ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment
Ingredients
Water, Lactic Acid, Silica, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Pectin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit, Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Salicylic Acid, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Alcohol Denat., Sorbic Acid, Cinnamal, Honey/Mel/Miel, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Eugenol, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Linalool, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Beta-Carotene, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Bromelain, Papain, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil, Acetic Acid, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Chlorophyllin-copper Complex.
ExfoliKate calls itself the “Hollywood 2-minute facial,” and the branding sets the expectation for serious performance. The formula combines three different exfoliating mechanisms: lactic acid, an AHA that helps loosen surface cells and smooth texture; salicylic acid, a BHA that works deeper in the pores to reduce congestion; and enzyme exfoliants derived from papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin, which break down proteins in dead skin. That’s a lot of resurfacing action in a single product.
The texture is a thick, green paste, and it takes a bit of work to spread evenly across the face. That’s not necessarily a flaw — the brand specifically instructs you to massage it in for 30 seconds before leaving it on, so the resistance may be intentional to promote said massage.
Despite the strong exfoliating profile, the formula is surprisingly light on soothing or barrier-supportive ingredients. There’s aloe, honey, and vitamin E, but they’re competing with a long list of potential irritants. Among them, a lot of fragrant essential oils (lavender, cinnamon, bergamot, geranium, patchouli, and orange peel) that are known to trigger irritation in some users. There's also alcohol, limonene, linalool, and eugenol, all of which are commonly flagged for sensitization risk. To their credit, they do warn to leave it on for up to 2 minutes, which doesn’t give the irritants much time to act - but still, pairing them with so many exfoliants? It just feels so unnecessary.
While the brand says some tingling and redness is expected, I found it more reactive than I anticipated — especially considering my skin is usually resilient. I never felt it dried or stripped my skin, but there was one occasion where I experienced noticeable redness and sensitivity around my nose. I’ll admit I didn’t time it precisely, but I’m confident it wasn’t on for more than three minutes — likely even less — which made me question how well this formula is buffered. I can't really pinpoint whether the reaction came from the exfoliants or the fragrance, but the fact that the irritants are the potential culprits doesn’t inspire confidence.
I noticed smoother skin, but it didn’t deliver the kind of immediate radiance I get from other strong acid serums or masks. The skincare classifier rated this a 5/10, which feels justified: it’s not that the actives aren’t good, it’s that the balance is off. With stronger support ingredients, or at the very least, without so many irritants, this could easily be a much better product. But as it stands, it feels like a case of overcomplication — too many irritants, not enough recovery.