Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel for oily acne-prone skin
Pineapple
Pomegranate Enzymes
Cellulose
Glycerin
Sodium Hyaluronate
R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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, as R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase and pineapple fruit extract effectively smooth texture and promote shedding of corneocytes.
- While cellulose and glycerin provide hydration, these ingredients offer general skincare benefits that are mostly supportive and not directly targeted at your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but before your final moisturizer step.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product directly onto clean, dry skin for the best results against breakouts.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and always use a daily SPF since exfoliating makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 4.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly praised for its gentle, acid-free enzymatic exfoliation that effectively removes dead skin cells without causing irritation, making it ideal for sensitive, dry, and combination skin. Users consistently report that it leaves their complexion feeling baby-soft, smooth, and radiant, while helping to unclog pores and improve overall skin texture. Some users question the efficacy of the visible 'rolling' effect, suggesting it may be due to the cellulose ingredient rather than actual dead skin removal.
Highlights
Gentle exfoliation Mostly Mentioned
- “exfoliates in a very gentle way without irritating my skin”
- “gentle exfoliation without the stinging or irritation”
- “gentle but super effective exfoliant”
- “not a harsh or abrasive scrub”
Leaves skin soft Mostly Mentioned
- “leaves the skin feeling incredibly soft, smooth, and radiant”
- “skin feel baby soft and smooth”
- “skin is so soft after that, I can't stop touching my face”
- “leaves your skin feeling instantly softer”
Removes dead skin Often Mentioned
- “visibly rolls the dead skin off of my face”
- “immediately feel pieces of dead skin coming off”
- “satisfying to see the dead skin come up”
- “peeled off old skin cells on my face”
Brightens complexion Sometimes Noted
- “my skin looks much more radiant and luminous”
- “left my skin glowing”
- “leaves your complexion looking moisturized and bright”
- “helping to exfoliate and brighten my skin”
Cellulose gimmick Sometimes Noted
- “Its not dead skin you see rolling off, its the cellulose they put in the product!”
- “much of its theatrical 'peeling' is cellulose roll-off rather than active resurfacing”
- “what is pulling is the product just clumping up”
- “I thot it was kinda a gimmick & was just the product rolling on my skin”
Can cause breakouts Rarely Noted
- “Made me break out.”
- “caused me to break out”
- “broke me out”
Difficult to rinse Rarely Noted
- “the little balls are difficult to get completely rinsed away afterward”
- “hard to wash off the little clumps”
- “takes a bit of effort to wash off all the cellulose pills”
High price Rarely Noted
- “price feels steep”
- “costs a touch more than single-acid toners”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, ulta.com, sephora.com, peterthomasroth.com, target.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel work for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant treatment works moderately well for your oily skin, smoothing texture and helping shed dead cells without causing irritation, though it lacks direct blemish-fighting ingredients. An exfoliant for this skin type needs targeted blemish fighters like niacinamide or benzoyl peroxide, along with oil-controlling and soothing ingredients that manage breakouts while keeping skin comfortable.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase and pineapple fruit extract make this exfoliant a good fit for your oily skin by smoothing texture and helping shed dead cells. Glycerin and cellulose provide hydration, but an exfoliant of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, propolis, benzoyl peroxide, or Vitamin C to actively target breakouts and manage excess oil for this skin.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014
What does Pineapple Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Pineapple extract helps balance oily skin and keeps pores clear by reducing excess oil and calming redness. It is unlikely to irritate sensitive acne-prone skin while providing these clarifying benefits.
What do Pomegranate Enzymes do for oily acne-prone skin?
Pomegranate Enzymes help clear away dead skin and oil that can clog pores, leaving oily acne-prone skin feeling smooth and looking clearer. This gentle exfoliation helps reduce breakouts without causing dryness or irritation.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine once a week to start, as routines begin exfoliating steps slowly and use treatments at night for safety around sun exposure. This product works for oily skin by smoothing texture, but oily acne-prone skin also needs ingredients that directly target breakouts and blemishes.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying the exfoliant first to smooth texture, waiting for it to dry, and then following with your retinol on separate nights or spaced out in your routine to help prevent irritation. This product offers moderate exfoliation for oily skin, but to better fit acne-prone skin, it needs ingredients that directly target breakouts and blemishes.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant treatment once a week, and if your oily acne-prone skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often. While it helps smooth texture, this skin also needs targeted ingredients for breakouts and blemishes.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on your oily skin because it has a very safe formula with no harsh ingredients. However, a product for this skin needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients to actively manage breakouts, which this gel mostly lacks.
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Bacterial cellulose membranes with and without glycerin showed good skin compatibility and no barrier disruption in human subjects compared to a negative control, with glycerin-containing membranes additionally providing a statistically significant skin moisturizing effect (p=0.044).
European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014Bacterial cellulose masks incorporated with vegetable extract increased skin hydration by 76% in 75% of volunteers, while propolis extract decreased hydration by 32.6% in 80% of volunteers, demonstrating effectiveness for skincare applications.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018Oral bromelain slightly reduced pain compared to controls (mean difference -0.27) and topical bromelain reduced time to complete debridement by 6.89 days, with no major health risks reported.
Nutrition and Health, 2023An upcycled pineapple leaf fibre crosspolymer forms a physical barrier that protects against environmental aggressors while providing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antipollution, UV protection, hydration, and hair benefits.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2026A coaxial electrospun core-shell nanofiber scaffold delivering bromelain and salvianolic acid B demonstrated sustained drug release, in vitro endothelial cell migration, increased capillary formation in an in ovo assay, and in vivo efficacy for skin regeneration and wound healing.
Biomedical Materials, 2017Nanofibrillar cellulose dressing provides efficient wound healing comparable to polylactide-based copolymer dressings at skin graft donor sites in 24 patients, with significant improvements in observer scar thickness and vascularity and skin elasticity.
Advances in Wound Care, 2020AgNP-BC exhibited over 99% reduction in Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with no cytotoxicity, allowing epidermal cell attachment and growth compared to unmodified bacterial cellulose.
Carbohydrate Polymers, 2014Cellulose acetate and soy protein hydrolysate nanofibrous dressings promote fibroblast proliferation in vitro and accelerate wound healing with reduced scar formation in vivo.
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2018A 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, 2001Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019Enzymatic exfoliation using the keratinase HT1 efficiently decomposed human skin keratin and exfoliated the outermost stratum corneum with less abrasiveness and no damage to the epidermal layer compared with chemical exfoliation.
Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 2025
Why other products fit oily acne-prone skin better
Adapalene 0.1%-benzoyl peroxide 2.5% fixed-dose combination gel provided significantly greater, synergistic efficacy and a faster onset of action compared with the vehicle, adapalene monotherapy, and benzoyl peroxide monotherapy in patients with acne vulgaris.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2009Topical benzoyl peroxide 5% gel treatment improved acne severity, sebum, stratum corneum hydration, and transepidermal water loss, while significantly reducing microbial diversity and the prevalence of Cutibacterium in 33 patients with acne vulgaris.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2022A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018
Ingredients
Water, Peg-32, Cellulose, Butylene Glycol, Bergamot Fruit Water, Sorbitol, R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase, Pineapple Fruit Extract, Lactobacillus Punica Granatum Extract Fruit Ferment, Leuconostoc Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Edta, Algin, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Isopropyl Myristate, Sodium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Mica, Phenoxyethanol
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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