Differin Daily Deep Cleanser for oily skin
Benzoyl Peroxide
Glycerin
Carbomer
Lauryl Methacrylate Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily skin: shine, enlarged pores, blackheads, and blemishes. 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 cleansing for your oily skin due to sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate, which effectively cleans pores, but lacks specialized ingredients to address oily shine.
- Benzoyl peroxide provides antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action, which is beneficial for oily skin.
- The formula is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your skin fresh. Always make sure to follow with a good SPF in the morning.
- Apply your cleanser as the first step in the morning or the second step in the evening before your toner.
- Gently massage a small amount onto your face using circular motions, then rinse well with water .
- You can apply this cleanser safely on damp skin for a refreshing and easy wash.
- Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes and stop use if irritation occurs.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 16.7k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users widely praise this cleanser as a "holy grail" for managing acne-prone and sensitive skin, noting that its 5% benzoyl peroxide formula effectively clears hormonal and cystic breakouts without the extreme irritation often associated with stronger treatments. While most find it surprisingly gentle and non-stripping, a minority of users experience dryness or peeling, and many warn that the product will permanently bleach towels and clothing.
Highlights
Gentle on sensitive skin Mostly Mentioned
- “Non-irritating formula”
- “Suitable for daily use”
- “Less harsh than 10% BP”
- “Doesn't burn”
- “Great for reactive skin”
Bleaches fabrics Mostly Mentioned
- “Ruins colored towels”
- “Stains pillowcases”
- “Bleaches shirts”
- “Spots on bathmats”
- “Discolors pajamas”
Effective acne treatment Often Mentioned
- “Clears cystic acne”
- “Reduces hormonal breakouts”
- “Prevents maskne”
- “Shrinks pimples quickly”
- “Maintains clear skin”
Non-stripping/drying Often Mentioned
- “Leaves skin soft”
- “Doesn't feel tight”
- “Retains moisture”
- “Less drying than PanOxyl”
- “Comfortable after washing”
Improves skin texture Sometimes Noted
- “Smooths roughness”
- “Reduces redness”
- “Makes skin glow”
- “Helps with bumps”
- “Evens skin tone”
Drying for some Sometimes Noted
- “Causes peeling”
- “Dry patches”
- “Skin feels tight”
- “Requires heavy moisturizer”
- “Irritated moisture barrier”
Runny consistency Sometimes Noted
- “Watery texture”
- “Spills easily”
- “Doesn't foam much”
- “Slips off hands”
- “Tube dispenses too fast”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Chemical smell”
- “Smells like bleach”
- “Medicinal odor”
- “Weird fragrance”
- “Strong scent”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, walmart.com, iherb.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Differin Daily Deep Cleanser work for oily skin?
This cleanser provides moderate cleaning for your oily skin and helps fight bacteria, but it lacks specialized ingredients to manage oily shine. A product for oily skin needs ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or salicylic acid to control oil and support skin health without irritation.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily skin?
Benzoyl peroxide and glycerin make this cleanser a good fit for oily skin by helping to target acne-causing bacteria and maintain moisture balance. To fit oily skin even better, a cleanser of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or salicylic acid to help manage oily shine and support skin health.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for oily skin?
Benzoyl peroxide helps clear up acne on oily skin by targeting multiple causes of breakouts, though it may occasionally cause irritation. When used in treatments, it significantly reduces both inflamed and uninflamed pimples.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
What does Glycerin do for oily skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily skin hydrated without feeling heavy and supports the skin barrier. Because this product is a weak fit for your skin, an ideal product of this type needs lightweight hydrators and ingredients that balance oil while protecting the skin.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008International Journal of Toxicology, 2019
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cleanser goes in both your morning and evening skincare routines. To properly care for oily skin, a cleanser of this type needs added mattifying ingredients that help control excess shine.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by applying the cleanser first and following with your retinol treatment. Using this routine is safe, but because oily skin needs extra help to control shine, an effective product for this skin type should also include specialized ingredients to balance oil.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily as part of your morning and evening routine. An oily skin type also needs ingredients that control excess shine.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores on oily skin because it effectively washes out dirt and oil, but it may cause dryness for some people. Oily skin also needs extra ingredients that specifically target and control excess shine.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is generally safe to use on the body, but you should avoid applying it around the delicate eye area where the skin is much thinner. Benzoyl peroxide helps reduce acne-causing bacteria on larger areas of the body, yet harsh cleansers may easily irritate the sensitive skin near your eyes.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021
What the research says
Preoperative treatment with benzoyl peroxide significantly decreases the bacterial skin load of Cutibacterium acnes in patients undergoing elective shoulder surgery from skin incision until wound closure compared to preparation with soap.
Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, 2021Topical benzoyl peroxide may improve acne more effectively than placebo or no treatment, while showing little to no difference compared with adapalene or clindamycin, but with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects compared to placebo.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022Twice 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, 2024Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel achieved significantly greater treatment success and lesion reductions compared to vehicle in participants with moderate-to-severe acne.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023Daily application of adapalene 0.3%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel reduced and prevented atrophic acne scar formation, achieving a total scar count change of -15.5% versus +14.4% for vehicle over 24 weeks in 67 subjects with moderate or severe facial acne.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2018A 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, 2017The 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, 2020Ten 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, 2001Topical chloramphenicol-betamethasone combined with sodium hyaluronate/trehalose/carbomer gel compared to chloramphenicol-betamethasone alone reduced most subjective symptoms at 1 week but increased blurred vision at 4 weeks following strabismus surgery in 31 patients, with no significant differences in conjunctival inflammation between treatments.
Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2019Incorporating nanoemulsions into hydrogels with increasing Carbopol 934 proportions from 1% to 3% progressively decreased the percutaneous flux rates of terbinafine and citral, increased drug accumulation in the stratum corneum while decreasing it in the epidermis/dermis compared to nanoemulsions alone, and shifted delivery routes from skin appendages to intercellular paths.
International Journal of Nanomedicine, 2016Topical liquiritin carbomer gel treatment restored skin barrier function, increased barrier proteins and antioxidant enzymes, and decreased inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in a mouse model of glucocorticoid-induced skin inflammation.
Pharmaceutics, 2024
Why other cleansers fit oily skin better
A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Chemical peels with 30% supramolecular salicylic acid effectively treated acne and reduced facial sebum secretion while improving skin hydration and barrier function in 25 patients.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Benzoyl Peroxide, Carbomer, Glycerin, Lauryl Methacrylate Glycol Dimethacrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Hydroxide
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
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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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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