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Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 for combination skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2

Average

  • AverageCombination Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for combination skin; other toners fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with combination skin: an oily T-zone, enlarged pores, and dry cheeks. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.

Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works

Lovi Assistant explains

  • Offers moderate exfoliation for your combination skin due to salicylic acid, which helps decongest pores, while glycerin provides humectant action.
  • The formula provides general cleansing and hydration benefits suitable for oily shine, though it is not specialized for targeting excess oil.
  • The product is safe for your combination skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.

How to apply

  • Use your exfoliating toner during your PM routine. Start once a week and slowly build up if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply your exfoliating toner right after cleansing and before your favorite moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the exfoliating toner on clean and completely dry skin to get the best results for your combination skin.
  • Always avoid the sensitive eye area and wear daily SPF to protect your skin.

People Say

★4.5Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviews

Based on a very large amount of data, users with dry combination skin generally praise this lotion for its ability to remove dull flakes and residual grime, leaving skin feeling "squeaky clean" and prepped for moisturizer. A significant portion of reviewers find the high alcohol content polarizing, with some experiencing stinging, redness, and excessive dryness, particularly those with sensitive skin conditions.

Highlights

  • Effective exfoliation Mostly Mentioned
    • “You will see the dirt with one wipe”
    • “sweeps away dulling flakes”
    • “cotton pad is always dirty after use”
  • Strong alcohol smell Mostly Mentioned
    • “Smells like nail polish remover”
    • “pungent scent of alcohol”
    • “fumes make my eyes water”
  • Clean and fresh Often Mentioned
    • “Skin feels squeaky clean”
    • “refreshing tingle”
    • “feels forcefully cleansed”
  • Drying and stripping Often Mentioned
    • “Made my skin super dry”
    • “stripped all the oil”
    • “left my face feeling tight”
  • Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
    • “Skin looks smoother and even-toned”
    • “leaves face soft”
    • “restores radiance to dull skin”
  • Preps for moisturizer Sometimes Noted
    • “Prepares skin perfectly for hydration”
    • “moisturizer sinks in better”
    • “clearing the way for lotion”
  • Irritation and stinging Sometimes Noted
    • “Face stung and became red”
    • “skin felt angry for hours”
    • “burning sensation immediately”
  • Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “My skin breaks out”
    • “caused irritation and bumps”
    • “made me oilier and break out”

Sources: lovi.care, sephora.sg, sephora.co.nz, ulta.com, clinique.com, beautyontrial.co.uk, and more

Questions and answers

How well does Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 work for combination skin?

Clinique Clinique Clarifying Lotion 2 works moderately well for your combination skin, offering gentle exfoliation and hydration that helps clear pores while keeping skin comfortable. To best fit combination skin, a product of this type needs a balanced mix of exfoliating acids like AHA, BHA, and PHA alongside hydrating ingredients and niacinamide to smooth texture and manage oily shine without causing irritation or dryness.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for combination skin?

Salicylic acid makes this toner a good fit by helping clear out pores, while glycerin keeps your skin hydrated. Because combination skin has both oily and dry areas, a product of this type needs a balanced mix of exfoliating acids, soothing ingredients, and hydrating components to smooth texture and control shine without causing dryness.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

What does Salicylic Acid do for combination skin?

Salicylic acid helps clear clogged pores and balance oily areas while remaining gentle enough for dry spots on combination skin. It reduces breakouts and oiliness effectively with a low likelihood of irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

What does Glycolic Acid do for combination skin?

Glycolic acid helps smooth and brighten combination skin by gently loosening dead surface cells to speed up skin renewal. This ingredient is unlikely to cause irritation when used properly, but it needs a reliable sunscreen during the day since it makes skin more sensitive to the sun.

Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1995Archives of Dermatological Research, 1997

Where does this toner go in a skincare routine for combination skin?

This exfoliating toner goes in the evening routine after cleansing, or during weekly steps starting at once a week for safe adaptation. Combination skin generally benefits from an exfoliating toner that clears pores and balances oil with ingredients like salicylic acid and glycerin.

Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this toner with retinol by applying it after cleansing and before your retinol treatment. Because it is gentle and provides moderate exfoliation, it is unlikely to irritate your combination skin when used properly in your routine.

How often should I use this toner?

Start using this exfoliating toner once a week, and if your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. Combination skin needs gentle exfoliating acids and hydrating ingredients that clear pores while keeping skin soft and balanced.

Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?

This toner is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for combination skin because salicylic acid helps clear out dirt from pores. However, reviewers do sometimes mention breakouts, and an exfoliating toner may cause mild purging when you first start using it.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

Is this toner fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).

What the research says

  • A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

    Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Hamamelis bark proanthocyanidins strongly increased the proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes and reduced transepidermal water loss and erythema formation in SLS-irritated skin, whereas the polysaccharide fraction had no effect.

    Phytochemistry, 2001

  • Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen achieved a higher cure rate (39%) than salicylic acid (24%) and a wait-and-see approach (16%) for cutaneous warts at 13 weeks in primary care patients.

    CMAJ, 2010

  • A moisturizer containing licochalcone A, 1,2-decanediol, L-carnitine, and salicylic acid significantly reduced noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total acne lesion counts compared to a vehicle control in Thai patients during a 12-week maintenance phase.

    BioMed Research International, 2020

  • Treatment with 2% supramolecular salicylic acid hydrogel resulted in a regression and markedly improvement rate of 51.01% compared to 43.10% for Adapaline gel in patients with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris, showing no significant difference in efficacy.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.

    International Journal of Dermatology, 2000

  • Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.

    Dermatologic Surgery, 2017

  • A Hamamelis virginiana leaf extract increased LOXL1 expression twofold, decreased elafin synthesis, restored functional elastic fibers, reduced nonfunctional elastin aggregates, decreased wrinkles, and improved skin firmness.

    Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2018

  • Witch hazel bark extract and hamamelitannin showed pronounced anti-inflammatory activity, supported keratinocyte migration in a wound healing assay, and inhibited Staphylococcus aureus growth, whereas their skin microbiota metabolite ellagic acid stimulated inflammatory mediator release.

    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2025

  • Hamamelis virginiana bark extract inhibited Cutibacterium acnes-induced IL-6 release and TNF-α-induced IL-8 release in human keratinocytes without showing antibacterial or antibiofilm activities.

    Antioxidants, 2022

  • A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.

    Clinical Pharmacology, 2018

  • Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.

    Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018

  • Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.

    Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010

  • Application of a cream containing lactic acid 12% and pramoxine HCl 1% significantly improved skin dryness, hydration, and itch compared with a nontreated control in 24 women with a history of dry itchy skin.

    Cutis, 2004

  • Topical 12% ammonium lactate produced a significant sparing of epidermal and dermal atrophy induced by clobetasol propionate in human volunteers, without influencing the corticosteroid's bioavailability or antiinflammatory properties.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1992

  • A lactic acid/ceramide lotion significantly improved skin moisturization and desquamation compared to no treatment in women with dry, rough skin on the anterior shins.

    The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2020

Why other toners fit combination skin better

Ingredients

Water, Alcohol Denat, Glycerin, Witch Hazel Extract, Salicylic Acid, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Trehalose, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Red 33 Ci 17200, Ext, Violet 2

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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