Index / Dr. Dennis Gross / Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads
Dr. Dennis Gross

Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads.

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads
Masks & Peels

About this product

A two-step chemical exfoliating pad system with AHAs and BHAs designed for daily use to exfoliate, brighten, and smooth skin texture.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

75%

Yay

20 experts · Strong agreement
20Gurus
15Yay
4Mixed
1Nay
#8 in Masks & PeelsSee the ranking →

What they liked

  • Smooth finish preps skin for makeup
  • Individually wrapped, travel-friendly packets
  • Lasts months with once or twice weekly use

What they flagged

  • Expensive for regular daily use
  • Too strong for sensitive skin
  • May irritate with frequent use

What the gurus are saying

These pads deliver visible brightening and smoother skin after a single use, but they're potent enough that not everyone tolerates them well. Most experts recommend starting with once or twice weekly rather than daily, especially if someone is already using retinoids or other active ingredients, since the combination can pile on irritation and dryness. Those with sensitive skin may find them too harsh, and a few have experienced significant reactions, though many others praise them as a reliable, clinically-backed exfoliator that works well for texture and uneven tone when used at the right frequency.
Synthesized from 20 expert reviews · most recent take September 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
Mixed
"There was a time where I absolutely loved the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads. I don't know what happened, but at some point that just became too much for my skin."
All 3 takes from AliceintheRabbitHole
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"There was a time where I absolutely loved the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads. I don't know what happened, but at some point that just became too much for my skin."
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"I can no longer use the Dr. Dennis Gross, but you know what's funny, that used to be my absolute favorite exfoliating pad."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Pads used to be on all of my favorite Sephora skincare lists. I don't personally use those anymore because I no longer really need a lot of chemical exfoliation since I use a strong retinoid, but there was a time where that was my favorite product at Sephora. I think it might be the strongest product that Sephora carries. I don't think they're for everyone, because like I said I no longer use them, but I do think they're potent for the more casual skin care enthusiast, and I think they can be a really good choice if you want results, because I do think you'll see results."
Nay
"I remember the very first time I used them, I had such high expectations. Everyone was raving about them. And to this day, that was one of the worst skincare reactions I've ever had to a product. The primary ingredient it uses is SD or denatured alcohol which is an astringent agent but can be very sensitizing very irritating lead to redness sensitivity breakouts stinging and sensitivity to the touch which I experienced firsthand."
Yay
"I do have my Dr. Dennis Gross exfoliation pad. So if I have an event or something like that that I want to go to, or just even if I'm [...] a little bit dry and flaky, I do this in the morning. You do the first pad for like 3 minutes and then you neutralize it with the second pad. Your makeup, if you wear it, will go on so smooth."
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"I do have my Dr. Dennis Gross exfoliation pad. So if I have an event or something like that that I want to go to, or just even if I'm [...] a little bit dry and flaky, I do this in the morning. You do the first pad for like 3 minutes and then you neutralize it with the second pad. Your makeup, if you wear it, will go on so smooth."
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"I do have my Dr. Dennis Gross exfoliation pad. So if I have an event or something like that that I want to go to, or just even if I'm [...] a little bit dry and flaky, I do this in the morning. You do the first pad for like 3 minutes and then you neutralize it with the second pad. Your makeup, if you wear it, will go on so smooth."
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"I've got this two-step chemical peel wipe from Dr. Dennis Gross that I was really loving, especially when I was traveling because it's so easy. It's a combination of alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy, so it works well for acne but also for fine lines and wrinkles and all that kind of stuff."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross Universal daily peel, that's the one that I use."
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"I love these on a daily not a daily basis but like before I do any sort of filming or anything like that. This is Dr. Dennis Gross, this is the Alpha Beta, so it's an AHA and BHA combo. This is great for somebody who has acne but also all acne skincare, you guys, was designed for acne and made they noticed that it started making all of the wrinkles go away."
Yay
"They are meant to be used everyday but if you are using retinoin and other types of actives you may not want to use this with those because it might just be a harsh pairing that could cause more dryness and irritation. So maybe pick one or two days of the week where you can take breaks from your other actives and then incorporate this as the main treatment just to give that exfoliation to brighten things up. And after one treatment you really do see a big difference with your skin. Your skin looks brighter. It looks very shiny. It just looks so good and it really does the job."
All 16 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
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"They are meant to be used everyday but if you are using retinoin and other types of actives you may not want to use this with those because it might just be a harsh pairing that could cause more dryness and irritation. So maybe pick one or two days of the week where you can take breaks from your other actives and then incorporate this as the main treatment just to give that exfoliation to brighten things up. And after one treatment you really do see a big difference with your skin. Your skin looks brighter. It looks very shiny. It just looks so good and it really does the job."
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"I love the Dr. Dennis Gross exfoliating daily peels. I will leave those below for you. I still like to use them from time to time."
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"This is a great at-home peel that you can do every day or a few nights per week to rejuvenate your skin, to improve texture, tone, and overall brightness. This will give you that fresh looking complexion. The more often you can use these, the better. So, I generally like to use these maybe once or twice a week, but sometimes I like to use these every single day for one week out of the month, or I might do it once every other month and just give my skin that boost where my skin just looks super refreshed. This is the universal, and I also have the gentle. So, if I'm using this every day in one week, I might use the universal for three nights and then maybe the gentle for the remaining four nights or vice versa. That is generally what I like to do, but of course, you don't have to do that. You can just use one strength and use it every day or a couple of nights per week. There is an extra strength and this one is quite powerful. It is a little bit sensitizing on my skin, so I can't really use it often."
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"I've always enjoyed using this because it gives that instant brightness that glowing complexion and it really does help to get rid of that surface flakiness that you can get from using active ingredients. So I love these has to be my favorite at this moment. There is a gentle option there is an extra strength but I love the universal."
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"I will do this once or twice a week. When I do this, if I remember, I will exfoliate the backs of my hands with the same product when I'm treating my face, my neck and the chest. I'm not going to pull out a brand new one just for my hands. I will use whatever is left with the pad after doing my face that way it's not wasteful because these are not cheap."
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"There is retinol and some other fabulous anti-aging ingredients as well. If your skin can tolerate this, you can honestly use this every single day or every other day, but for me personally I use this maybe once or twice a week. I just love the way that my skin looks and feels after I've used this. You almost see immediate results once you've used it because your skin just looks so bright and glowy. There are different strengths. This is the universal. They do have an extra strength one and they also have one that is for sensitive skin, so this is basically in the middle of both. I like this one a lot better."
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"I usually go back and forth between the universal and the gentle if my skin is a little bit more sensitive. I do have a lot of flakiness to my skin, so I'll go in with this maybe once a week or once every couple of weeks depending on my skin. I like the universal because it's in between the gentle and the extra strength, and it does a really good job to brighten up your complexion. You see an immediate glow with your skin, and your skin is also super soft after one use. If you have texture, this will basically wipe it out in one application and your skin just looks incredible. This can be used every single day according to the brand, but I think once or twice a week is sufficient. You don't want to overdo a good thing unless your skin can tolerate it every day. I've never used this every day because I feel like my skin would be pretty sensitive if I did. There are two peels here. The first peel is your exfoliant, so you're going to rub this all over your face and then wait 2 minutes to let your face dry up, and then you're going in with peel number two. You don't want to rinse this off; you want to keep this on your skin. Once you do peel number two, you're still going to do the same thing: rub it across your skin. There is a Scorpi acid in here, which is your vitamin C, and there is also retinol in here and a lot of other added ingredients to keep your skin nice and comfortable, but also this helps to neutralize your skin back to that balanced pH level. Number one is more of that acidic treatment, and then number two just neutralizes."
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"I really love the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peeling Pads. There are three different strengths: this is the universal, there is a gentle which is more gentle than universal, and then there is an extra strength. I don't use the extra strength often, I have and it works really well but it's pretty intense. So if you have skin that can tolerate a lot and you don't experience irritation or sensitivities and you do have a lot of dark spots, go with the extra strength. But this is the one that I can be the most consistent with and I love the results that I see. In one pad there's about four or five different types of AHAs."
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"If I'm using the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peeling Pads for the face, I will sometimes use that same pad once I'm done with my face and bring it down to the tops of my hands."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, this is the universal one there is an extra strength and there is a gentle one as well. Yes, you could use this every day if you're someone that can tolerate it. I would not be able to use this every day because my skin would just be too irritated and just uncomfortable, but that once a week treatment with this, my skin just glows. My skin always looks so incredible. I generally like to use this towards the end of the week, like maybe a Saturday or a Sunday, so I use it through the week and then by the weekend I do have some flakiness around my chin, and then this will help to get rid of that and it just preps my skin for the following week."
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"There's a lot of anti-aging ingredients in here like retinol, ferulic, and all of that other good stuff, but this is also going to neutralize the pH of our skin, so this is going to bring it back to that normal level. Because treatment number one is very acidic and this is what's going to exfoliate, this is going to bring our skin back to that normal level, and this combination, I'm telling you, is exceptional. You don't rinse this off; you leave it on your skin. So once you finish with treatment number two, then you can go in with your serums and moisturizer after that. I use this at night time. You can use this every day if you wish according to the brand, but I would recommend to start slow and gradually increase because this could cause some dryness and irritation. I use this once a week, maybe once every couple of weeks, and this is sufficient enough. There are three strengths: this is the universal, which is middle of the road, then they have an extra strength and they have a sensitive. So depending on your skin sensitivity, you have some options here. This one is great for normal to combination skin, which is myself, and I love it because it really does give this nice glowy, brighter complexion, and your skin looks so rejuvenated."
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"This is going to do a really good job to remove all of that gunk and the dryness and it's going to give that nice brightness to the skin. [...] Peel number two has retinol in it, ascorbic acid, there's Resveratrol, there's a lot of antioxidants in here that can improve texture and tone but also signs of aging as well. When you're done with this your skin just glows, your skin just looks incredible. [...] I use this at night time. These are meant to be used every day if you can, and of course the more consistent you are with these the better, but you may not want to use this every day. I feel like [...] exfoliating maybe once or twice is sufficient enough. If you're looking for a good exfoliating product that also targets signs of aging and that uneven skin tone then I would look into this. There is a gentle, there is an extra strength, but my skin does the best with the universal."
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"The first product that I feel is definitely worth purchasing is the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads. This is a box of 30 treatments, and this is the universal one, so this is in the middle between gentle and extra strength. It comes in three strengths. I personally love the universal because it's something that I can be more consistent with without having to worry about irritation. It comes with two pads: treatment one and treatment two. Treatment one is the one that's going to do the exfoliation process. There are five different types of AHAs in here. Treatment two is a neutralizer that's going to bring back your skin's pH to where it should be. There are other great ingredients in here to treat dark spots, discoloration, fine lines, and wrinkles. There's retinol, there's antioxidants. There's a lot of great ingredients in here that can really help improve the overall texture and appearance of our skin. It does a good job to give that brightness and help remove surface dryness. I love these. They are so effective."
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"There are four AHAs here so there's glycolic, lactic, citric and malic acid and then it has that salicylic acid that BHA and then in this one here there's a retinol there's antioxidants and a lot of other great anti-aging ingredients but also common ingredients as well like green tea to really calm the skin barrier and with these pads you really do see instant results your skin is immediately brighter it's softer it looks more rejuvenated and of course with consistency these can really help to soften fine lines improve that uneven skin tone but it can also help to stimulate new collagen as well. These are meant to be used every day but again I only use this maybe once or twice a week. Also don't forget to apply your sunscreen on an everyday basis and reapply several times a day especially if you're outside because glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid specifically can really make your skin more sensitive to the sun so make sure that you're wearing sunscreen no matter what. These are truly some lovely hybrid formulations that can target multiple skin types and skin concerns."
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"I really enjoy the Dr. Dennis Gross peeling pads. I really like the universal as well as the gentle and those ones are also fragrance-free. Being consistent with your exfoliation one or two nights per week is really important during the winter, and whenever I'm using something like this I will bring it down to my neck and my chest."
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"This has five types of AHAs and it also has that BHA so we have salicylic acid, glycolic, lactic, malic as well as citric acid and that's all in the first peeling pad. So of course this is going to exfoliate, remove that surface dead skin. You're going to achieve that brighter complexion because of course that surface dead skin is what's causing that dullness to our skin. Right, so when we remove that and we're consistent with something like this, our skin is always going to be nice and bright and glowy. I like this one the best. I have used the extra strength many times and that one really is powerful. I would only want to use that one maybe a couple of times a month. This one I can be more consistent with. But the gentle one is just as effective and honestly it's great for those that have sensitive skin. So I would say start with the gentle, see how your skin does with it, and then move to the universal one if you want something a little bit stronger."
Yay
"I love peel pads like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel. I've been using that for a long time, over a decade at this point. I always kind of go back to that. [...] If you want that manual exfoliation, I'm all about a peel pad. I would just try it out like once or twice a week to start and then move into as many times a week as you can."
All 2 takes from Mixed Makeup
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"I love peel pads like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel. I've been using that for a long time, over a decade at this point. I always kind of go back to that. [...] If you want that manual exfoliation, I'm all about a peel pad. I would just try it out like once or twice a week to start and then move into as many times a week as you can."
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"These are the trusty Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peels. So, it starts with one. You exfoliate and then this is like the neutralizer. And it is so good. And I want you to use that in the morning. Start with like three times a week. This is really so new because I want your makeup to go on smoother. You're going to use those before makeup."
Yay
"Dr. Dennis Gross's standout product would be their Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, which are [...] a two-step AHA BHA peel pads pre-dosed with those exfoliants as well as antioxidants and people just love them. They retail for 94 bucks, so they're kind of expensive, especially if you're going to do it on a daily basis. I've tried them and they're quite nice. The brand was co-founded by Dennis and his wife Carrie in 2000 aiming to make clinical grade skincare accessible with science-backed products inspired by his dermatology practice and pioneering work on chemical peels."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross's standout product would be their Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, which are [...] a two-step AHA BHA peel pads pre-dosed with those exfoliants as well as antioxidants and people just love them. They retail for 94 bucks, so they're kind of expensive, especially if you're going to do it on a daily basis. I've tried them and they're quite nice. The brand was co-founded by Dennis and his wife Carrie in 2000 aiming to make clinical grade skincare accessible with science-backed products inspired by his dermatology practice and pioneering work on chemical peels."
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"122 dollar value for 124 product the Dr Dennis uh gross peels so that's always a good deal when you get 122 dollars worth of product for 124 dollars so something in there makes me think oh this price was probably twenty dollars cheaper"
Yay
"I think that one of the best alpha hydroxy peeling products that exists and it has been on the market for a long time are the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads. They come as a two-step system. This is sort of their like original strength. They also have a stronger strength and then they have a more gentle version, but the stronger one has seven acids. This one has five acids. Their more gentle version has three acids. So you could kind of cater it based on what your skin can tolerate. And the first step has all the acids which you put on, you let it dry down and then you have a neutralizing step with a bunch of antioxidants which is also a really helpful thing when it comes to fighting hyperpigmentation because oxidative stress breeds melanogenesis. It makes you produce pigment. And so when you can stop that process in its tracks by both exfoliating and then calming the skin, you're going to be in a really good spot. I find these incredibly convenient, very satisfying to use. I love that there's different strengths, so it caters to a lot of different skin types and tolerances. But the other thing I like about this is there's quite a bit of product. So when you're swiping it over your face, there's leftover juice in there. And I will always bring that onto my neck, my decollete, the back of my hands."
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"I love the ones from Dr. Dennis Gross. There's so much product in that little wipe. I don't just use it on my face. I use it on my neck, my chest, I put it on my hands, and if I have leftover, I just go everywhere."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads are super convenient. I always think it's worth it to pay for convenience, and these are peel pads you can take on the go. They're not going to go bad because they're each individually wrapped. They also have multiple acids in them that are going to exfoliate your skin and brighten your skin. It's got retinol, it's just such a good formula overall. The results are very tangible when you use them. Even though these are expensive, they also last a really long time. I use these one to two times a week and a box this size can last me like six plus months. [...] If you want to invest in your skincare, these are the types of products that are worth the investment."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, I absolutely love them, and I think I love them the most for the convenience of it being like an individually wrapped pad you can go in and apply. There's always a little extra on there so I like to bring it down onto my body. To me this is just like a really nice blend of acids that is also super effective for the skin."
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"One of my favorite all-around exfoliants are the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads. The reason for this is they're sort of individually wrapped and kind of like foolproof because they give you a measured dose, you're not going to overdo it with these. Start by exfoliating just once a week. On the night that you're exfoliating you're going to skip your retinoid so you're not going to be using two irritating products at the same time. You should notice within a few weeks of starting to exfoliate that your skin just has a better glow and more radiance to it."
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"One of my favorite exfoliation recommendations for people who have combination skin are the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Peel Pads. These are a two-step pad system that use alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids as well as a little bit of retinol to help exfoliate the skin. There's a first step and then there's a neutralizing pad that you do afterwards, and the neutralizing pad is really there so you don't overdo it. These do have a good amount of glycolic acid. I would say that these are quite spicy when you first apply them, but they don't lead to a lot of irritation in my experience. Now, because these are more potent, even though they're called a daily peel pad, I would never use these daily personally. I would start out by using them maybe once a week and then work up thereafter. I also find these pads are pretty juicy, so I don't just use them on my face. If I have a pad and I'm using it, I'm bringing it down onto my neck, my chest, my hands, and there's usually enough in there for me to get my forearms as well. Now, as a reminder, these do have retinol in them, so if you are trying to conceive or you're pregnant, this would not be my first choice. And I also want to remind people that exfoliation does increase your risk of sun sensitivity, so if you are bringing these things onto your face, neck, chest, hands, etc., you need to make sure that you are bringing your sunscreen onto your face, neck, chest, hands, etc."
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"I think that one of the best alpha hydroxy peeling products that exists and it has been on the market for a long time are the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads. They come as a two-step system. This is sort of their like original strength. They also have a stronger strength and then they have a more gentle version, but the stronger one has seven acids. This one has five acids. Their more gentle version has three acids. So you could kind of cater it based on what your skin can tolerate. And the first step has all the acids which you put on, you let it dry down and then you have a neutralizing step with a bunch of antioxidants which is also a really helpful thing when it comes to fighting hyperpigmentation because oxidative stress breeds melanogenesis. It makes you produce pigment. And so when you can stop that process in its tracks by both exfoliating and then calming the skin, you're going to be in a really good spot. I find these incredibly convenient, very satisfying to use. I love that there's different strengths, so it caters to a lot of different skin types and tolerances. But the other thing I like about this is there's quite a bit of product. So when you're swiping it over your face, there's leftover juice in there. And I will always bring that onto my neck, my decollete, the back of my hands."
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"I love this product and have used and recommended it for years, but my biggest beef is what is written on the front of the packet, which is universal daily peel. There are very few humans whose skin could handle using an exfoliating wipe every single day, especially if you are incorporating other anti-aging things into your routine that have the potential to be irritating like vitamin C and retinoids. However, used under different guidance—I would recommend once a week and skip your topical retinoid on the night you use these—these will make your skin really soft, really glowy, really smooth. So my verdict for these is swap the frequency, but not necessarily the product."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, I have talked about these pads many times on this channel as well as on my Instagram because I think they are incredible. They're just a very nice gentle blend of exfoliating acids. It comes in two steps. You do your first sort of exfoliating treatment, and then the next step sort of neutralizes that and has some nice antioxidants with it. That one-two step is just a great way to exfoliate the skin. I find that they're quite tolerable even on my sensitive rosacea-prone skin, which is one reason why I think they're worth the investment, because I can use them pretty regularly without flaring my skin, but I also get to see all those amazing benefits of exfoliating regularly, like new cell turnover, less dullness, and less pore congestion."
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"My final skincare item that I travel with are my Dr. Dennis Gross Universal Daily Peel Pads. I save these for my final day of travel because usually my skin just feels very congested when I'm done traveling. Often because if I'm going to a sunny place I've been putting on tons and tons of sunscreen or if I'm traveling for an event I'm usually wearing a lot more makeup than I'm used to. So on the last night of travel or on my way home I like to go in with an exfoliating peel pad just to prep my skin and get it ready to recover. I would not use this on the first day of vacation or something like that because I don't want to risk it causing my skin to be more sensitive or red or irritated. But at the end it's a go-to."
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"One of my favorite exfoliation products are the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta exfoliation peel pads. I like these because they are individually packaged so especially if you're doing skin cycling and you're only introducing an exfoliant every fourth night or like me once a week it's kind of nice that it's in its own individual package so you don't have to open up everything and worry that it's going to spoil before you go through the entire product. These come with two different peel pads, there's a first step that has more of the exfoliating acids like glycolic acid and lactic acid and salicylic acid, and then there's a second step that calms everything down and has amazing antioxidants like ubiquinone and Resveratrol. I love packing these with me when I travel and I tend to use them on my final day of a trip or vacation because I feel like the next day they give me that sort of immediate brightening effect. I notice a very visible difference when I incorporate these pads into my routine."
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"I highly highly recommend the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel. My only gripe with these pads is they're called a universal daily peel pad and I just feel like you should not be exfoliating every single day. Thank goodness skin cycling became on trend and people finally learned that you probably shouldn't be exfoliating every single day so I feel like people are doing it properly now. If you are going to use these I recommend once a week twice a week max. The reason I like these pads so much is I think it has a very nice blend of acids their salicylic acid which is going to help get into the pores and clear out any congestion but there are also alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid and lactic acid and mic acid that are going to help more with surface exfoliation and dullness without over stripping your skin. The peels come as individually packaged sets there's this first step which is the exfoliation step and then afterward you apply the second step which helps neutralize that peel and it also has retinol and some really nice antioxidants and so that one two step is prepackaged for you and I think you get 30 in a box so I really like picking these up at the sale because it basically lasts me at least 6 months if not the entire year."
Mixed
"These are great for travel. I don't think I'd use them on the regular, but if you're traveling, maybe you try these. I guess these are a like, but not a fail, not a fave. They're okay. And I would say I would rather use the exfoliating milk marble by Dr. Edm as opposed to these pads, but they are good for travel."
Yay
"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads are like a two-step peel that exfoliates, brightens, and smooths the skin. It helps reduce fine lines, enlarged pores, and any uneven texture you may have. The key ingredients are a perfect blend of your AHAs, it has glycolic and lactic, and then your BHA, which is your salicylic acid."
Yay
"Those Dr. Dennis Gross, the orange ones where it's like an exfoliant and a retinol, I actually just got my boyfriend to start using them and those are really great. They're just like a pad, you do this, wait 2 minutes, do the next one, apply your moisturizer. It's a great way to start."
Yay
"Dr. Dennis Gross is really well known for bringing that professional grade chemical peel treatment in office but at home, and their Universal Daily Pads is what I recommend. Even though it says daily exfoliation, exfoliation should be done on a once or twice weekly basis, but nevertheless this is a great user-friendly exfoliating treatment that you can incorporate into your routine to help brighten your skin, improve the appearance of pore size, skin texture and skin tone, and really is great as part of an anti-aging regimen for those who are looking for additional products to complement your pre-existing ones like peptides and retinol. The pads make it so easy to use. It comes in basically a packet of exfoliating pad and a neutralizer. The exfoliating pad is infused with alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic, lactic and malic acid that we know will help to remove dead skin, help to improve skin turnover over time, improve brightening your skin, helping to improve hyperpigmentation, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You basically just swipe that all over your face, really easy to use, limits any potential risk, and then after a certain amount of time you take the neutralizer and swipe that again to basically stop the reaction. It's so easy to use. It also has chamomile and green tea extract that helps reduce any irritation."
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"This is definitely one of the OG exfoliating pads that we find at Sephora. I love it. I use it myself regularly. It's something that I love incorporating into my skincare routine once a week, twice a week at most to help remove dullness, improve skin turnover, help to brighten the skin. The ingredients really do all those things, especially for those who are struggling with uneven skin texture, skin tone dullness, and hyperpigmentation. If you have sensitive skin it's not the best thing for you, but if you have fairly normal skin looking for a good exfoliating regimen to add into your routine to address those anti-aging concerns, this is definitely one that I would recommend. Ingredient-wise it contains a blend of glycolic and lactic acid, the most popular used alpha hydroxy acids that are great exfoliants to target uneven skin texture and skin tone. It also contains green tea extract along with chamomile, so anti-inflammatory soothing, calming ingredients to really reduce some of the irritation that chemical exfoliants can bring on."
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"It comes in a peeling pack pad as well as a neutralizing pad that's prepackaged and it contains a blend of Alpha and beta hydroxy acids so five different acids along with 12 other antioxidants that really work to help improve uneven skin texture, uneven skin tone, appearance of pores, and congestion. It's a great chemical exfoliating peel that you can do at the convenience of your home. The ingredients are worth highlighting: glycolic acid, which really helps with skin juvenation, fineness, fighting lines and wrinkles, along with lactic acid as well as green tea and resveratrol, which are great antioxidants that also support our skin. I love that this comes in additional strength Extra Strength, which is actually what I have at home and really is my personal favorite, but I find the universal one to be more gentle, especially if you are new. There's also a lower concentration gentle formulation that's better suited for those with more dry and sensitive skin. You just follow the instructions with the peeling pad, and after a number of minutes you will neutralize with the neutralizing pad, so it's very user friendly. I recommend using this once a week at most twice a week, really a great part of the skin cycling trend to help you get fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin texture and skin tone."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross is really well known for bringing that professional grade chemical peel treatment in office but at home, and their Universal Daily Pads is what I recommend. Even though it says daily exfoliation, exfoliation should be done on a once or twice weekly basis, but nevertheless this is a great user-friendly exfoliating treatment that you can incorporate into your routine to help brighten your skin, improve the appearance of pore size, skin texture and skin tone, and really is great as part of an anti-aging regimen for those who are looking for additional products to complement your pre-existing ones like peptides and retinol. The pads make it so easy to use. It comes in basically a packet of exfoliating pad and a neutralizer. The exfoliating pad is infused with alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic, lactic and malic acid that we know will help to remove dead skin, help to improve skin turnover over time, improve brightening your skin, helping to improve hyperpigmentation, improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You basically just swipe that all over your face, really easy to use, limits any potential risk, and then after a certain amount of time you take the neutralizer and swipe that again to basically stop the reaction. It's so easy to use. It also has chamomile and green tea extract that helps reduce any irritation."
Mixed
"Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel has two parts: first one exfoliates, you wait 2 minutes, and then there's a neutralizer. It's a nice daily peel to use just to make sure that you're doing a chemical exfoliant, which is much better than a physical exfoliant. I was getting weird rashes around my mouth or nose area, and I started using these and it helped it go away."
Yay
"I really like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal peel pads as well because that has both glycolic and salicylic acid."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads has both AHAs and BHAs, which are great to include in your routine."
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"You can exfoliate one to three nights per week with something like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads or the NeoStrata Resurface Smooth Surface Glycolic Peel, and you could use this as an alternative to your retinoids or you can alternate between an exfoliating product and a retinoid."
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"I really like the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal peel pads as well because that has both glycolic and salicylic acid."
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"Alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid and lactic acids as well as fruit enzymes can also help exfoliate and keep your skin looking more fresh and radiant. Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta Daily Peel Pads are a great product for this. Alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid can also really help with supporting the strength of your pore wall. All these different ingredients that I mentioned, the alpha hydroxy acids, these all work together to help both with the keratin buildup as well as the strength of a pore wall."
Mixed
"The peel pads she's using from Dr. Dennis Gross are designed to be used daily, but if you have sensitive skin I don't recommend any type of exfoliator used daily, and if you're exfoliating daily I would not recommend using a separate retinol or other exfoliating or peeling product. It's a self-neutralizing peel, and the second step has retinol, retinoic acid, and resveratrol, a lot of antioxidants along with the retinol to help reduce or prevent fine lines, wrinkles, and pigmentation. She has a good exfoliating solution that she uses about once a week, and that works for her."
Yay
"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal peel pads is basically a two-step chemical peel system that you could do at home. In the first step you're using a blend of five acids, glycolic acid, citric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, and salicylic acid, along with chamomile for its anti-inflammatory effects. You do that first with a peel pad pre-soaked in the serum, wait two minutes, and then you go ahead and use step two which has more of the hydrating soothing ingredients. It also has retinol as well as green tea extract for that anti-inflammatory benefit. This is one that I tend to recommend patients to use at home during the summer time. It's a bit more of an intensive process, there's a lot of acids in there, there's even retinol in there. I don't think this will replace your daily retinol use. You'll just use this on a day that you'll skip your retinol."
Yay
"The Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Original Formula pads are luscious. I remember thinking dermatological science, and I loved the orange—weird but that was my first impression. What made the peel pads different from everything else that was out at the time and still are different to this day is that he has patented the whole formula. You get one pad and then you get a second pad, and no one else can copy him."
Yay
"For $92, you can get Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, which come in these little packets. Easy for travel, easy on the go, and easy to put in your bag. It gives you baby smooth skin the next day. Totally something perfected for texture, dryness, and beyond."
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"For $92, you can get Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads, which come in these little packets. Easy for travel, easy on the go, and easy to put in your bag. It gives you baby smooth skin the next day. Totally something perfected for texture, dryness, and beyond."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross has the alpha beta peel pads, glycolic, lactic, malic, and salicylic acid in a pad that helps to smooth and refine your texture. Great for while you're on the go. It comes in these individual packets, so you're not going to have any leaky mess in your carry-on."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross has these Universal peel pads that I use on my feet. It's a mix of AHAs and BHAs. It's great for travel, they're small because the pack is smaller so it could be cheaper than the original one. And it's glycolic, lactic, mandelic, and salicylic acid. So I use this in between the nooks and crannies of my feet, around my ankles, on the bottom of my feet, between my toes, you name it. I use one pad pretty much for both feet."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross exfoliating Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads are also expensive for 92 bucks. You get 35 treatments. I do not recommend you use these every day. I actually think you should probably use them three-ish times a week so hopefully it will last you longer than a month, much longer than a month, maybe three months. It's a combination of AHA and BHA as well as 12 antioxidants. They come in these individually wrapped packets which make it very easy to travel with."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta peel pads for 92 bucks, it's really expensive and you hold on to those pads for real life because you do not want to lose them, but this has glycolic acid, lactic acid, and malic acid in it as well as salicylic acid. So those are combo acid pads that are great for travel or if you go to the gym and you're on the go and you want to use something without having to worry too much about containers or you don't have the time to sit around with a mask."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross has Alpha Beta Peel pads. They're expensive and individually wrapped, and I probably wouldn't recommend using them every week because of all the waste, but I really like them for travel since they're easy to pack in [...] tiny packets and take around where you need them."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross has these daily peel pads. I don't use them daily but they're not bad. There's a lot of wastage to them and that's why I get annoyed."
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"Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peels are ones that I actually buy for when I'm on the go when I'm traveling because they are easy to put in your travel pouch and you're not worried about any sort of spillage. They are very nice and I'd probably use them on average three to four times a week."
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"These are made up of step one and step two acids as well as a retinol. If you're very sensitive, I would be careful combining the two. I think they come with a lot of waste because they come in individual packets. However, they are great for travel, so I have kept a stash of these and set them aside for when I travel and I cannot take liquid exfoliants or larger solutions in my travel bag."
Yay
"Almost everything from Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta peel line is so good, but the peel pads are great because they have an advanced peel pad, they have like a light peel pad, and if you want something that is intense, you can get it, or if you want something that's even gentle enough to use almost every other day, Dr. Dennis Gross has you covered. If you've always wanted to try Dr. Dennis Gross and it's been just out of budget, I would highly recommend starting with the peel pads. Just start with a lighter one and you can build your way up."
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"Almost everything from Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta peel line is so good, but the peel pads are great because they have an advanced peel pad, they have like a light peel pad, and if you want something that is intense, you can get it, or if you want something that's even gentle enough to use almost every other day, Dr. Dennis Gross has you covered. If you've always wanted to try Dr. Dennis Gross and it's been just out of budget, I would highly recommend starting with the peel pads. Just start with a lighter one and you can build your way up."
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"Once all my makeup is off, usually once a week I try to do a facial peel because I have really terrible combination skin. I use this, the Dr. Dennis Gross Universal Daily Peel. There are two parts, the first one is like an exfoliate and smooth, and then you wait like two minutes and then the next one is an anti-aging neutralizer. I don't know what it does, all I know is it helps my skin. For the purpose of a scaling solution, ten out of ten phenomenal."
Yay
"The universal daily peel pad has a five AHA and BHA blend compared to the seven of the one I just did, so this one is a little more gentle. You can really use this nightly depending on your skin condition and skin type."
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"If you are into at-home peels, I really, really like the Dr. Dennis Gross brand because these are well made. They have a lot of different options depending on your skin type and what you're trying to treat, even for sensitive skin you can do a peel successfully if you have the right products, and that is where Dr. Dennis Gross shines in my opinion. This one has like five different types of acid in it. It's a two-step peel. You can do this probably up to nightly, but I would do this once a week, maybe twice a week, and you can get results."
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"The universal daily peel pad has a five AHA and BHA blend compared to the seven of the one I just did, so this one is a little more gentle. You can really use this nightly depending on your skin condition and skin type."
Yay
"I've been using Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel a bit more, and this is mostly just convenience. I actually just got back from a holiday and I took these along because they are just so convenient."
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"The Dr. Dennis Gross peels are really nice and a lot less sticky than other versions. The nice thing about them is you can get a whole bunch of uses out of one pad, so one is enough to do both our faces and both our backs. However, they are really expensive."
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"I've been using Dr. Dennis Gross's Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel a bit more, and this is mostly just convenience. I actually just got back from a holiday and I took these along because they are just so convenient."

What the evidence says.

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

Retinoids

Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

Source: DermNet

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

Frequently asked.

What is Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads?

A two-step chemical exfoliating pad system with AHAs and BHAs designed for daily use to exfoliate, brighten, and smooth skin texture.

Is Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads worth it?

Mostly yes. 15 of the 20 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.

What is Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads's Guru Score?

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 20 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

Who is Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads best for?

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads is generally suited to oily skin, combination skin and acne-prone skin.

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