Differin Daily Deep Cleanser for oily acne-prone skin
Benzoyl Peroxide
Glycerin
Carbomer
Lauryl Methacrylate Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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 cleansing for your oily skin due to sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate effectively clearing pores, while benzoyl peroxide targets acne and inflammation.
- The presence of benzoyl peroxide provides antimicrobial action suitable for acne, though additional humectants like glycerin could better balance potential dryness for oily skin.
- The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it daily to help clear your breakouts.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in the morning and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow it with your toner and moisturizer.
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help clean deeply and remove excess oil. This works best for oily skin types.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 16.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users widely praise this cleanser as a "holy grail" for managing acne-prone and sensitive skin, noting that its 5% benzoyl peroxide formula effectively clears hormonal and cystic breakouts without the extreme irritation often associated with stronger treatments. While most find it surprisingly gentle and non-stripping, a minority of users experience dryness or peeling, and many warn that the product will permanently bleach towels and clothing.
Highlights
Gentle on sensitive skin Mostly Mentioned
- “Non-irritating formula”
- “Suitable for daily use”
- “Less harsh than 10% BP”
- “Doesn't burn”
- “Great for reactive skin”
Bleaches fabrics Mostly Mentioned
- “Ruins colored towels”
- “Stains pillowcases”
- “Bleaches shirts”
- “Spots on bathmats”
- “Discolors pajamas”
Effective acne treatment Often Mentioned
- “Clears cystic acne”
- “Reduces hormonal breakouts”
- “Prevents maskne”
- “Shrinks pimples quickly”
- “Maintains clear skin”
Non-stripping/drying Often Mentioned
- “Leaves skin soft”
- “Doesn't feel tight”
- “Retains moisture”
- “Less drying than PanOxyl”
- “Comfortable after washing”
Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “Smooths roughness”
- “Reduces redness”
- “Makes skin glow”
- “Helps with bumps”
- “Evens skin tone”
Drying for some Sometimes Noted
- “Causes peeling”
- “Dry patches”
- “Skin feels tight”
- “Requires heavy moisturizer”
- “Irritated moisture barrier”
Runny consistency Sometimes Noted
- “Watery texture”
- “Spills easily”
- “Doesn't foam much”
- “Slips off hands”
- “Tube dispenses too fast”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Chemical smell”
- “Smells like bleach”
- “Medicinal odor”
- “Weird fragrance”
- “Strong scent”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, walmart.com, iherb.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Differin Daily Deep Cleanser work for oily acne-prone skin?
Differin Daily Deep Cleanser works moderately well for oily acne-prone skin because benzoyl peroxide helps target acne and inflammation, though it could use more hydrating agents to better balance potential dryness. A cleanser for this skin type needs soothing and effective ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, probiotics, or salicylic acid to balance oil production and keep the skin clear without causing excess dryness or irritation.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works for your oily acne-prone skin because benzoyl peroxide targets acne and sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate clears pores. To fit this skin type best, a cleanser of this type needs soothing ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or probiotics along with extra hydrating agents to prevent dryness.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021
What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for oily acne-prone skin?
Benzoyl peroxide helps improve oily, acne-prone skin by reducing both inflamed and noninflamed breakouts. It works effectively to clear pimples, though it may occasionally cause skin dryness or irritation for some users.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser goes as the first step in your morning routine and the second step in your evening routine after makeup removal. Benzoyl peroxide helps clear pores and target acne, though this skin type needs extra hydrating ingredients like glycerin to balance potential dryness.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in a routine that includes retinol, but because it contains benzoyl peroxide, it may dry out your skin. To keep your skin soft and balanced, this skin type needs a cleanser that also includes soothing moisture-locking ingredients like glycerin.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine to help clear pores and target acne, though oily skin of this type needs added hydrating ingredients to prevent potential dryness.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores for oily acne-prone skin, as it contains benzoyl peroxide to target breakouts and clear pores. However, it may cause dryness for some people, so an oily skin type needs a routine with extra hydrating ingredients like glycerin to balance that dryness.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser works for oily acne-prone skin, but an average fit for this skin type needs extra hydrating ingredients like glycerin to keep skin balanced while clearing pores and targeting breakouts.
What the research says
Topical benzoyl peroxide may improve acne more effectively than placebo or no treatment, while showing little to no difference compared with adapalene or clindamycin, but with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects compared to placebo.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022Preoperative treatment with benzoyl peroxide significantly decreases the bacterial skin load of Cutibacterium acnes in patients undergoing elective shoulder surgery from skin incision until wound closure compared to preparation with soap.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021Pranoprofen-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers dispersed in Carbomer 940 and Sepigel 305 gels provided sustained drug release and demonstrated anti-inflammatory efficacy in animal models without causing skin irritation or altering biophysical properties in humans.
Gels, 2023Twice 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, 2024Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel achieved significantly greater treatment success and lesion reductions compared to vehicle in participants with moderate-to-severe acne.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023Daily application of adapalene 0.3%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel reduced and prevented atrophic acne scar formation, achieving a total scar count change of -15.5% versus +14.4% for vehicle over 24 weeks in 67 subjects with moderate or severe facial acne.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2018A 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, 2017The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Topical chloramphenicol-betamethasone combined with sodium hyaluronate/trehalose/carbomer gel compared to chloramphenicol-betamethasone alone reduced most subjective symptoms at 1 week but increased blurred vision at 4 weeks following strabismus surgery in 31 patients, with no significant differences in conjunctival inflammation between treatments.
Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2019Incorporating nanoemulsions into hydrogels with increasing Carbopol 934 proportions from 1% to 3% progressively decreased the percutaneous flux rates of terbinafine and citral, increased drug accumulation in the stratum corneum while decreasing it in the epidermis/dermis compared to nanoemulsions alone, and shifted delivery routes from skin appendages to intercellular paths.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2016Topical liquiritin carbomer gel treatment restored skin barrier function, increased barrier proteins and antioxidant enzymes, and decreased inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in a mouse model of glucocorticoid-induced skin inflammation.
Pharmaceutics, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Benzoyl Peroxide, Carbomer, Glycerin, Lauryl Methacrylate Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Hydroxide
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.
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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