🇬🇧United Kingdom

No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator for combination skin

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

No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator

Average

  • AverageCombination Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for combination skin; other exfoliants fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. 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 combination skin due to alumina, but ingredients like glycerin and caprylic capric triglyceride provide general hydration and cleansing that are not specifically targeted for your oily shine.
  • The formula is moderately suitable for combination skin, as it lacks sufficient humectants to adequately hydrate drier areas.
  • The safety profile is good, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.

How to apply

  • Use this exfoliant product in your PM routine starting once a week, then increase frequency carefully if your skin feels fine.
  • Apply this exfoliant step after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and wait a minute before layering.
  • Apply the exfoliant to clean, dry skin to help control your oily shine comfortably.
  • Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.

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 combination skin?

This exfoliant works moderately well for your combination skin by offering decent polishing from alumina, but it lacks targeted ingredients for oily shine and enough hydrating ingredients for drier areas. Combination skin of this type needs a balanced product with effective ingredients that manage oil and refine pores while keeping dry spots hydrated without causing irritation.

Life, 2023

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

Alumina makes this exfoliant a moderate fit for your combination skin by offering physical polishing, while glycerin and caprylic capric triglyceride provide basic hydration. However, this skin type needs products with targeted oil-controlling ingredients and stronger hydrating agents to properly balance drier patches and shiny areas without feeling heavy.

Life, 2023

What does Alumina do for combination skin?

Alumina helps manage combination skin by temporarily reducing oiliness and improving skin stiffness and compliance. However, a product of this type needs gentle balancing ingredients and hydrating agents to keep dry areas comfortable while controlling excess shine.

Dermatologic Surgery, 2001

What does Glycerin do for combination skin?

Glycerin helps keep combination skin soft and smooth by pulling moisture in and keeping it there. It improves hydration and supports your skin barrier, which is unlikely to cause irritation.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

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

This product goes into a weekly routine as an exfoliating step, typically used once a week to start. Combination skin needs an exfoliator that balances moderate smoothing for oily shine with enough hydrating ingredients to keep drier areas comfortable.

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

You can use this exfoliant in the same routine as retinol, but you should apply the exfoliant first, wait for it to absorb, and then follow with your retinol product. Because this product offers moderate exfoliation and general hydration, using it carefully alongside retinol is unlikely to cause irritation as long as your skin builds up tolerance gradually.

How often should I use it?

Start using this exfoliator once a week, and if your combination skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you may carefully use it more often. A product of this type works best for combination skin when it balances oily shine and provides enough moisture for drier areas.

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

This exfoliant is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores for combination skin because it has a good safety profile without harsh ingredients. However, to work best for combination skin, this type of product needs extra hydrators that balance oily shine while moisturizing drier areas.

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

  • 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

  • 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

Why other exfoliants fit combination skin better

  • Chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid effectively treated acne and reduced facial sebum secretion while improving skin hydration and barrier function in 25 patients.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022

  • A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019

  • Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021

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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Prices checked 6 Nov 2026

The Lovi Fit is the same in every country; only the stores and prices differ, and the ones here are for the United Kingdom.

How does it fit your skin?

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