Adapalene and salicylic acid
Keep them apart
Use adapalene and salicylic acid on alternate nights, applying salicylic acid one night and adapalene the next, because combining them causes irritation. Using both at once causes redness, peeling, and dryness because they work too intensely together. You can fix this by using a gentler strength or leaving more nights between the two products.
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Adapalene products
- Differin Gel
- Galderma Epiduo Gel
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment
Salicylic acid products
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Paula's Choice
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
A$54.00
-
Medicube
Zero Pore Pad
A$29.90
-
CeraVe
Renewing SA Cleanser
A$23.99
-
Dermalogica
Daily Microfoliant
A$179.95
-
The Ordinary
Salicylic Acid 2% Solution
A$10.70
-
Mario Badescu
Drying Lotion
A$50.81
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
-
The Ordinary
AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
A$22.98
-
Paula's Choice
10% Azelaic Acid Booster
A$64.00
-
CeraVe
SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
A$16.99
- COSRX BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
-
Hero Cosmetics
Mighty Patch
A$9.99
Questions and answers
Can you use adapalene and salicylic acid together?
You should keep adapalene and salicylic acid apart and avoid combining them in the same routine. Layering both ingredients may cause irritation or peeling because they both enhance cell turnover. Instead, alternate them by day, such as using salicylic acid in the morning or every other night and applying adapalene on alternate nights.
Which goes first, adapalene or salicylic acid?
Keep adapalene and salicylic acid apart by using them in separate routines, such as applying salicylic acid in the morning or every other night and adapalene on alternate nights. Layering both in the same routine enhances cell turnover, which may cause irritation or peeling.
Are adapalene and salicylic acid good for sensitive skin?
Keep adapalene and salicylic acid apart because combining them in the same routine may cause irritation or peeling. You can alternate them by day instead, such as using salicylic acid in the morning and adapalene on alternate nights.
Research on adapalene and salicylic acid
Behind this pairing advice
Lovi checks every pairing 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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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