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No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator for sensitive skin

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

No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator

Average

  • HighNormal Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for sensitive skin; other exfoliants fit it 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 moderate exfoliation due to alumina, which is suitable for your normal skin type by providing mild physical exfoliation and hydration from glycerin.
  • While glycerin offers humectant action for your normal skin, the formula lacks specialized ingredients to address your primary concerns of redness and irritation.
  • The product is safe for your sensitive skin as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients, minimizing the 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

★4.8Overall 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 sensitive skin?

This scrub works well enough for sensitive skin without causing harsh irritation, though it lacks targeted ingredients to help calm redness and soothe the skin. An exfoliator for this skin needs gentle exfoliating agents combined with nourishing extracts to keep the skin calm and comfortable.

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

Glycerin helps make this exfoliant a good fit for sensitive skin by bringing in moisture, while alumina provides mild physical smoothing. Because it lacks specialized ingredients to calm redness, an exfoliator of this type needs gentle soothing extracts and hydrating ingredients to properly care for sensitive skin.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

What does Alumina do for sensitive skin?

Alumina helps keep skincare products smooth and easy to spread while controlling shine without feeling heavy on sensitive skin. It is generally gentle, though anyone with easily irritated skin may want to patch test new formulas first to ensure comfort.

What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?

Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999

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

This physical exfoliator goes in a weekly routine, used once a week to gently smooth your skin while minimizing the risk of irritation. Because your skin is sensitive and prone to redness, an exfoliator of this type needs calming ingredients and soothing plant extracts to keep your skin calm and comfortable.

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

It is best to avoid using this scrub on the same nights as retinol to keep your skin calm and prevent extra dryness. Because physical scrubs and retinols both make skin more sensitive, alternating them on different days helps lower the chance of irritation.

How often should I use it?

Start by using this exfoliant once a week, and only use it more often if your sensitive skin handles it well without 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 it is free of harsh ingredients, though it lacks specific ingredients to calm redness.

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

  • 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 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

  • 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

  • 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 sensitive 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

How does it fit your skin?

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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.

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