Equate Blackhead Clearing Scrub for combination skin
Salicylic Acid
Oil-Free Formula
Average
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for combination skin; other exfoliants 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, as salicylic acid gently unclogs pores and addresses oily shine. However, the formula lacks sufficient humectants to adequately hydrate drier areas of your combination skin.
- The absence of harsh ingredients ensures a safe experience for your combination skin, minimizing irritation risks.
- This scrub provides effective pore decongestion and helps manage oily shine without posing safety concerns for your skin.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product in your PM routine starting once a week, then increase frequency carefully if your skin feels fine.
- Apply this exfoliant step after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and wait a minute before layering.
- Apply the exfoliant to clean, dry skin to help control your oily shine comfortably.
- Avoid the eye area and do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 800+ reviewsThis scrub is highly praised for its ability to clear pores, remove excess oil, and manage breakouts using 2% salicylic acid. While it is effective for many, some users with sensitive or dry skin find the physical exfoliation too harsh, occasionally leading to irritation or dryness.
Highlights
Affordable price Mostly Mentioned
- “Great value for price”
- “Did not cost much”
- “Budget-friendly price”
Clears breakouts Often Mentioned
- “Clears up acne”
- “Keeps breakouts away”
- “Treats and clears breakouts”
Effective cleansing Often Mentioned
- “Cleans pores effectively”
- “Removes dirt and oils”
- “Deeply cleanses pores”
Smoother skin Sometimes Noted
- “Achieve softer complexion”
- “Kept my skin smooth”
- “Improves skin appearance”
Causes irritation Sometimes Noted
- “Causes minor irritant”
- “Not good for sensitive skin”
- “Causes rashes”
Too harsh/abrasive Sometimes Noted
- “A little harsh”
- “Skin became painful”
- “Too abrasive”
Drying effect Rarely Noted
- “Leading to further dryness”
- “Tended to dry out skin”
- “Over-drying”
No visible results Rarely Noted
- “Witnessed no change”
- “Failed to make a difference”
- “No results”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, ubuy.sn, ebay.com, reviewstream.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Equate Blackhead Clearing Scrub work for combination skin?
This scrub is an average fit for combination skin because it helps clear pores and manage oily shine, but it lacks enough hydrating ingredients to properly care for your drier areas. A product for this skin needs a balanced formula that provides both gentle exfoliation and enough hydration to keep all areas soft and smooth.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin?
Salicylic acid makes this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin by gently clearing out pores and managing oily shine. An exfoliant for this skin type needs a balance of gentle exfoliating acids and hydrating ingredients to keep dry areas comfortable while controlling oil.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
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 Oil-Free Formula do for combination skin?
An oil-free formula helps manage combination skin by keeping oily areas clear without making dry patches feel tight or stripped. This type of product works best when it balances lightweight hydration with gentle cleansing to support the skin barrier across different facial zones.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for combination skin?
This scrub works for your combination skin by unclogging pores and managing oily shine, though it needs more hydrating ingredients to properly care for your drier areas. It fits best into a weekly routine to gently refresh your skin without causing irritation.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
Using this scrub with retinol may easily dry out or irritate your combination skin, so it is best to use them on different days or times. Because your skin has both oily and dry areas, a product for this skin needs gentle exfoliating ingredients like salicylic acid alongside plenty of hydrating ingredients to keep drier spots soft and comfortable.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant once a week, and if your combination skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often. Salicylic acid helps unclog pores and manage oily shine, but a product for this skin also needs plenty of hydrating ingredients to care for drier areas.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?
This scrub helps clear pores and manages oily shine on combination skin, but it is unlikely to clog pores since it contains salicylic acid and an oil-free formula. However, because it lacks sufficient hydrating ingredients, a product of this type used on combination skin needs added moisturizers to keep drier areas soft and comfortable.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
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, 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 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, 2020Cryotherapy 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, 2010Treatment 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, 2024Topical 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid achieved the greatest lesion reduction at early 2 to 4 week time points compared to benzoyl peroxide, clindamycin, and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, while 5% benzoyl peroxide plus salicylic acid and combination benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin showed similar efficacy at 10 to 12 weeks in acne patients.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2010
Ingredients
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyethylene, Salicylic Acid, Glycol Distearate, Peg-12 Dimethicone, Xanthan Gum, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Tetrasodium Edta, Menthol, Sodium Hydroxide, Blue 1, Ci 16035
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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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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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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