Best Face Exfoliators for Clear and Smooth Skin

Incorporating a good face exfoliator at least once or twice a week in your skincare routine can be incredibly beneficial to achieve clear and smooth skin. Over the years I have tried and tested dozens and dozens of exfoliators, many of which worked really well for me while some did not give my skin a good time. This post features several of my tried and true exfoliators.

Each of these exfoliators have a similar goal to smooth skin and leave it bright and renewed. I am listing a variety of exfoliants, however. Some are meant to be used once or twice a week, others are gentle enough to be used daily, and I have options for those looking for a face wash + exfoliator combo as well as a chemical exfoliant.

*Disclaimer, I’m not a certified dermatologist. All thoughts are from my own experience.

Benefits of using a face exfoliator

Exfoliators are essential to remove dead skin and help stimulate new cell growth. Think of how using a sugar scrub on your body helps achieve smooth skin – you need one for your face too! Apart from removing dead skin cells, exfoliants help unclog pores, even skin tone, boost circulation, help prevent acne, and allow for other skincare products to penetrate deeply for maximum benefits.

Best face exfoliators for clear and smooth skin

By far one of the most popular exfoliators out there and for good reason is gentle enough to use, as the name suggests, daily. It’s rice based powder you need to add a small amount of water to when you’re ready to use it. Once you create a paste, massage it into skin in circular motions for about 45 seconds and rinse off is a family favorite and one we always have in stock! Everyone in my family who uses it has completely different skin types than me but we all truly enjoy Daily Microfoliant because of its ability to be gentle enough for a diverse range of skin types. Dermalogica is cruelty free and their is vegan. 

The first face exfoliator I fell in love with. I write about a couple of Derma E products I truly love in my early stages of blogging, here! Derma E’s is also the most affordable option in this list at. Derma E is cruelty free and vegan.  It’s an exfoliating scrub that helps remove dead skin cells and acne scars and allows for more youthful looking skin.

I was initially drawn to this years ago because I was looking for an affordable exfoliator to help fade acne scars and promote new, healthy cell growth. is gentle and can be used twice weekly. 

It’s a two-fer for Fresh Beauty! I included their Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash for those of you who, like me, love multitasking products! This one works as a face wash and gentle exfoliator with the blend of sugar crystals and fruit extracts. I especially am fond of Fresh’s Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash for days I’m in a rush and want to simplify my skincare routine.

Lexli AloeGlyC

This is a leave on exfoliator formulated with pharmaceutical grade aloe vera and glycolic acid. It’s one I truly love because the results are incomparable to anything I’ve experienced before. Lexli Skincare’s AloeGlyC completely smoothed my skin’s texture and improved my redness.I use it before moisturizer and let it sit for about 15 minutes before applying moisturizer. I will say, it is pretty strong and I used it as a part of my nighttime routine for a week prior to using it morning and night. I have more details in an Instagram post here!

These are 5 face exfoliators I am a firm believer in to help clear and smooth skin. Have you used any of these before? Let’s chat in the comments!