The granules of the exfoliation are quite large so you may be getting a deeper exfoliation than your skin maybe needs. It is not painful whatsoever but it is definitely there. For combination skin, I think this exfoliator is definitely not a daily exfoliator but one you iss when you feel like your skin needs it. There is definitely the danger of over exfoliation with this product. It is not a product I would immediately repurchase.