La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Solution for oily acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Glycolic Acid
Niacinamide
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid
Zinc PcaHigh
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few products 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
- Offers excellent exfoliation for your oily skin, as glycolic acid and salicylic acid work to decongest pores and smooth texture, directly addressing your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The presence of capryloyl salicylic acid further aids in pore cleansing and oil regulation, enhancing the product's suitability for your specific concerns.
- This formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but before your final moisturizer step.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product directly onto clean, dry skin for the best results against breakouts.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and always use a daily SPF since exfoliating makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 2.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly regarded by users with oily, combination, and acne-prone skin for its ability to clear breakouts and unclog pores without causing excessive dryness. While most users find it leaves their skin smoother and refreshed, a small number with sensitive skin have reported experiencing irritation or purging. The packaging has also been noted as a minor issue by some users due to leaks.
Highlights
Clears breakouts Often Mentioned
- “helps keep my acne at bay”
- “effective at clearing acne and reducing breakouts”
- “noticed fewer breakouts”
- “helps reduce and clear breakouts”
Minimizes pores Often Mentioned
- “effective at unclogging pores”
- “helps remove dirt and impurities from pores”
- “can definitely feel my pores unclogging”
- “see a difference with my pores”
Gentle and non-drying Sometimes Noted
- “gentle yet effective salicylic toner”
- “does not dry your face out”
- “gently exfoliates without over-drying”
- “doesn't feel stripped”
Smoothes texture Sometimes Noted
- “works well to smooth your skin”
- “noticed clearer, smoother skin”
- “Leaves my face feeling fresh and smooth”
- “improved texture since using it”
Causes dryness Rarely Noted
- “can be a little bit drying”
- “occasional dryness”
- “if you're overusing the product you would experience a lot of drying”
Causes irritation Rarely Noted
- “burned above and around my eyes”
- “large red acne bumps appeared”
- “scaliness under one of my brows”
- “now i have a lot of pimples”
Leaky packaging Rarely Noted
- “every bottle I get of this stuff leaks”
- “half leaks out every time”
- “issues with packaging”
- “frustrating because I do pack it while I travel”
Sources: lovi.care, target.com, ulta.com, walmart.com, lovelyskin.com, dermstore.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Solution a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Solution is a great fit because glycolic acid and salicylic acid exfoliate oily skin to decongest pores and smooth texture, helping clear up breakouts. Capryloyl salicylic acid further cleanses pores and helps control oil, while the formula is very safe and unlikely to cause irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and capryloyl salicylic acid make this exfoliant a great fit because they clear out pores, manage oil, and smooth your skin. These ingredients help reduce breakouts and keep your skin calm and clear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
What does Salicylic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Salicylic acid helps clear breakouts and keeps oily skin balanced by reducing oil levels and calming inflammation. It is well suited for oily, acne-prone skin because it targets pimples while helping keep the skin hydrated and protected.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019
What does Glycolic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycolic acid helps clear acne-prone skin by reducing pimples and soothing breakouts. It exfoliates the surface to keep pores clear and leaves the skin feeling smooth.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019Dermatologic Surgery, 2014
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing. Lovi routines start exfoliating steps once a week, and people who tolerate them well and see good results can carefully use them more often.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant with retinol, but it is best to apply them on different nights or use the exfoliant in the morning and retinol at night to help prevent dryness and irritation. Using strong acids and retinoids together may be too harsh for oily skin, so introducing them slowly helps your skin stay smooth and calm.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024American Family Physician, 2012
How often should I use it?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your skin feels fine and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. This gentle approach helps your oily acne-prone skin adapt while avoiding irritation from active ingredients like salicylic and glycolic acids.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2003Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is a great fit because glycolic acid and salicylic acid work to decongest pores and smooth texture, helping to clear breakouts on oily skin. Capryloyl salicylic acid further aids in pore cleansing and oil regulation, and the formula has an excellent safety profile with a low likelihood of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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, 2020Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021A novel composition containing salicylic acid, capryloyl salicylic acid, HEPES, glycolic acid, citric acid, and dioic acid showed similar tolerance and efficacy compared with clindamycin 1% and benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in subjects with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2013Cryotherapy 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, 2010Repeated short-contact 70% glycolic acid peels provided superior results in atrophic acne scars compared to daily low-strength glycolic acid cream or placebo in 58 women over 24 weeks.
International Journal of Dermatology, 2000Serial glycolic acid peels combined with a modified Kligman formula significantly reduced facial PIH severity in Indian patients compared to the modified Kligman formula alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2017Topical post-laser application of human adipocyte-derived mesenchymal stem cell media combined with niacinamide significantly improved wrinkle index, melanin index, patient satisfaction, and investigator esthetic improvement scores compared to vehicle cream in patients with aging skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical nicotinamide prevented solar-simulated UV-induced immunosuppression in healthy volunteers, and men experienced immunosuppression at solar-simulated UV doses three times lower than those required for women.
The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 2008Topical 5% niacinamide applied twice daily for 12 weeks reduced fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmented spots, red blotchiness, and skin sallowness, and improved skin elasticity compared to vehicle control in 50 female white subjects with facial photoaging.
Dermatologic Surgery, 2005Capryloyl salicylic acid peel reduced fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation comparably to glycolic acid peel in 44 female volunteers, with no statistically significant differences between the two treatments.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2008Combining a salicylic acid and lipohydroxy acid facial serum and mask improved closed comedones and acne severity significantly more than serum alone in adults with acne over 8 weeks, with no adverse reactions reported.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Parity was demonstrated between an OTC BPO 5.5% formulation with lipohydroxy acid and tretinoin cream 0.025% versus prescription clindamycin 1%-BPO 5% gel and tretinoin cream 0.025% in participants with mild to moderate acne vulgaris at 12 weeks.
Cutis, 2012Zinc PCA inhibits UVA-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 production through suppressed AP-1 activation and enhances type I collagen synthesis by increasing SVCT2 mRNA expression in cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2012
Ingredients
Water, Alcohol Denat, Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Edta, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Zinc Pca, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.