Neutrogena Oil Balancing Facial Wash for acne-prone skin
Citrus Aurantifolia
Aloe Barbadensis
Salicylic Acid
Glycerin
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Average
- HighCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 combination skin, as salicylic acid helps to clear pores while glycerin provides essential hydration. Citrus extracts offer additional benefits by helping to balance oil production.
- This formulation is generally safe for your acne-prone skin, with glycerin and the absence of harsh ingredients minimizing irritation potential.
- While supportive for your skin type and concerns, the cleansing and mild exfoliation provided are not specifically targeted to address your primary issues of acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it.
- This cleanser is the first step in your morning routine and the second step after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Always follow up with a toner and moisturizer .
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face in circular motions. Avoid harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it work effectively against breakouts. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water .
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 600+ reviewsThis facial wash is highly effective for oily and acne-prone skin, with many users noting a significant reduction in shine and improved skin texture. While it is praised for leaving skin feeling clean and refreshed, those with sensitive or dry skin should use it cautiously as it can occasionally cause tightness or irritation.
Highlights
Controls excess oil Mostly Mentioned
- “Less shiny throughout the day”
- “tackling the oiliness”
- “balances my skin's oils”
Effective cleansing Often Mentioned
- “Cleanses thoroughly”
- “removes dirt and oil”
- “does a great job”
Refreshing, clean feel Often Mentioned
- “Leaves skin feeling clean”
- “refreshed without tightness”
- “clearer complexion”
Pleasant lime scent Sometimes Noted
- “Light and refreshing scent”
- “smells really lovely”
- “pleasant, subtle lime scent”
Can be drying Sometimes Noted
- “Slightly drying”
- “made my skin tight”
- “need to use moisturizer after”
Potential irritation Rarely Noted
- “Caused facial burns”
- “burned my eyes”
- “too strong for sensitive skin”
Price concerns Rarely Noted
- “More expensive than others”
- “don't know the reason for price”
Sources: lovi.care, ebay.com, lemon8-app.com, neutrogena.co.uk, superdrug.com, walmart.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Neutrogena Oil Balancing Facial Wash work for acne-prone skin?
Neutrogena Oil Balancing Facial Wash is an average fit for your acne-prone skin, providing moderate cleansing and mild exfoliation that help keep pores clear without causing irritation. However, it is not specifically targeted to address acne, blemishes, and breakouts. A cleanser of this type needs powerful ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or hyaluronic acid, along with soothing agents to properly tackle breakouts while keeping your skin calm and balanced.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for acne-prone skin?
Salicylic acid and glycerin make this cleanser a good fit for your acne-prone skin by helping to clear pores while keeping your face comfortably hydrated. To work best for this skin type, a cleanser of this type needs powerful ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides, along with barrier-repairing agents that effectively address acne and blemishes without irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Lime do for acne-prone skin?
Lime is unlikely to help acne-prone skin and may cause a painful rash when exposed to sunlight. To properly care for acne-prone skin, a product needs soothing anti-inflammatory ingredients and gentle antimicrobial agents that do not trigger sun sensitivity.
What does Aloe Vera do for acne-prone skin?
Aloe vera helps calm acne-prone skin by reducing redness, swelling, and the number of blemishes. It works well to soothe irritated areas while keeping the skin smooth and comfortable.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser fits into your morning and evening routine as the first cleansing step. Acne-prone skin needs a cleanser with stronger blemish-fighting ingredients and targeted acne treatments to better manage breakouts.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by applying the cleanser first, followed by your retinol treatment in your routine. Cleansing helps prepare your skin, while gentle ingredients like glycerin may help minimize potential irritation from retinol.
How often should I use it?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine. It provides moderate cleansing and gentle exfoliation, but acne-prone skin often needs a product specifically targeted to address blemishes and breakouts.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for your acne-prone skin, as salicylic acid helps to clear pores and glycerin provides hydration without irritation. However, because it is only moderately targeted for breakouts, a cleanser for this skin needs stronger blemish-clearing ingredients like higher-strength salicylic acid or targeted acne-fighting actives.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser works fine for the skin on your body, but the thin skin around your eyes may feel dry and irritated from the salicylic acid.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (parfum).
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, 2017Twice 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, 2024The use of a salicylic acid-based dermocosmetic significantly reduces the needed quantity of benzoyl peroxide without impacting efficacy in mild to moderate acne, and as maintenance post-benzoyl peroxide allows a significant reduction of acne relapse compared to vehicle.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023A 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, 2018Topical 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, 2018Topical 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, 2010Cryotherapy 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, 2010A 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, 2020Treatment 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, 2024The 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, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment decreases lipid membrane chain conformational order and stiffness leading to increased water sorption and diffusivity, whereas sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) treatment increases lipid membrane conformational order and stiffness with increased water sorption capacity driven by its hygroscopic nature.
Langmuir, 2014
Why other cleansers fit acne-prone skin better
Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Polysorbate 20, Salicylic Acid, Citrus Aurantifolia Fruit Extract, Tangerine Extract, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Chloride, Disodium Edta, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Parfum, Ci 15985, Ci 42090
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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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. Sofía Perea Pérez, 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
How does it fit your skin?
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