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 a great fit for dry skin?
SkinCeuticals Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight is a great fit for your dry skin because it offers excellent exfoliation with glycolic acid and phytic acid to smooth texture and promote skin renewal. It also contains glycerin and tocopherol for safe, soothing care, though dry skin may still need rich moisturizing ingredients like jojoba esters to fully lock in moisture.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for dry skin?
Glycolic acid and phytic acid make this exfoliant a great fit for your dry skin by smoothing texture and helping skin renewal. Glycerin, tocopherol, and jojoba esters add safe, soothing support.
What does Glycolic Acid do for dry skin?
Glycolic acid helps smooth and soften dry skin by speeding up the shedding of older surface cells. Because it can also cause the skin to lose more moisture, dry skin needs extra hydrating ingredients like glycerin or hyaluronic acid alongside it to keep the skin comfortable.
What does Phytic Acid do for dry skin?
Phytic acid helps support the outer skin barrier to keep dry skin feeling comfortable and hydrated. A product of this type needs soothing ingredients and moisture-locking components to relieve tightness and smooth dry areas.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, starting just once a week. Because it contains glycolic acid and phytic acid, it helps renew the skin and smooth texture, while glycerin provides extra comfort.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
It is best to avoid using this exfoliant on the same night as retinol to keep your dry skin from becoming overly sensitive and irritated. Instead, alternate nights between the two treatments or use the exfoliant in your evening routine and save retinol for a different day, always following up with a good moisturizer.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant once a week in the evening, and if your skin feels comfortable and shows good results, you may carefully use it more often. The formula provides great smoothing renewal, but because it lacks rich softening ingredients, it is best to follow up with a good moisturizer to keep your dry skin happy.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on dry skin, but its renewing ingredients may cause mild initial purging or irritation as your skin adjusts. The formula avoids heavy, pore-clogging ingredients and includes soothing components to keep your skin calm.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical formulations containing 3.75% glycerol and 1.25% hydrolyzed jojoba esters produced significantly lower evaporative TEWL values compared to glycerol alone at 8 and 24 hours posttreatment in human subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Repeated 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, 2017L-ascorbic acid 10% plus phytic acid 2% serum significantly reduced the pigmentation index of solar lentigines compared to a vehicle control in 30 healthy subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2011Chemical peels using 35% glycolic acid, 20% salicylic-10% mandelic acid, and phytic acid reduce acne scores by 70.55%, 74.14%, and 69.7% respectively, and significantly decline the postacne hyperpigmentation index in Asian patients with mild to moderate acne.
Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2019A topical facial emulsion containing 10% glycolic acid, 2% phytic acid, and a soothing complex significantly improved skin hyperpigmentation, texture, and tone homogeneity from week 4 through week 12 in American female volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin types II-VI.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Cryotherapy 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, 2010A 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, 2020Treatment 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, 2024A 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, 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, 2001Wearing 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, 2007
Ingredients
Water, Glycolic Acid, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Dimethicone, Sodium Hydroxide, Butylene Glycol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Phytic Acid, Cetyl Peg Ppg-10 1 Dimethicone, Aluminum Octenylsuccinate Starch, Nylon-12, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Magnesium Sulfate, Jojoba Esters, Phenoxyethanol, Helianthus Annuus Sunflower Wax Seed Cera, Caprylyl Glycol, Disodium Edta, Salicylic Acid, Acacia Decurrens Accia Decurrens Wax Flower Cera, Polyglycerin-3, Tocopherol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
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
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