La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ for acne-prone skin
La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water
Shea Butter
Niacinamide
Glycerin
Coco-BetaineAverage
- AverageCombination Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for acne-prone skin; other cleansers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with acne-prone skin: breakouts, blackheads, and post-acne marks. 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 suitability for your combination skin as glycerin provides humectant action and niacinamide offers soothing effects, but it lacks sufficient ingredients for optimal oil control on your oily areas.
- The cleansing agents, sodium laureth sulfate and coco-betaine, effectively cleanse pores and support your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your combination skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it.
- This cleanser is the first step in your morning routine and the second step after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Always follow up with a toner and moisturizer .
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face in circular motions. Avoid harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it work effectively against breakouts. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water .
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to check for any sensitivity.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.4k+ reviewsA small minority experience breakouts or find the scentless formula has a faint chemical odor.
Highlights
Gentle & non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “left skin feeling soft”
- “didn't dry skin out”
- “no squeaky clean feeling”
Fragrance-free Sometimes Noted
- “no strong scent”
- “good for fragrance sensitivity”
- “clean smell”
Hydrating texture Sometimes Noted
- “creamy feel”
- “provides hydration”
- “milky texture”
Versatile use Sometimes Noted
- “double-duty cleanser”
- “safe for babies”
- “great for kids”
Breakouts or reactions Rarely Noted
- “broke out in whiteheads”
- “caused burning”
- “not for my sensitive skin”
Low lather Rarely Noted
- “doesn't lather well”
- “hard to spread”
- “struggles with waterproof makeup”
Not moisturizing enough Rarely Noted
- “still need lotion”
- “not as moisturizing as claimed”
- “slightly drying”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pump broken”
- “hard to unlock”
Unpleasant natural scent Rarely Noted
- “smell is not the best”
- “plastic smell”
- “chemical scent”
Sources: lovi.care, amazon.com, ulta.com, target.com, lovelyskin.com, dermstore.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Lipikar Wash AP+ work for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for acne-prone skin, as it cleanses pores and helps soothe breakouts, but other products fit this skin better because they offer stronger oil control. To work best for acne-prone skin, a cleanser of this type needs powerful ingredients like niacinamide and ceramides to balance oily and dry areas while keeping the skin barrier healthy.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works reasonably well because sodium laureth sulfate and coco-betaine clear out pores, while niacinamide helps calm breakouts. To work even better for acne-prone skin, a cleanser of this type needs powerful ingredients like ceramides and extra components for oil control.
What does Prebiotic Thermal Water do for acne-prone skin?
Prebiotic Thermal Water helps calm acne-prone skin by reducing dryness and discomfort while supporting overall barrier strength. Using it regularly may improve hydration and help manage breakouts when added to your daily routine.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024Dermatology and Therapy, 2023
What does Shea Butter do for acne-prone skin?
Shea butter can feel quite heavy on acne-prone skin, as it is very rich and may clog pores and lead to breakouts. If you have acne-prone skin, a product of this type needs lightweight, non-clogging ingredients that hydrate without trapping oil.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser fits into both your morning and evening routines as the initial cleansing step, followed by toner, treatments, and moisturizer. It is very unlikely to irritate your skin due to its gentle formula.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by applying the cleanser first to clean skin before your retinol treatment. This cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation due to its gentle formula, but acne-prone skin still needs ingredients that specifically target excess oil.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in your morning and evening routines. It is unlikely to cause irritation for your acne-prone skin, but an average fit of this type needs more oil-controlling ingredients to manage shiny or oily areas.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to cause breakouts as its ingredients clean pores well, though it only fits acne-prone skin on average. Acne-prone skin needs a cleanser that balances oil control alongside gentle cleansing.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can safely use this cleanser on your body, but the skin around your eyes is much thinner and more delicate than body skin and may need a gentler cleanser.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Balneotherapy with thermal water altered specific skin microbiota at genus and species levels in healthy female volunteers compared to tap water, which produced no significant microbiome changes.
Life, 2023Malaysian thermal spring water as an adjunct to standard acne therapy improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and stinging, enhanced overall tolerability, and improved the acne disability index in patients with mild to moderate acne.
The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 2024A 2% Sphingomonas xenophaga ferment extract cream applied twice daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased facial vascular disorder scores compared to vehicle in 86 Caucasian female subjects, alongside dose-dependent inhibition of pre-kallikrein activity in vitro.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Topical 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, 2005A 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, 2001The cytotoxic effect of sodium lauryl sulphate on normal human keratinocytes was significantly decreased when combined with cocamidopropyl betaine, Tween 20, and Tween 80 at concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2003
Why other cleansers fit acne-prone 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, 2024Co-delivery of paeonol and madecassoside via nanoemulsions improved transdermal delivery, promoted barrier repair proteins, inhibited inflammatory cytokine secretion in cellular and 3D models, and reduced transepidermal water loss and acne in human facial skin compared to free components.
Molecules, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Peg-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Coco-Betaine, Polysorbate 20, Citric Acid, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Niacinamide, Acrylates Copolymer, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Cocamide Mea, Disodium Edta, Glycol Distearate, Mannose, Polyquaternium-11, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide, Vitreoscilla Ferment
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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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
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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