SEPHORA Collection Serums

[ksnyd]

I know that many of the SC products received new packaging last year, but in preparing for the spring 2026 sale I no longer see the SC Gentle Exfoliating Peeling Serum (5% Lactic Acid + Niacinamide) or any repackaging of a similar product available. Was this really discontinued?? I have PCOS and related issues and finally have gotten to skin neutrality with the use of this plus other products. I don't want to go to a 10% product like The Ordinary because that's twice the strength and I have very sensitive skin.

[WinglessOne]

@ksnyd  In case you haven’t seen it yet, Sephora’s lactic acid serum is back with a new name (and bottle color): SEPHORA COLLECTION Resurfacing Serum 1.01 oz/30 ml 

I don’t know if it’s been reformulated, but it still contains 5% lactic acid + 5% niacinamide. And hey, you can get it for 30% off during the current sale. 👍

[WinglessOne]

@ksnyd  I’ll be surprised if that SC exfoliant doesn’t return; a lotta people seemed to like it. But if it’s really gone for good: The Ordinary does sell a 5% version of their lactic acid. (The Ordinary Lactic Acid 5% + HA) Not sure why Sephora no longer carries it, but it’s still available at Ulta and direct from the brand.

[ksnyd]

@WinglessOne Thanks for the suggestion, I'll probably end up trying that formulation because it does seem very similar.

Unfortunately this is probably close to the dozenth product that Sephora has decided to stop carrying in recent years that is a staple item for me, which is still made/sold by others. It's becoming harder to stay here (even as a decade-long Rouge status member) when we can't consistently count on things being in stock. 

[WinglessOne]

@ksnyd  I hear ya. Since @danielledanielle mentioned a Paula’s Choice product to consider (and that’s a good one too): Sephora stopped carrying two of my favorite PC products a while back, and like you said, it’s something that happens more often than we’d like. I usually try to find at least two products (often from different brands) that are very similar and serve the same task, in case one of them gets discontinued, reformulated for worse, or dropped from retailers I can buy from. All those things have happened to me too many times.

Sometimes it’s not Sephora’s decision to drop a product or entire brand (eh, excluding Sephora Collection). It might be more of the brand’s decision to not renew their contract with Sephora, or pull specific products. But yeah, regardless of the reason, it’s disappointing to find out a beloved product’s no longer available here. My workaround, besides having another product to turn to as my second option, is to check other retailers—including the brand itself—and note which ones carry that product. Buying from outside Sephora gets me no Beauty Insider points, but I don’t shop specifically to maintain my Rouge status anyway. 

With that in mind: The Ordinary runs an annual sale for the whole month of November at their site (it’s their Slow-vember sale) with a 23% discount, and Paula’s Choice frequently runs sales at their site; it’s worth getting on PC’s mailing list if you like any of their products, especially since Sephora’s never carried PC’s full product catalog.

[danielledanielle]

@ksnyd , great to hear of skin neutrality, but yeah, SC tends to revamp and discontinue items every so often.  Sometimes, you can pick up a few at Sephora Kohl's .  I haven't tried this but Paula's Choice Mini Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid Exfoliant 1 oz / 30 ml is a lower concentration lactic acid