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ZO Skin Health Complexion Renewal Pads for dry skin

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

ZO Skin Health Complexion Renewal Pads

Average

  • AverageDry Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for dry skin; other products fit it 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 moderate exfoliation for your dry skin due to salicylic acid and glycolic acid, which help decongest pores and smooth texture, but lacks specialized ingredients for intense hydration.
  • While the blend provides general skincare benefits, it does not fully address your dryness due to a lack of sufficient humectant and emollient ingredients.
  • The product is safe for your dry skin as it contains no prohibited or harsh ingredients that would cause irritation.

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

★4.7Overall rating based on 1.2k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, these pads are widely praised for effectively managing oily, acne-prone, and congested skin by combining salicylic and glycolic acids to exfoliate and clear pores. While many users achieve a brighter, smoother, and more balanced complexion, those with highly sensitive or dry skin should introduce them gradually due to the inclusion of denatured alcohol and fragrance.

Highlights

  • Convenient to use Often Mentioned
    • “Incredibly convenient and easy to incorporate.”
    • “Easy-to-use pad with incredible benefits.”
    • “Perfect for on-the-go skincare maintenance.”
  • Effective exfoliation Often Mentioned
    • “Leaves my skin feeling clean, smooth, and refreshed.”
    • “Truly renew the top layer of your skin with each use.”
    • “Removes dead skin cells to prevent clogged pores.”
  • Reduces oil Often Mentioned
    • “Helps keep surface oils under control.”
    • “I've noticed less oiliness throughout the day.”
    • “Works effectively to minimize surface oil.”
  • Brightens skin Sometimes Noted
    • “Helped my hyperpigmentation SO much.”
    • “My skin looks brighter and more even in tone.”
    • “Helps to brighten skin and clarify pores.”
  • Contains alcohol Sometimes Noted
    • “Denatured alcohol is included... it's also drying for many users.”
    • “It has denatured alcohol which could lead to sensitive skin issues.”
    • “I am very conservative when it comes to having alcohol based products.”
  • High price Sometimes Noted
    • “It's a steep step up from drugstore alternatives.”
    • “I just wish they weren't so pricey.”
    • “Cut them in half to get more bang for your buck.”
  • Causes irritation Rarely Noted
    • “Can be too much during a flare... may sting on reactive skin.”
    • “If you suffer from sensitive or broken skin, [this] may be a more suitable choice.”
    • “Fragrances... can lead to sensitive skin issues.”

Sources: lovi.care, dermapproved.com, youtube.com, skinsort.com, myfacedr.com, alexandrarosepink.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well do ZO Skin Health Complexion Renewal Pads work for dry skin?

These pads work moderately well for dry skin, helping to smooth texture and clear pores with glycolic and salicylic acids, though they lack deep hydration. Because they do not have enough ingredients to lock in moisture, a product for dry skin needs rich hydrators like ceramides, niacinamide, or peptides to thoroughly nourish and support the skin barrier.

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

Glycolic acid and salicylic acid help smooth texture and decongest pores for your dry skin. Because it lacks specialized ingredients for intense hydration, an exfoliant of this type needs soothing ingredients, ceramides, niacinamide, or peptides to deeply nourish and support dry skin.

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.

Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1995

What does Salicylic Acid do for dry skin?

Salicylic acid is generally not a good fit for dry skin, as it is meant to clear out pores and remove dead skin rather than hydrate. Because dry skin needs soothing and moisture rather than exfoliation, a product for dry skin needs nourishing ingredients like urea to lock in moisture and keep the skin soft.

Where does it go in a skincare routine for dry skin?

Use this exfoliant treatment in your evening routine once a week to start, and apply it after cleansing and before your moisturizer. This product type works for dry skin when it is paired with rich hydrators and soothing ingredients to lock in moisture.

Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this exfoliant in your routine, but apply it on alternate nights from your retinol to help prevent irritation and dryness. When using both, follow with a good moisturizer to keep your skin soft and comfortable.

How often should I use it?

Start using this treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your dry skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you may carefully use it more often. To work best for dry skin, this type of product needs extra ingredients that draw in and seal in moisture.

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

These pads are unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts because they contain salicylic acid and glycolic acid to help clear out pores and smooth texture. However, because dry skin needs extra moisture to stay soft, an exfoliant of this type works best when paired with rich hydrators and soothing ingredients.

BioMed Research International, 2020Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It contains fragrance (parfum, limonene, linalool, and hexyl cinnamal) and drying alcohol (sd alcohol 40-b).

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, 2020

  • Twice 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, 2024

  • The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

  • Repeated 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, 2000

  • Serial 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, 2017

  • 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

  • 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

  • Topical 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, 2010

  • Plantain leaf proteins exhibit a wound-healing effect on vertebrate skin both in vitro and in vivo.

    Prikladnaia Biokhimiia I Mikrobiologiia, 2011

  • Plantago lanceolata water extract improves skin wound healing in rats by inducing the transition of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, increasing wound contraction rates, and enhancing tensile strength through greater extracellular matrix protein organization compared to untreated wounds.

    The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2015

  • Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata extracts incorporated into 3D-printed polysaccharide dressings enhanced fibroblast wound closure to 64% and 52%, respectively, compared to 29% for the control.

    International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2026

  • Topical steroid withdrawal is driven by excess mitochondrial NAD+ metabolism that can be successfully targeted using complex I-inhibiting interventions such as metformin and berberine.

    The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2025

  • Topical steroid withdrawal presents as a distinct dermatopathology characterized by burning, flushing, thermodysregulation, and elevated mitochondrial NAD+ oxidation, which can be improved by targeting complex I with metformin or berberine.

    MedRxiv, 2024

  • Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose hydrogel formulations of berberine chloride-loaded escinosomes increased skin residence time and transdermal permeability while maintaining high safety and biocompatibility without skin irritation.

    International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2020

Why other products fit dry skin better

Ingredients

Water, Sd Alcohol 40-B, Propylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid, Urea, Glycolic Acid, Pterocarpus Soyauxii Extract Wood, Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract, Hordeum Distichon Extract Hordeum Vulgare Extract, Spiraea Ulmaria Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Extract, Butylene Glycol, Parfum, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Sodium Hydroxide

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

How does it fit your skin?

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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
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play