Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads for mature skin
Lactic Acid
Lactococcus Lysate Ferment
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter
Papain
Tocopheryl Acetate
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for mature skin; other products fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with mature skin: fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. 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 normal skin due to lactic acid and papain, which aid in smoothing texture and improving skin appearance.
- While beneficial for general skincare, the formulation lacks specialized ingredients to directly address your concerns with wrinkles and fine lines.
- The product is safe for your normal skin, with no risks of irritation from harsh or prohibited ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product in your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well. Always apply SPF the next morning to protect your skin.
- Apply this exfoliant product after cleansing and toner, but before your moisturizer. This ensures the best absorption into your skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant product into your face, avoiding any rubbing. Let it absorb for a minute before moving to the next step.
- Apply this exfoliant product on completely dry skin to get the best results. This helps your normal skin accept the product smoothly.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area while using this exfoliant product. Do a patch test before your first use and avoid mixing it with strong acids.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 8.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users consistently praise these pads for delivering "glass-like" skin by smoothing rough texture and brightening dull complexions without the irritation often associated with acid exfoliators. While highly effective for reducing dark spots and milia, a small minority of users experienced purging or breakouts, and some found the strong fragrance polarizing.
Highlights
Smoother skin texture Mostly Mentioned
- “baby soft”
- “glass skin”
- “rough patches”
Brightening and radiance Often Mentioned
- “healthy glow”
- “radiant complexion”
- “brighter skin tone”
Gentle exfoliation Often Mentioned
- “non-irritating”
- “gentle enough for daily use”
- “safe for sensitive skin”
High price point Often Mentioned
- “expensive”
- “pricey”
- “luxury splurge”
Convenient application Sometimes Noted
- “pre-soaked”
- “easy one-step”
- “pleasant spa-like scent”
Reduces imperfections Sometimes Noted
- “faded dark spots”
- “reduced milia”
- “smaller appearing pores”
Breakouts or purging Rarely Noted
- “terrible spots”
- “purging phases”
- “worsened acne”
Drying or irritating Rarely Noted
- “dryness”
- “slight stinging”
- “redness”
Strong fragrance Rarely Noted
- “overpowering”
- “too strong”
- “perfumey”
Sources: lovi.care, dermstore.com, sephora.co.uk, ulta.com, johnlewis.com, lovelyskin.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well do Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Facial Pads work for mature skin?
These pads offer moderate exfoliation that helps smooth your skin texture, though they lack specialized ingredients to directly target wrinkles and fine lines. Because of this, an exfoliant treatment for mature skin needs to be exceptionally safe, target wrinkles with high-quality ingredients, and combine potent antioxidants, hydrating components, and skin-repairing ingredients to deliver optimal anti-aging results.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for mature skin?
Lactic acid and papain help smooth texture and improve skin appearance. To be a better fit for mature skin, a product of this type needs specialized ingredients that directly address wrinkles and fine lines, along with potent antioxidants and hydrating components.
What does Lactic Acid do for mature skin?
Lactic acid helps mature skin by boosting firmness and smoothing out rough texture through increased collagen production. It also helps lock in moisture and brightens dark spots for a more youthful appearance.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024Frontiers in Medicine, 2021
What does Lactococcus Ferment Lysate do for mature skin?
Lactococcus Ferment Lysate helps strengthen the outer skin barrier and calm irritation, which keeps mature skin feeling soft and comfortable. This type of ingredient may also improve moisture retention and protect against everyday environmental stress.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Scientific Reports, 2023
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for mature skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing, starting once a week to see how your skin reacts. Mature skin needs products with nourishing ingredients like retinoids, peptides, or antioxidants to target wrinkles and fine lines.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use these pads with retinol by applying the pads first on clean skin, waiting a few minutes, and then following with your retinol. Because both products help smooth texture, using them together may increase the likelihood of dryness or irritation, so you might want to alternate nights or use them at different times of day.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for mature skin?
It is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for mature skin, as reviewers rarely report this issue. Vitamin E in the formula also has a safe profile that helps avoid pore-clogging risks.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum). Behenyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
What the research says
Application 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, 2020A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical papain treatment may slightly decrease pain within 30 minutes in humans stung by Chrysaora chinensis compared to placebo.
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, 2016A fixed combination of hydroxypinacolone retinoate, retinol glycospheres, and papain glycospheres in aqueous gel applied once daily for 12 weeks achieved a 41% mean reduction in GAGS score and a 40.8% mean reduction in total lesions, with 15.3% of patients experiencing mild to moderate local side effects, in 94 evaluable patients with comedonal-papular, mild to moderate acne of the face.
Giornale Italiano Di Dermatologia E Venereologia, 2015Reflux extraction of Carica papaya leaves yielded higher antioxidant capacity and superior in vitro wound-healing activities including fibroblast proliferation, cell migration, and collagen synthesis in human skin fibroblasts compared to ultrasonic-assisted extraction and agitation.
Molecules, 2020Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Why other products fit mature skin better
Topical application of retinol and retinoic acid both increased epidermal thickness and upregulated collagen genes and proteins in human skin, with retinol producing similar histological and molecular changes to retinoic acid alongside a significant reduction in facial wrinkles after 12 weeks.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2016A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
Ingredients
Water, Butylene Glycol, Lactococcus Lysate Ferment, Polysorbate 20, Methyl Gluceth-20, Lactic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Disodium Edta, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Parfum, Dehydroacetic Acid, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Papain, Saponins, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Behenyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Stearyl Alcohol, Poria Cocos Extract, Protease, Saponaria Officinalis Root Extract Leaf, Subtilisin, Tocopheryl Acetate
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.