Signs You’ve Over-Exfoliated
Exfoliation is meant to reveal soft, radiant skin—not leave you feeling like you’ve been through a wind tunnel. If your skin feels:
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Tight or dry (even after moisturizing)
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Stingy or itchy when applying products
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Red, flaky, or sensitive to the touch
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Shiny—but not in a good way
…there’s a good chance you’ve over-exfoliated. This can happen with too many actives (like AHAs, BHAs, or retinoids), physical scrubs, or even cleansing too aggressively.
Step One: Stop All Active Ingredients
Put the glycolic, salicylic acid, and retinol down. Seriously. When your skin barrier is compromised, the best thing you can do is pause all exfoliating and potentially irritating products for at least a week. This includes any product that tingles, peels, or feels “strong.”
Step Two: Focus on Repairing the Barrier
Now is the time to baby your skin. Reach for gentle, hydrating products that focus on barrier support. Look for ingredients like:
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Ceramides – Help restore the skin’s natural barrier
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Hyaluronic acid – Draws moisture in
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Glycerin – Keeps skin soft and hydrated
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Copper peptides – Help regenerate damaged skin
Enter: +Copper Peptide Concentrate
Our +Copper Peptide is the ultra-healing step your skin’s been craving. Copper peptides are known for their ability to calm inflammation, speed up wound healing, and regenerate the skin—all without irritation.
Why It Works
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Soothes red, irritated skin
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Speeds healing after damage or overuse of actives
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Strengthens the skin’s barrier with powerful peptides and vitamin E
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Non-irritating, even for the most sensitive skin
How to Use It
Add one pump of +Copper Peptide to your moisturizer, serum, or mask. Apply daily while your skin is healing. You can even use it on its own for a more targeted approach.
Step Three: Reintroduce Actives Slowly
Once your skin feels calm, smooth, and no longer stings, you can slowly bring back your actives.
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Start with once a week, then build up.
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Avoid layering too many actives at once.
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Always follow with moisturizer and sunscreen.
Your skin will thank you for taking it slow.
Over-exfoliation happens to the best of us. The key is recognizing it early and giving your skin the time—and support—it needs to heal. With the help of barrier-repairing products like +Copper Peptide, you’ll be back to glowing, balanced skin in no time.
Don’t fight your skin—listen to it. And when in doubt? More moisture, less exfoliation.
