That gritty scrub you’re using? It’s tearing up your acne. This gel does the opposite — dissolves dead skin without turning you red.
No beads. No microplastics. Just a weirdly satisfying ball-up effect that feels like you’re peeling off a layer of bad decisions.
**SECTION 2**
PHA-based peeling gel. $22 for 120ml. The claim that got me: “gentle enough for acne-prone skin without the purge.” I rolled my eyes — then bought it.
PHA 5%
Exfoliates without burning — molecules are too big to penetrate deep, so it stays on the surface where acne lives
Cellulose fibers
The actual peeling agent — not acid, just plant fibers that ball up and drag dead skin off physically
Panthenol
Calms the redness before it even starts. Sneaky good addition.
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
**SECTION 3**
Short list. No fragrance. No alcohol. The tube says “skin barrier” and actually means it — most exfoliators strip you, this one leaves a barely-there film of protection.
- PHA (Gluconolactone): Surface exfoliation that doesn’t sting
- Panthenol (B5): Heals active breakouts while you exfoliate
- Allantoin: Soothes irritation before it starts
- Cellulose: Physical peeling without microbead pollution
Photo: Element5 Digital / Unsplash
**SECTION 4**
Feels like clear jelly — then you rub and it turns into little gray pills of dead skin. Satisfying in a gross way. Rinses clean in 10 seconds. No residue. No sting.
Week 3: My closed comedones on my jawline actually flattened. Not gone, but flatter. Unexpected win — my nose pores look smaller, which PHA isn’t even supposed to do.
Photo: Rosa Rafael / Unsplash
**SECTION 5**
Texture got smoother. Breakouts didn’t get worse — which is rare for any exfoliant on acne skin. But deep cystic acne? This won’t touch it.
Photo: Alexandra Tran / Unsplash
**SECTION 6**
If your acne-prone skin is also *sensitive* and you’ve given up on exfoliating — this is the compromise. Gentle enough to use, effective enough to see change.