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Dermelect

Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum.

Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum
Serums

About this product

An overnight exfoliating serum featuring glycolic and salicylic acids, designed to refine skin texture and remove impurities.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

Not verified

Score withheld

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No independent takes

All 2 takes here are sponsored by the brand. With no independent take to weigh, there is not enough to publish a verified score. The takes are below, each labeled.

2Gurus
2Yay
0Mixed
0Nay

What they liked

  • Exfoliates without irritation
  • Leaves skin glowing

What they flagged

    Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

    What the gurus are saying

    This glycolic-and-salicylic-acid exfoliant stands out for not stinging or irritating despite its potent dual-acid formula. Reviewers consistently use it and wake to noticeably glowing, smooth skin, with the serum delivering additional antioxidants, hydrators, soothing ingredients, and vitamin C alongside its acids. Reviewers call it an essential staple, using it repeatedly without hesitation and considering it something they cannot imagine living without.
    Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take May 2026

    What the gurus are saying.

    Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

    All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
    Yay
    "This is probably the exfoliating product I've used more consistently than any other. It has glycolic and salicylic acids, hydrators, soothers, antioxidants, and somehow manages to keep my skin smooth without irritating it. And the fact that I immediately panicked when I realized it was gone probably tells me everything I need to know."
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    I Didn’t Repurchase Most of These
    "This is probably the exfoliating product I've used more consistently than any other. It has glycolic and salicylic acids, hydrators, soothers, antioxidants, and somehow manages to keep my skin smooth without irritating it. And the fact that I immediately panicked when I realized it was gone probably tells me everything I need to know."
    🌟 My Top 3 Skincare Products | Skin Obsessed Mary
    "They sent this to me in PR and I hadn't actually heard of it, but when I woke up the next morning my skin was amazing, super smooth, super soft, super glowy. All of these things in one little bottle. I had not intended to do a video, but I woke up the next morning and said I need to do a video tomorrow, and we filmed a video the next day, and that's after only one use. That's how much I like this. Now I use this only twice a week because it's got so much going on. I'm inclined to use it more, but I just know my skin does not need more than that. I don't think most skins actually need that level of exfoliation every day, so twice a week I tend to do it every third night. I did it last night and my skin is so happy this morning. I love it. And the kicker, it's only about forty bucks. This is the best forty bucks you're ever going to spend. I've only been using this for a month and this has made desert island status like I just don't ever want to be without it. I have another one coming in the mail now even though I'm about halfway through it. It's easy to use. I use this and nothing else on my skin except a very mild moisturizer. I don't do these at the same time because this has too much going on, so when I use the Dermelect I just put that on, I put a very very mild gentle moisturizer on top and I go to bed and I wake up and my skin is amazing."
    🏆 Your Favourite Products of 2024 | What YOU Purchased
    "The Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum by Dermelect is my Holy Grail exfoliant but it's also packed with antioxidants as well as soothing ingredients and hydrators and collagen builders and the list keeps going on and on. This does not sting my skin and it doesn't cause any irritation and I wake up in the morning and my skin is just glowing. I am obsessed."
    ❄️ Morning Winter Skincare Routine for Mature, Hydrated, Glowing Skin
    "My absolute favorite is the Dermelect Beauty Sleep Serum. I didn't realize that I was out of it and that I didn't have a backup so I had to run and do an emergency purchase. I really like the format and I think the effect is great, but I will go back to Dermelect when this is empty because I just love that product."
    ⭐️ Summer SKINCARE Faves & Fails | Skin Obsessed Mary
    "This is definitely one of my favorite products of the year no doubt about it. It's built as an exfoliator, that is what it is, but it is so much more than that. It has so many ingredients I couldn't even begin to get into it. I use this every four nights. It has so many actives in it I don't use any other actives with it at all. Every fourth night I take a break for my skin and I do this. I put a really nice moisturizer on top and I go to bed and your skin is like a baby's butt in the morning. I'm addicted to this product. I take it with me everywhere and it only runs about forty dollars, super affordable, worth every penny. It's just a fantastic product."
    🏆 Best Best Beauty of 2023 | Skin Obsessed Mary
    "I cannot tell you how much I love this product. I have talked about it so many times on this channel. It is a holy grail product that I cannot imagine not ever having with me at all times. Its top billing is exfoliating, that is what it does, but it does so many other things. It is chalk full of the exfoliators that are going to help the skin. It has glycolic, it has salicylic, and when you use this product at night and you wake up the next morning your skin is amazing. Not only does it do the exfoliating, it also has antioxidants, it has hydrators, it has soothing ingredients, it has collagen building ingredients. This is a little powerhouse and I don't know how they got all the good stuff in it and it only costs about 40 bucks. If you have not tried this product, this is the best 40 bucks you're ever going to spend. I'm actually about to hear on this bottle, I have another bottle waiting in the wings and I probably will order another bottle just to make sure that I'm never without it. This is a pretty heavy hitting product and by that I mean you don't want to layer too many actives with it because it can be a bit spicy. So for example, you don't want to do any shaving or dermaplaning because it'll be a bit spicy when it comes in contact with your skin. So I tend to use very little if anything else with this product."
    😇 YOUR Favorite Beauty Products of 2023
    "This was the biggest winner by a landslide. I only started using this in the summertime, so it's only been around for about 6 months, and within that amount of time you guys have had real interest in trying this product. To me it is just heaven in a bottle. They call it the overnight skin refining wonder treatment and they are totally right. It's primarily built as an exfoliator. It has both glycolic and salicylic acids which are there to exfoliate and clean out the pores. It has antioxidants to protect the skin, it has soothing ingredients, it has hydrating ingredients. It is the most powerful little guy and it costs only about 40 bucks. He's spicy, he's strong, but when you wake up in the morning I cannot tell you how nice your skin is. It has been hands down one of my favorite finds of the year. In my opinion this is about the best 40 bucks you're ever going to spend."
    ⭐️ Best 2 Skincare Products for Softest Skin | Skin Obsessed Mary
    "This has been a complete game changer for me and my skin. It is chock full of so many incredibly good ingredients. Its primary function is exfoliation and particularly as you get older the need for exfoliation is greater you need to get those dead skin cells off. This does it in a way that is completely non-irritating. I want to emphasize that this is good for any kind of skin. I use this product at night and when I wake up the next morning, it is the softest skin. Hands down, in my humble opinion, this is what has completely transformed my skin."
    Yay
    "The Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum has been in my skincare routine on and off for about 2 years now. It is a great overnight exfoliating treatment. You will wake up with such soft skin. It has a little bit of salicylic acid for just refining pores overnight and it has glycolic acid. Glycolic is a smaller molecule that gets deeper into our skin layers to help with collagen building. So if you're looking for some anti-aging benefits as well as some pore refining, and you want to get in your ascorbic acid, either a second dose of it or you want to skip it in the morning, this is a great alternative. I do have to have a fairly intact barrier to use this product. It will give a bit of a tingle so definitely do patch test. And I have a discount code, so it brings it down to a really reasonable price."
    Sponsored
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    "This is an exfoliating serum from Dermelect. It's their sleep serum, it has glycolic, it has BHA so it has a little bit of salicylic, and it also has lactic acid, but it is so gentle. I use it one to two times a week for a chemical exfoliation in the evening and my skin in the morning is absolutely baby soft. If you're looking for a great exfoliating serum for your PM routine, this is a product you should check out."
    Upper Lip Lines, Neck Treatment & Over Night Serum for Mature Skin! | Best Picks from Dermelect
    "This is an active serum that you can use on the nights that you're not using your vitamin A derivatives, your retinoid. It's going to be exfoliating. I have been trying to get back to using my prescription Retin-A but it's been a bit of a journey this year, my skin's just kind of all of a sudden been very sensitive to the prescription level of vitamin A, so I'm super excited to try this. It has three really great actives: glycolic, salicylic, and L ascorbic acid, which is the gold standard type of vitamin C. It's serum texture, it's very lightweight, and I'm very excited to try it."
    Get RID OF SUN SPOTS (New Fall Anti-Aging OVER 50 Skincare Routine)
    "This is the Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum. It actually has vitamin C, AHAs, and BHAs, so it is an all-tasking exfoliator. I would recommend anyone starting a new active formula for exfoliation do a patch test. Exfoliating a couple times a week can really transform mature skin. I might even go so far as to say the exfoliation treatment, in addition to adding a vitamin A into my routine in the evening, has transformed my skin except for maybe sunscreen more than any other product I've added to my mature skincare routine."
    Anti-aging Lip, Neck, and Facial Treatments You'll Love For Mature Skin! | Top Picks from Dermelect
    "It has three really great actives: glycolic, salicylic, and L ascorbic acid, which is the gold standard type of vitamin C. It's serum texture, it's very lightweight, and I'm very excited to try it with the Josh Rosebrook mask."
    Fall Skincare Switch-Up Over 50 — Multitasking AM and PM Routines
    "The Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum has been in my skincare routine on and off for about 2 years now. It is a great overnight exfoliating treatment. You will wake up with such soft skin. It has a little bit of salicylic acid for just refining pores overnight and it has glycolic acid. Glycolic is a smaller molecule that gets deeper into our skin layers to help with collagen building. So if you're looking for some anti-aging benefits as well as some pore refining, and you want to get in your ascorbic acid, either a second dose of it or you want to skip it in the morning, this is a great alternative. I do have to have a fairly intact barrier to use this product. It will give a bit of a tingle so definitely do patch test. And I have a discount code, so it brings it down to a really reasonable price."
    Did My Fall Skincare Routine Work? Best Skin of Your Life Check-In
    "The last product I introduced this fall is actually a reintroduction of the Dermelect Self-Esteem Beauty Sleep Serum. It is so important for mature women to do an exfoliation treatment at least once a week. It will brighten your skin. If you have never exfoliated your skin or done a gentle exfoliation treatment on your skin as a mature woman, you've got to start. It was a game changer for me. I use it once a week and then I alternate it on the other nights with my retinoid product."

    What the evidence says.

    Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

    Vitamin C

    Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

    Source: DermNet

    Salicylic acid

    Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

    Source: DermNet

    Alpha hydroxy acids

    Alpha hydroxy acids loosen the bonds holding dead cells at the surface. The evidence supports smoother texture and more even tone over time, and they can leave skin more sensitive to sun.

    Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

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