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No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator for oily skin

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

No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator

Average

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for oily skin; other exfoliants 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, while glycerin provides humectant action, making it generally suitable for your skin type.
  • The product provides general skincare benefits like hydration and cleansing, but lacks specialized ingredients to directly address your concern of oily shine.
  • 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 800+ reviews

Users with dullness, fine lines, and acne scars frequently report significantly smoother, softer, and more radiant skin, often comparing the results to professional treatments. While highly effective for refining texture and minimizing pores, the physical exfoliation can be too abrasive for sensitive or active acne-prone skin if not used with caution.

Highlights

  • Soft and smooth skin Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin feels so soft”
    • “leaves skin feeling smooth”
    • “baby soft results”
    • “smoother texture immediately”
  • Effective deep exfoliation Often Mentioned
    • “sweeps away dead cells”
    • “deep clean feeling”
    • “very effective scrub”
    • “best bang for buck”
  • Radiant and glowing Often Mentioned
    • “healthier glow”
    • “incredible radiance”
    • “brighter complexion”
    • “looks fresh and alive”
  • Refines pores and texture Sometimes Noted
    • “pores have closed up”
    • “pores look smaller”
    • “refined skin texture”
    • “minimized imperfections”
  • Caused redness/irritation Rarely Noted
    • “skin looked pink”
    • “burning sensation”
    • “left face red”
    • “irritated my cheeks”
  • No visible improvement Rarely Noted
    • “saw no difference”
    • “didn't help fine lines”
    • “just a basic scrub”
    • “waste of money”
  • Too harsh/abrasive Rarely Noted
    • “scratched my face”
    • “too rough for sensitive skin”
    • “felt like sandpaper”
    • “left skin raw”
  • Worsened skin condition Rarely Noted
    • “pores looked bigger”
    • “made acne worse”
    • “caused breakouts”
    • “skin looked worse”

Sources: lovi.care, boots.com, walmart.com, influenster.com, no7beauty.com, thirteenthoughts.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator work for oily skin?

This exfoliator works moderately well for your oily skin by offering light physical polishing through alumina alongside hydration from glycerin, though it is unlikely to help with oily shine. An exfoliant for oily skin needs ingredients like BHA, salicylic acid, or blue tansy to properly clear pores and control excess oil.

Dermatologic Surgery, 2001Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

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

Alumina provides moderate exfoliation, and glycerin helps keep your oily skin hydrated. However, an exfoliant for oily skin needs ingredients like BHA, salicylic acid, or blue tansy to properly control excess shine and refine pores.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Dermatologic Surgery, 2001

What does Alumina do for oily skin?

Alumina helps decrease oiliness on the skin and may temporarily leave the surface a bit rough while making skin less stiff. This type of product needs oil-controlling ingredients to properly balance oily skin.

Dermatologic Surgery, 2001

What does Glycerin do for oily skin?

Glycerin helps keep oily skin hydrated without feeling heavy and supports the skin barrier. Because this product is a weak fit for your skin, an ideal product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and ingredients that balance oil while protecting the skin.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008International Journal of Toxicology, 2019

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

This exfoliant goes into a weekly routine for oily skin, used once a week as an extra step after cleansing and before toning and moisturizing. It offers moderate exfoliation and hydration with alumina and glycerin, but to properly handle oily shine, this skin needs specialized ingredients that target excess oil.

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

You can use this exfoliant in the same routine as retinol, but it is best to apply them on different nights or times to keep your skin calm. Using both strong ingredients at the same time may lead to irritation.

How often should I use it?

Use this exfoliator about once a week to start, and you may carefully use it more often if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results. An oily skin routine like this needs ingredients that directly target and control extra shine.

Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?

This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as it has a good safety profile with no harsh or prohibited ingredients. However, because it lacks specialized ingredients to control oily shine, an oily skin type needs an exfoliator with oil-balancing or clarifying ingredients.

Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.

What the research says

  • A 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, 2017

  • Aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion resulted in mild subjective and clinical improvement, increased skin temperature, decreased sebum content, temporary increased roughness, decreased skin stiffness, increased skin compliance, and histological vascular changes in ten subjects with photodamaged skin compared to baseline measurements.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 2001

  • Both sodium chloride and aluminum oxide microdermabrasion altered the epidermal barrier by significantly increasing transepidermal water loss and hydration at 24 hours in eight patients.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 2002

  • Aluminum oxide microdermabrasion facial treatments in eleven volunteers resulted in clinical improvements in dyschromia, actinic changes, and fine rhytides, along with epidermal and dermal histological changes, compared to controls.

    The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2002

  • Aluminum oxide crystal microdermabrasion resulted in good to excellent clinical improvement in 41 patients with facial scarring over a mean of 9.10 treatment sessions.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 1995

  • The 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, 2020

  • Ten 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

  • Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012

  • Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.

    Military Medicine, 2024

  • A dimethicone skin protectant lotion significantly decreased visual scoring and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control and SLS-only treated sites in 12 healthy humans exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate.

    Skin Research and Technology, 2000

  • Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.

    Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007

  • Repeated application of concentrated water-in-oil emulsions over four weeks caused no skin irritation, positively affected skin properties, and delivered almost 50% of the applied fluorescein sodium, with isopropyl myristate showing superior penetration performance compared to liquid paraffin in healthy volunteers.

    International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2019

  • 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, 2023

Why other exfoliants fit oily skin better

Ingredients

Water, Alumina, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum Mineral Oil, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Peg-100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Edta

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

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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