ZO Skin Health Exfoliation Accelerator for oily skin
Glycolic Acid
Lactic Acid
Retinyl Palmitate Vitamin A
Squalane
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower ExtractHigh
- SuperiorOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for oily skin; a few products fit it even 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 excellent exfoliation for your oily skin, as glycolic acid and lactic acid work to smooth texture and reduce oily shine. Squalane and caprylic capric triglyceride provide emollient action, balancing the exfoliating effects for your oily skin.
- Camellia sinensis leaf extract offers antioxidant benefits, further supporting skin renewal and a smoother complexion.
- The formula is safe for your oily skin, with aloe barbadensis leaf juice and chamomilla recutita flower extract providing soothing properties and minimizing irritation risk.
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
★4.5Overall rating based on 300+ reviewsUsers report this product is a potent exfoliant that smooths texture and clears acne-prone skin, delivering a radiant glow and treating conditions like Keratosis Pilaris. Many users note an adjustment period with peeling and redness before results appear.
Highlights
Improves skin texture Mostly Mentioned
- “Smoother skin”
- “soft and refined”
- “glass-like finish”
Brightening & radiance Often Mentioned
- “Glowing complexion”
- “brighter skin”
- “revitalized look”
Clears acne & congestion Often Mentioned
- “Unclogs pores”
- “vanishes zits”
- “cleared my KP”
High price Often Mentioned
- “Expensive”
- “hefty price tag”
- “overpriced”
Fast-acting results Sometimes Noted
- “Difference in 1-2 days”
- “works overnight”
- “immediate softness”
Initial irritation Sometimes Noted
- “Stinging/burning”
- “redness”
- “destroyed skin barrier”
Peeling/purging phase Sometimes Noted
- “Skin peeling”
- “worse before better”
- “flaking”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Pump stops working”
- “hard to dispense”
- “airlock in pump”
Sources: lovi.care, zoskinhealth.com, dermstreet.com, facedr.com, reddit.com, skincareessentials.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes ZO Skin Health Exfoliation Accelerator a great fit for oily skin?
Glycolic acid and lactic acid smooth texture and cut down oily shine, while squalane and caprylic capric triglyceride balance these exfoliating effects. Aloe leaf juice and chamomile flower extract help soothe your skin and keep irritation low.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily skin?
Glycolic acid and lactic acid make this exfoliant a great fit by smoothing texture and reducing oily shine. Squalane and caprylic capric triglyceride balance these effects, while ingredients like aloe and chamomile help calm your skin and keep irritation away.
What does Glycolic Acid do for oily skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear away dead skin and excess oil for a smooth, clean feel. It gently removes buildup from the surface, which keeps pores clear and skin looking fresh.
Molecules, 2023Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 2011
What does Lactic Acid do for oily skin?
Lactic acid helps manage oily skin by significantly reducing oil production and pore size while improving moisture levels. It supports a clearer and smoother look through gentle surface renewal.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, starting at once a week and slowly using it more often if your skin handles it well.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
This exfoliant treatment contains glycolic acid, lactic acid, and retinyl palmitate vitamin a, so using it alongside a separate retinol product may increase the likelihood of dryness or irritation for oily skin. To keep your skin calm, it is best to use them on alternate nights or consult a professional before combining them in the same routine.
How often should I use it?
Start using this treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often. This gradual approach helps minimize irritation while glycolic acid and lactic acid smooth texture and reduce oily shine.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This exfoliant is a great fit for oily skin and may cause a peeling or purging phase when you first start using it. It helps smooth texture and reduce oily shine while calming ingredients minimize irritation risk.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Topical application of an emollient emulsion containing 15.0% caprylic/capric triglyceride doubled the amount of urocanic acid isomers and increased skin hydration with reduced transepidermal water loss in healthy subjects, though it did not prevent ultraviolet-induced urocanic acid isomerization.
Life, 2023Application of squalene/phosphotungstate calcium nanowires (Sql/PWC) oleogel on UVB-irradiated skin decreased epidermal thickness, increased dermal thickness, and promoted the expression of elastin, collagen, and skin barrier markers through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2025Topical application of a vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate significantly increased epidermal thickness, type III collagen production, and glycosaminoglycans production in human skin explants compared to free vitamin C and vitamin C-palmitate.
Scientific Reports, 2020A 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, 2018Repeated 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, 2017Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.
Cutis, 2004Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020Over-the-counter retinol products provided only weak evidence for a mild ameliorating effect on fine facial skin wrinkle lines in randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials, and major methodological flaws call the validity of positive results into question.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2021A cosmetic niacinamide/peptide/retinyl propionate regimen significantly improved periorbital wrinkle appearance relative to a 0.02% tretinoin regimen at 8 weeks with comparable benefits at 24 weeks, while demonstrating significantly better tolerability in 196 women.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2010A novel triple-active cosmetic formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide improved the visual appearance of photoageing similarly to 0.02% tretinoin and reversed a consensus gene signature associated with ageing in female adults while causing less skin irritation.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024Squalane at 0.005-0.015% counteracts UVA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and collagen metabolism inhibition while stimulating fibroblast migration in human dermal fibroblasts.
Molecules, 2025Plant-derived squalane protected human dermal fibroblasts against UVA-induced damage by counteracting ROS formation, suppressing apoptosis-related proteins p53, caspase-3, caspase-9, and PARP, and restoring the pro-survival p-Akt/mTOR pathway.
Antioxidants, 2025Apigenin protects against UVA-induced cytotoxicity and senescence in normal human dermal fibroblasts, decreases MMP-1 expression, and when applied topically as a cream in human subjects, increases dermal density and elasticity while reducing fine wrinkle length, skin evenness, moisture content, and transepidermal water loss compared to control cream.
International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2016Topical chamomile oil combined with a night splint significantly improved the symptomatic and functional status of patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome compared to placebo, while electrodiagnostic parameters showed no significant changes.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2015German chamomile solution applied twice a day healed peristomal skin lesions significantly faster than once-a-day 1% hydrocortisone ointment in colostomy patients, with a mean healing time of 8.89 days versus 14.53 days.
Ostomy/wound Management, 2011
Ingredients
Disodium Edta, Glycolic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Squalane, Steapyrium Chloride, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract Matricaria Flower Extract, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Water, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Retinyl Palmitate Vitamin A, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Dimethicone, Ammonium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate Vitamin E, Allantoin, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
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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