All scans / Exfoliants / e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant
e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a very mild, mostly textural scrub with negligible true exfoliating power and unnecessary fragrance.
This is a very mild, mostly textural scrub with negligible true exfoliating power and unnecessary fragrance.
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The formula relies on microcrystalline cellulose and a conditioning polymer to create a peeling, scrubby feel rather than on well-studied acids at defined percentages and pH, so you get gentle surface polishing and some hydration from glycols and glycerin but little meaningful exfoliation or brightening benefit; soothing licorice derivative and papaya/tangerine extracts are present in a simple base but without clear, clinically optimized concentrations, and the added fragrance plus allergens drag down the overall merit for sensitive skin.
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DemythSkin rates e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant 2.7/5 for efficacy and 3.8/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (8)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water (Aqua) , Propylene Glycol , Microcrystalline Cellulose , Quaternium-60 , Butylene Glycol , Carbomer , Glycerin , Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate , Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract , Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Fruit Extract , Caprylyl Glycol , Phenoxyethanol , Ethylhexylglycerin , Fragrance (Parfum) , Benzyl Salicylate , Hexyl Cinnamal , Linalool
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (17)⌄
- Water (Aqua)
- Solvent, formula base
- Propylene Glycol
- Humectant, solvent
- Microcrystalline Cellulose
- Physical exfoliant bead / scrub
- Quaternium-60
- Cationic polymer, film former
- Butylene Glycol
- Humectant, penetration helper
- Carbomer
- Gel thickener, texture agent
- Glycerin
- Hydrating humectant
- Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
- Soothing licorice-derived agent
- Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract
- Botanical extract, mild exfoliation
- Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Fruit Extract
- Botanical extract, antioxidant / scent
- Caprylyl Glycol
- Preservative booster, humectant
- Phenoxyethanol
- Preservative
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Preservative booster, humectant
- Fragrance (Parfum)
- Fragrance component
- Benzyl Salicylate
- Fragrance ingredient, UV absorber
- Hexyl Cinnamal
- Fragrance ingredient
- Linalool
- Fragrance ingredient
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate: Human studies show topical dipotassium glycyrrhizate can reduce erythema and irritation, supporting its use as a soothing and anti-inflammatory cosmetic ingredient.
Glycerin: Controlled trials demonstrate that topical glycerin significantly improves stratum corneum hydration and barrier function when used in cosmetic moisturizers.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant: common questions
Is e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant worth it?
e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant scores 2.7 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Underpowered) and 3.8 out of 5.0 for safety (Mostly Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a very mild, mostly textural scrub with negligible true exfoliating power and unnecessary fragrance.
What are the key active ingredients in e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant?
e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant as documented irritants: Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool. This product does contain fragrance.
How is e.l.f. SKIN Holy Hydration! Gentle Peeling Exfoliant scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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