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Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub for combination skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub

Average

  • HighCombination Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • ExcellentSafety

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 due to cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose, which aid in physical exfoliation and help manage oily shine. Glycerin provides humectant action, balancing cleansing with hydration.
  • The formula provides general cleansing benefits with Glycerin and Sodium Laureth Sulfate, supporting your combination skin's needs for oil control and hydration.
  • The product is safe for your combination skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing components like glycerin, posing no risk of irritation.

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

★4.4Overall rating based on 900+ reviews

This product is highly praised for its refreshing, cooling sensation and effective deep cleansing that leaves oily and combination skin feeling smooth and radiant. Users with sensitive or dry skin conditions report that frequent use can lead to over-drying, redness, and irritation.

Highlights

  • Effective deep cleaning Mostly Mentioned
    • “Does a decent job at keeping my oily skin clean.”
    • “Removed all the dirt and grime from my face with ease.”
    • “Great for removing all of my makeup.”
    • “My skin had become squeaky clean.”
  • Leaves skin smooth Often Mentioned
    • “Skin showed signs of becoming quite soft and smooth.”
    • “Looked just radiant and happy.”
    • “Clearing pores for smooth, purified skin.”
    • “Leaves skin feeling smooth and energized.”
  • Refreshing cooling sensation Often Mentioned
    • “Leaves your skin feeling cool, clean and fresh!”
    • “Quite minty and makes your skin feel tingly after use.”
    • “The cooling lather has a refreshing and relaxing feel.”
    • “Left with energized clean skin at the start of my day.”
  • Gentle daily exfoliation Sometimes Noted
    • “Tiny little beads that lightly exfoliate your skin.”
    • “Gentle texture that doesn't feel irritating.”
    • “Beads are great... but is still gentle on my skin.”
    • “Gently buff away rough skin patches.”
  • Causes dryness Sometimes Noted
    • “Slightly drying skin after washing.”
    • “Can strip the skin's natural moisture if used daily.”
    • “Left my face feeling a bit tight and dry.”
    • “Need to use a good moisturizer afterwards.”
  • Harsh ingredients Rarely Noted
    • “Contains sulfates which I try to avoid.”
    • “Has parabens and artificial fragrances.”
    • “Wish it didn't have sodium laureth sulfate.”
    • “Not a fan of the synthetic ingredients.”
  • Irritating if overused Rarely Noted
    • “Using it too often would leave my skin red.”
    • “Felt irritated and itchy when used more than twice a week.”
    • “A bit too harsh for my sensitive skin.”
    • “The menthol can be irritating around the eyes.”

Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, beautyheaven.com.au, healthylife.com.au, reviewstream.com, chickadvisor.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does the Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub work for combination skin?

Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub works for combination skin by offering moderate exfoliation and oil control while glycerin balances cleansing with hydration. It is safe for this skin type, though products that fit combination skin better need to effectively balance oil production and maintain hydration with high-quality ingredients, address both oily and dry areas, and pose no risk of irritation.

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for combination skin?

Salicylic acid, cellulose, and glycerin make this exfoliant a good fit by providing physical exfoliation, helping manage oily shine, and balancing cleansing with hydration. Combination skin of this type needs products that are exceptionally safe, effectively balance oil production, and maintain hydration with barrier-repairing ingredients to address both oily and dry areas.

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

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 Menthol do for combination skin?

Menthol helps cool combination skin and may calm itchy feelings. It gives a refreshing sensation, but because it can sometimes dry out certain areas, it is unlikely to suit flaky or sensitive spots without extra moisture.

Neuroscience Letters, 1995The British Journal of Dermatology, 2024

Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for combination skin?

This exfoliant fits into a combination skin routine once a week to help manage oily shine while providing moderate exfoliation. To work better for this skin, an exfoliant of this type needs gentle physical and chemical exfoliators combined with hydrating ingredients like glycerin.

Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?

You should use this exfoliant on a different day or at a different time than your retinol to keep your skin from becoming too dry or irritated. To fit combination skin well, an exfoliant of this type needs gentle exfoliating ingredients alongside hydrating components that keep the skin soft and balanced without causing irritation.

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

How often should I use this exfoliant?

Start by 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. A product of this type needs gentle exfoliating ingredients and hydrating components to manage oily shine while keeping your skin balanced and smooth.

Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for combination skin?

This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on combination skin. The formula helps manage oily shine while glycerol helps keep skin hydrated, though it still needs a gentle cleanser and non-drying ingredients to fully care for this skin type without causing dryness.

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Bacterial cellulose membranes with and without glycerin showed good skin compatibility and no barrier disruption in human subjects compared to a negative control, with glycerin-containing membranes additionally providing a statistically significant skin moisturizing effect (p=0.044).

    European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 2014

  • 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, 2017

  • Bacterial cellulose masks incorporated with vegetable extract increased skin hydration by 76% in 75% of volunteers, while propolis extract decreased hydration by 32.6% in 80% of volunteers, demonstrating effectiveness for skincare applications.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018

  • Cryotherapy 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, 2010

  • A 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, 2020

  • Treatment 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, 2024

  • Coadministration of 40% topical L-menthol with 10% trans-cinnamaldehyde reduced spontaneous pain intensity, neurogenic inflammation, primary and secondary mechanical hyperalgesia, and heat hyperalgesia, but not cold hyperalgesia, in 14 healthy volunteers.

    The Journal of Pain, 2016

  • Topical application of menthol-based cooling gel decreased intramuscular temperature by 1.9 °C and increased cutaneous blood flow by 0.3 ml/min in healthy males compared to placebo gel.

    International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2018

  • Cooling skin temperature or applying topical menthol reduced histamine-induced itch intensity and flare diameters in healthy male volunteers.

    Neuroscience Letters, 1995

  • The 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, 2020

  • Ten 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, 2001

  • Niacinamide/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, 2012

  • Sodium 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

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cellulose, Lauryl Glucoside, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Wax, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthol, Disodium Edta, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Ultramarines, Blue 1

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

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Prices checked 10 Oct 2026

The Lovi Fit is the same in every country; only the stores and prices differ, and the ones here are for Canada.

How does it fit your skin?

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