Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment.

Masks & Peels

About this product

An intensive exfoliating treatment that combines fruit enzymes, lactic acid and salicylic acid with fine physical exfoliating particles, designed to smooth, polish and brighten skin when used as a weekly mask-style treatment.

Full ingredients

Water/Aqua/Eau, 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, Chlorophyllin-Copper Complex, 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

Guru Score

75%

Yay

5 experts · Moderate agreement

What the gurus are saying

Fruit enzymes, lactic acid and a fine, slightly grainy buff make this a polish that leaves skin visibly smoother the first time you use it. The experts who weighed in mostly like it for dull, flaky or acne-prone skin, though they say it's not the strongest brightener. One camp finds it too intense, and sensitive or melasma-prone skin may want a careful, once-a-week approach.

Synthesized from 5 expert reviews · most recent take July 2025

What they liked

Visible results on first use
Combines chemical and physical exfoliation
Lactic acid formula

What they flagged

Intensity may be too strong for some
Risk of triggering melasma if overused

Type

Masks & PeelsCream

Key actives

Retinoid Salicylic acid (BHA)AHAVitamin E

Formula notes

Contains drying alcohol

Where to buy

Sephora → Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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Scan it in the shopFree iPhone app. Scores in the aisle.

What the experts use it for.

The concerns the experts tie this product to, in their own words. Paid and founder takes don't count.

Breakouts and acne1 expert

“But it also combines it with salicylic acid, so it's a good one for those who are suffering or who are undergoing a lot of acne.”

Dr. Shereene Idriss, watch at 3:44

Flaky dry patches1 expert

“This one helps if you are somebody who feels like your skin is not only dry but dull and you're not able to really turn over your cells and you occasionally get flaky.”

Dr. Shereene Idriss, watch at 7:35

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

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

✓Yay

"The benefit of physical exfoliation is that your skin does feel much softer after using it immediately. [...] It's got lactic acid along with fruit enzymes like from papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin to help gently exfoliate, silica that provides a physical exfoliation for that polished feel, along with aloe and honey as more soothing and hydrating ingredients. So a great overall fairly expensive but a nice chemical and physical exfoliant that you can use like once a week."

AliceintheRabbitHole

59k subs

✓Nay

"Way too strong for me now, that's another product that I did try in the past, that one is a lot more intense of an AHA treatment."

Mixed Makeup

1.46M subs

✓Yay

"This uses different fruit enzymes to exfoliate your skin, but it mainly uses lactic acid as one of the main ingredients to exfoliate your skin, and it really, I mean you see a difference in your skin the minute you use it. It also has a physical exfoliation as well. If you have melasma and hyperpigmentation, just be very aware that you don't want to overdo it with your skin because if you're causing irritation, you're then causing melasma and hyperpigmentation."

Jamie Genevieve

975k subs

✓Yay

"Because I've done the Kate Somerville exfoliating my skin is super smooth this highlight is just going to sit unbelievably on top"

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

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

Frequently asked.

What is Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment?

Is Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment worth it?

Mostly yes. 4 of the 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.

What is Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment's Guru Score?

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected.

What is Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment good for, according to the experts?

In their reviews, experts say Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment is good for breakouts and acne (1 expert) and flaky dry patches (1 expert).