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SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel for sensitive skin

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

SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel

Average

  • AverageNormal Skin Fit
  • AverageEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

Works for sensitive skin; other cleansers fit it better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 normal skin due to the keratolytic action of glycolic acid and salicylic acid, but it lacks sufficient hydrating ingredients to fully address your concerns of redness and irritation.
  • While the capryloyl salicylic acid provides excellent pore decongestion, the combination of exfoliating acids may pose risks due to their nature.
  • The formula is safe for your sensitive skin as it lacks prohibited or harsh ingredients, ensuring no risks of irritation.

How to apply

  • Use your cleanser in the AM and PM routines every day. Start using it daily since your sensitive skin needs gentle care.
  • Apply this first in your morning and evening skincare routine before toner and moisturizer. This clears away dirt without upsetting your skin.
  • Gently massage a small amount onto your face using soft circles. Avoid any rough rubbing to keep redness away.
  • Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it wash away impurities softly. Clean skin feels fresh and comfortable afterwards.
  • Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes and do a quick patch test before first use. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.

People Say

★4.6Overall rating based on 800+ reviews

This cleanser is widely celebrated by users with oily, acne-prone, and aging skin for its ability to deeply exfoliate and decongest pores using a blend of LHA, glycolic, and salicylic acids. While most users report clearer, smoother, and brighter skin, a minority find it too drying or experience an initial "purge" of breakouts.

Highlights

  • Deeply exfoliates Mostly Mentioned
    • “decongests clogged pores”
    • “refines skin surface”
    • “removes dead skin”
    • “deep clean feeling”
  • Clears acne Often Mentioned
    • “gets rid of blackheads”
    • “controls adult acne”
    • “breakouts appear reduced”
    • “keeps skin clear”
  • Controls oil Often Mentioned
    • “reduces oil”
    • “less oily throughout day”
    • “removes excess sebum”
    • “matte finish”
  • Refines texture Often Mentioned
    • “smoothes skin texture”
    • “skin feels soft”
    • “improves skin clarity”
    • “brightens complexion”
  • Refreshing feel Sometimes Noted
    • “cooling sensation”
    • “tingling feel”
    • “fresh citrus scent”
    • “feels invigorating”
  • Can be drying Sometimes Noted
    • “good but drying”
    • “felt tight after”
    • “stripped natural oils”
    • “too harsh for daily use”
  • High price point Sometimes Noted
    • “expensive”
    • “pricey for a wash”
    • “costly investment”
    • “wish it was cheaper”
  • Causes breakouts Rarely Noted
    • “broke me out”
    • “worsened acne initially”
    • “caused purging”
    • “irritated my skin”
  • Poor packaging Rarely Noted
    • “pours out too fast”
    • “hard to control amount”
    • “wastes product”
    • “leaks easily”

Sources: lovi.care, lovelyskin.com, bluemercury.com, skinceuticals.com, reddit.com, dermstore.com, and more

Questions and answers

How well does SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser Gel work for sensitive skin?

This cleanser works reasonably well for sensitive skin, but a product of this type needs soothing ingredients like amino acids and aloe to calm redness and irritation while keeping skin soft.

Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for sensitive skin?

Glycerin helps keep your skin comfortable while cleansing, though this cleanser needs soothing ingredients like amino acids and aloe to properly calm redness and irritation.

What does Lipo Hydroxy Acid do for sensitive skin?

Lipo Hydroxy Acid helps clear pores and smooth skin in a very gentle way, making it a good choice for sensitive skin types. Because it is closely related to salicylic acid, it is unlikely to cause heavy irritation while still helping to calm redness and clear up blemishes.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2015Experimental Dermatology, 2019

What does Glycolic Acid do for sensitive skin?

Glycolic acid can be too harsh for sensitive skin, leaving it dry and irritated, so this type of skin needs a gentler exfoliating ingredient and calming plant extracts to keep the skin barrier safe and comfortable.

Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2022

Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?

This cleanser goes into your morning and evening routine. A cleanser of this type for sensitive skin needs extra hydrating ingredients and gentle soothing agents to help calm redness and irritation.

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

This cleanser works for your sensitive skin, though other products fit it better, but its exfoliating acids may pose risks when paired with retinol. To use them together safely, this skin type needs a gentle, hydrating cleanser and a barrier-restoring moisturizer to prevent dryness and redness.

How often should I use this cleanser?

You can start using this cleanser once a week to see how your sensitive skin reacts, since it contains exfoliating acids. If your skin feels comfortable and tolerates it well, you may carefully use it more often.

Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?

This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts since it provides deep pore decongestion, though reviewers occasionally mention drying effects. Because it contains exfoliating acids, it may occasionally cause some initial skin purging or mild irritation on sensitive skin.

Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?

This cleanser is not well-suited for the very thin skin around the eyes, though it is generally fine to use on the body. A product for the eye area needs extra gentle, hydrating ingredients that protect against redness and irritation without strong exfoliating acids.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002

Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • Capryloyl 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, 2008

  • Combining 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, 2023

  • Parity 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, 2012

  • Repeated 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, 2000

  • Serial 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, 2017

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

Why other cleansers fit sensitive skin better

Ingredients

Water, Coco-Betaine, Propylene Glycol, Peg-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Glycolic Acid, Triethanolamine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Disteareth-100 Ipdi, Salicylic Acid, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Menthol, Disodium Edta, Steareth-100

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

How does it fit your skin?

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How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play