The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser for oily acne-prone skin
Decyl Glucoside
Coco Glucoside
Tocopherol
Phytic Acid
Xanthan Gum
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few cleansers fit it even 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
- Highly suitable for your oily skin, this cleanser utilizes decyl glucoside and coco glucoside to effectively cleanse pores and provide mild degreasing without stripping your skin.
- The presence of tocopherol offers antioxidant benefits, contributing to overall skin health.
- This formula is safe for your skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing components.
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
★4.4Overall rating based on 3.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users consistently describe this cleanser as a gentle, effective option for daily use that cleanses without stripping the moisture barrier, making it particularly popular among those with sensitive, oily, and combination skin. While many praise its affordability and non-irritating formula, a significant number of reviewers dislike its runny, "snot-like" texture and note that it struggles to remove heavy makeup on its own.
Highlights
Gentle and non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels clean not tight”
- “doesn't strip my barrier”
- “very gentle on sensitive skin”
- “leaves face soft”
Affordable price point Often Mentioned
- “great value for money”
- “can't beat the price”
- “budget friendly staple”
- “good size for cost”
Great for sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “no irritation or redness”
- “perfect for reactive skin”
- “didn't break me out”
- “safe for acne-prone”
Runny, slime-like texture Often Mentioned
- “consistency like snot”
- “too liquidy and spills”
- “hard to control amount”
- “slips off hands”
Effective second cleanse Sometimes Noted
- “perfect after cleansing balm”
- “removes residue well”
- “great morning cleanser”
- “good for double cleansing”
Fragrance-free formula Sometimes Noted
- “no strong perfume”
- “great it has no scent”
- “doesn't sting eyes”
- “good for fragrance sensitivity”
Poor makeup removal Sometimes Noted
- “struggles with mascara”
- “doesn't remove foundation”
- “need a separate remover”
- “not for heavy makeup”
Unpleasant chemical scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like chemicals”
- “weird plastic smell”
- “scent is off-putting”
- “has a funk to it”
Drying for some Rarely Noted
- “left skin feeling tight”
- “too drying for dry skin”
- “caused dry patches”
- “stripped my skin”
Messy packaging Rarely Noted
- “leaks from the cap”
- “dispenses too much”
- “cap gets messy”
- “product runs out tube”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, theordinary.com, influenster.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is a great fit because it uses decyl glucoside and coco glucoside to effectively clean pores and provide mild degreasing without stripping your oily skin. It also contains tocopherol for antioxidant benefits and avoids harsh ingredients to keep your skin safe and calm.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is a great fit for your oily acne-prone skin because it uses decyl glucoside and coco glucoside to clean out pores and remove excess oil without stripping your skin. It also includes tocopherol for antioxidant benefits to help keep your skin healthy, while avoiding harsh ingredients that could cause irritation.
What does Decyl Glucoside do for oily acne-prone skin?
Decyl glucoside helps cleanse oily acne-prone skin gently without harming the outer skin layer or causing extra irritation. Surfactants of this type are unlikely to disrupt skin barrier function when they feature safe structures and mild cleansing properties.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2009European Journal of Dermatology, 2015
What does Coco Glucoside do for oily acne-prone skin?
Coco Glucoside is a very gentle cleanser that helps wash away excess oil and dirt from acne-prone skin without stripping away essential moisture. Cleansers formulated with mild ingredients like this are unlikely to dry out your face or damage your skin barrier while you clean.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the main step to wash your face. It gently cleans pores and removes excess oil without stripping your skin.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by applying the cleanser first to clean your skin, and following with your retinol treatment afterwards. This gentle formula washes pores and removes oil without stripping your skin, helping you avoid the dryness and irritation sometimes caused by retinol.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine to effectively clean your pores and remove oil without stripping your skin. Using a mild cleanser daily helps improve overall skin health and supports a consistent skincare routine.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is a great fit because its gentle cleansers wash out pores and take away extra oil without stripping your skin. It is very unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts since it avoids harsh ingredients and adds soothing components.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but you should take care around the thin skin of your eyes since facial cleansers can sometimes cause dryness there. Its gentle cleansers help wash away dirt without harshness, making it safe for overall use.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Coco-glucoside powered emulgels containing probiotics and prebiotics demonstrated stability without phase separation and preserved probiotic viability for up to 11 days, supporting the skin's natural barrier.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024L-ascorbic acid 10% plus phytic acid 2% serum significantly reduced the pigmentation index of solar lentigines compared to a vehicle control in 30 healthy subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2011Chemical peels using 35% glycolic acid, 20% salicylic-10% mandelic acid, and phytic acid reduce acne scores by 70.55%, 74.14%, and 69.7% respectively, and significantly decline the postacne hyperpigmentation index in Asian patients with mild to moderate acne.
Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2019A topical facial emulsion containing 10% glycolic acid, 2% phytic acid, and a soothing complex significantly improved skin hyperpigmentation, texture, and tone homogeneity from week 4 through week 12 in American female volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin types II-VI.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Biodegradable wound dressings functionalized with silver nanoparticles showed >99% pathogen growth inhibition, bactericidal effects, free radical scavenging, reduced inflammatory response in macrophages, and accelerated wound healing in animals.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022A topical xanthan gum nanogel containing gamma-oryzanol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers and nanosized TiO2 and MBBT filters demonstrated high photoprotection with an SPF of 34 and no skin irritation or sensitization in a rat model.
Pharmaceuticals, 2023Dense chitosan-xanthan membranes associated with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells accelerated wound healing in Wistar rats compared to untreated conditions, demonstrating safety and feasibility for dermo-epidermal wound treatment.
Journal of Biomaterials Applications, 2015
Ingredients
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Phytic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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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