In 1873, in Calcutta, a physician named G. C. Roy published a paper called The Solvent Action of Papaya Juice on Nitrogenous Articles of Food in the Calcutta Medical Journal. It is considered the first study of papain, the enzyme in papaya that breaks down protein. Wurtz and Bouchut gave it the name papain in 1879, and in 1968 it became the second enzyme whose structure was solved by X-ray crystallography. I love that a fruit enzyme took nearly a century to get its full portrait. It is also the quiet ingredient in a bathroom classic.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is a rice-based powder. Dermalogica's page describes it as rich in AHAs and activated by water, releasing papain, salicylic acid and rice bran. The brand says the papain and salicylic acid work on surface cells, phytic acid from the rice bran brightens, and colloidal oatmeal and allantoin soothe. The powder came from a trip: in 1999 Jane Wurwand ended a work trip in Japan at an onsen in Hakone, and a dinner with a Parmesan shaker gave her the packaging idea. It launched in 2001 and, according to ELLE Canada, the formula is reported unchanged and is now the brand's number-one seller.

The trick is to see it as a family, not a single jar. Daily Microfoliant is the original. Daily Superfoliant swaps in charcoal and niacinamide and is meant for normal, combination and oily skin, per the brand, and Daily Milkfoliant is the oat-based, coconut-milk version, which the brand says is for all skin types. The Multivitamin Thermafoliant is the treatment-style exfoliator, the Daily Glycolic Cleanser and the Skin Resurfacing Cleanser bring exfoliation into a wash, and the PowerBright Dark Spot Peel and the Phyto Nature E² Exosome Leave-On Serum are the treatments, not the daily habit.

Here is how I would use the powder: wet your hands, tip a small amount into your palm, add a little water, work it into a paste and massage it gently over a damp face. Rinse well. Then move straight on to the next step, because the next step is what makes exfoliation comfortable.

Start with the cleanser. The PreCleanse Cleansing Oil is for melting off sunscreen and makeup first, and the Special Cleansing Gel is a sulfate-free foaming gel for the second pass, which makes the powder feel like a third step rather than the whole routine.

Then the moisturizer. Intensive Moisture Balance and Active Moist are the two I would look at for daily use. Skin Smoothing Cream and Multivitamin Power Recovery Cream are the ones I would keep for nights when skin feels overdone, and Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF50 is the daytime one, which matters because the American Academy of Dermatology says to follow exfoliation with moisturizer. The Sound Sleep Cocoon is a gel-cream for bedtime.

A pairing I like: the powder at night, a gel-cream after, and sunscreen the next day. That is the whole routine.

What I would skip: the powder the day after a sunburn, or over any cuts. The AAD says not to exfoliate on either.

A habit worth borrowing before trying any new powder: patch-test it on your jaw for two or three days. Papain is a papaya enzyme, and papaya latex allergies are a known cross-reaction, so it is worth being careful with anything enzyme-based.

Tatcha's The Rice Polish is the closest cousin, a foaming enzyme powder made from Japanese rice bran and papaya enzyme. Use half a teaspoon and massage for about fifteen seconds, and it comes in several versions. RANAVAT's Gentle Facial Polish uses rice powder and centella, and Dr. Barbara Sturm makes an Enzyme Cleanser for people who want the same idea in a cleanser.

Sephora Collection's CLEAR & PURIFY Active Powder pairs mandelic acid and ectoin, and Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing is a gentle enzyme cleanser. Josie Maran uses pineapple enzyme in a foaming gel, Youth To The People pairs papaya and vitamin C, and Glow Recipe's Papaya Sorbet is a cleansing balm that removes makeup while it smooths.

A pairing I like: an enzyme cleanser two or three nights a week, and nothing exfoliating on the other nights. The skin does the rest.

What I would skip: layering a powder and an acid toner on the same night. Choose one and switch the other to a different evening.

One rule for chemical exfoliants: start slowly. The AAD says dry, sensitive or acne-prone skin may prefer a mild chemical exfoliator over a scrub, and that people with darker skin tones or post-inflammatory dark spots should avoid strong exfoliation. Begin once a week and let the skin tell you.

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 1% BHA Gel Toner is made for sensitive skin, and Medik8 Press & Glow is a gentle daily PHA toner, PHA being the milder acid. EADEM's Cashmere Peel is a milky exfoliant and essence, and Kiehl's Daily Gentle Exfoliating Milk-Peel Toner is another soft option. Rejuran's Rebalancing Toner uses c-PDRN in a gentle exfoliating formula.

Sofie Pavitt Face makes a Mandelic Acid Exfoliating & Clearing Serum, Facile's The Buzz mixes AHA and BHA into a brightening treatment, and Caudalie's Vinoperfect Micropeel is a daily AHA. These are the ones for people who want smoothness without a scrub.

A pairing I like: a gentle toner on the nights you skip the powder. Alternate, rather than combine.

What I would skip: retinoids or benzoyl peroxide on the same night as any exfoliant. The AAD says to be careful combining them.

I think Daily Microfoliant deserves its place because it is gentle, easy to adjust and easy to skip when your skin says no. The word daily on the jar is a ceiling, not a target, and I would use it two or three nights a week, then look at my skin in daylight before deciding whether to add a fourth.

Follow it with a moisturizer, wear sunscreen, and see a dermatologist if your skin stays irritated or red. If you want a second exfoliant, add a gentle toner on the other nights, never on the same one. Roy had a paper and a papaya. You have a small jar and a little restraint. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together DRMTLGY Retinol Body Lotion.