Kiehl's Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion for oily skin
Micronized Shells
Epilobium Angustifolium
Diatomaceous Earth
Shea Butter
Glycerin
Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 oily skin due to Alumina and Solum Diatomeae Diatomaceous Earth, which help to physically buff away dead skin cells and reduce the appearance of pores, though these benefits are mostly supportive for controlling oily shine.
- The presence of Epilobium Angustifolium Extract offers some soothing properties, but the formula lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily skin.
- The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product as part of your PM routine once a week. Start slowly and build up frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb fully. Avoid any harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the exfoliant directly onto completely dry skin to get the best balance and results. Clean, dry skin helps the product work evenly.
- Always avoid the delicate eye area when applying. Be sure to use a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily while using exfoliating acids.
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
How well does Kiehl's Epidermal Re-Texturizing Micro-Dermabrasion work for oily skin?
This exfoliant treatment works moderately well for your oily skin by physically buffing away dead skin cells and reducing the look of pores, though it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control. A product of this type needs effective ingredients like niacinamide or zinc PCA to control excess oil and shine, along with soothing extracts and lightweight hydrators to keep oily skin comfortable.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily skin?
Alumina and diatomaceous earth buff away dead skin cells and help reduce the appearance of pores for your oily skin. An exfoliant of this type needs effective ingredients like niacinamide to control sebum production, along with ferulic acid and zinc PCA to manage oily shine and enlarged pores.
What do Micronized Shells do for oily skin?
Micronized Shells help scrub away dead skin and clear out pores for oily skin, but they may feel too harsh and can cause irritation if used too often. This type of skin needs gentle physical scrubs or chemical exfoliants with ingredients like salicylic acid to clear oil and dirt safely without scratching.
What does Willow Herb do for oily skin?
Willow Herb helps calm oily skin by reducing irritation and fighting redness. It also provides antioxidant protection that keeps the skin feeling fresh and balanced.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine once a week. An exfoliant for this skin type needs extra oil-controlling and pore-clearing ingredients to work best.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant in your routine, but apply it on a different night than your retinol to keep your skin calm and smooth. Using both strong treatments on the same night may cause dryness or irritation.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant once a week, and if your oily skin tolerates it well and sees good results, you may carefully use it more often. Oily skin of this type needs stronger oil-absorbing ingredients and targeted mattifying agents to properly control shine.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but it may cause redness due to its physical scrubbing texture. It helps buff away dead skin and clear pores, though an oily skin type also needs targeted ingredients to properly balance oil.
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
Camellia 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, 2025A 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, 2001
Why other products fit oily skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.
BioMed Research International, 2022
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.