Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel for sensitive skin
Pineapple
Pomegranate Enzymes
Cellulose
Glycerin
Sodium Hyaluronate
R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase
High
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for sensitive skin; a few products fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 normal skin due to R-Bacillus Licheniformis Keratinase and pineapple fruit extract, which smooth texture and regulate desquamation.
- Cellulose and citric acid provide moderate renewal for redness and irritation, enhancing skin renewal gently.
- The formula is safe for your sensitive skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and carries no risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use your exfoliant PM once a week to help with redness and irritation. Start slowly and only increase frequency if your skin feels happy and comfortable.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner , but always before your moisturizer . This ensures the product absorbs properly into the skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin without rubbing . Let it absorb for a minute before moving on.
- Since your skin is sensitive , apply the exfoliant on completely dry skin for the best tolerance. This helps prevent any extra stinging or discomfort.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area .
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
What makes Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel a great fit for sensitive skin?
Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel is a great fit for sensitive skin because it uses gentle fruit enzymes and cellulose to smooth texture without harshness. It safely encourages skin renewal while leaving no risk of irritation.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for sensitive skin?
Cellulose and citric acid make this exfoliant a great fit for sensitive skin by offering moderate renewal for redness and irritation, enhancing skin renewal gently. The formula is very safe for your skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and carries no risk of irritation.
What does Pineapple Extract do for sensitive skin?
Pineapple extract helps improve skin hydration and strengthens the skin barrier for a smooth feel. It may also calm redness and irritation, though sensitive skin sometimes needs soothing antioxidants and gentle hydration to avoid stinging.
What do Pomegranate Enzymes do for sensitive skin?
Pomegranate enzymes help clear away dead skin flakes and smooth the surface, but for sensitive skin they may sometimes cause tingling or irritation if they are too strong. Sensitive skin needs gentle soothing ingredients and very mild formulas that protect the skin barrier without harsh scrubbing.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant goes in your evening routine once a week. You can carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant in your routine, but it is best to avoid using it on the same nights you apply retinol to keep your skin calm and smooth. Using them on alternate nights helps prevent any unwanted redness or irritation while keeping your skin looking fresh.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you may carefully use it more often. The formula uses enzymes and gentle renewal ingredients that are safe for sensitive skin without carrying a risk of irritation.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for sensitive skin because its formula lacks harsh ingredients and carries no risk of irritation. The risk of breakouts is negligible, and it gently sweeps away dead skin to keep your face smooth and clear.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Oral 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, 2020Bacterial 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, 2014AgNP-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, 2014A 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
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.
-
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.