Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent for oily skin
Salicylic Acid
Witch Hazel Extract
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract
Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract
Butylene GlycolHigh
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for oily skin; a few toners fit it even 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 excellent exfoliating and pore cleansing for your oily skin due to salicylic acid and witch hazel extract, which help reduce oil and unclog pores. Alcohol denat further aids in seboregulation, balancing oiliness effectively.
- Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and chamomile extract provide soothing benefits, ensuring comfort for your oily skin.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliating toner once a week at first, then increase frequency only if your skin feels fine.
- Apply the exfoliating toner after cleansing and before your moisturizer or SPF.
- Gently press a few drops of the exfoliating toner into your skin and let it dry.
- Apply the exfoliating toner on clean and dry skin for the best results.
- Avoid the eye area and always use sunscreen during the day.
People Say
★4.3Overall rating based on 400+ reviewsUsers with oily and acne-prone skin frequently praise this astringent for its deep pore cleansing and significant oil reduction, often finding it effective for preventing breakouts. A moderate number of users report that the high alcohol content can lead to dryness and stinging, making it less ideal for sensitive skin types.
Highlights
Clears acne Often Mentioned
- “clears acne”
- “pimples almost gone”
- “prevent future breakouts”
- “works on blemishes”
Controls oil Often Mentioned
- “removes surface oil”
- “controls shine”
- “less oily skin”
- “keeps face matte”
Deep cleansing Sometimes Noted
- “deep cleansing action”
- “removes dirt/makeup”
- “clean pores”
- “removes residue”
Refreshing feel Sometimes Noted
- “clean and refreshed”
- “cooling sensation”
- “crisp clean feeling”
- “skin feels tight”
Drying effect Sometimes Noted
- “dries out skin”
- “excessive drying”
- “peeling”
- “skin feels tight”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “smelled HORRIBLE”
- “scent is potent”
- “strong alcohol smell”
- “chemical odor”
Burning sensation Rarely Noted
- “burned my skin”
- “sting a bit”
- “burns a little”
- “irritates face”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “leaked badly”
- “no tamper seal”
- “bottle leaked”
- “spilled in shipping”
Sources: lovi.care, neutrogena.com, walmart.com, target.com, ulta.com, cvs.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent a great fit for oily skin?
Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent is a great fit for oily skin because salicylic acid and witch hazel extract help reduce oil and unclog pores, while alcohol denat balances oiliness effectively. Aloe barbadensis leaf extract and chamomile extract provide soothing benefits to ensure comfort without irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this toner a good fit for oily skin?
Salicylic acid and witch hazel extract make this toner a great fit by deeply cleansing pores and reducing excess oil, while alcohol denat helps balance skin oiliness. Additionally, aloe vera and chamomile extracts provide soothing benefits to ensure your skin stays calm and comfortable.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Salicylic Acid do for oily skin?
Salicylic acid helps oily skin by reducing excess oil and keeping pores clear. It may also improve overall skin hydration while managing breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019
What does Witch Hazel Extract do for oily skin?
Witch hazel extract helps calm oily skin, reduce redness, and keep pores clear by soothing irritation and balancing oil production. It is unlikely to cause issues and may protect skin from daily damage while supporting a smooth feel.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This exfoliating toner goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before your treatment and moisturizer. You should start using it once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and shows good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Can I use this toner with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this toner with retinol by using them on alternate nights or spacing them out to keep your skin calm and comfortable. Applying an exfoliating toner and retinol in the same routine may be too strong for your skin, so using them at different times helps prevent irritation.
How often should I use it?
Start by using this exfoliating toner once a week to see how your oily skin responds, and if you tolerate it well and see good results, you can carefully use it more often. It helps clear pores and balance oiliness safely without causing irritation.
Can this toner clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This toner is a great fit for oily skin because salicylic acid and witch hazel extract help unclog pores and reduce excess oil, while soothing ingredients keep skin comfortable. It is unlikely to clog pores, and any purging you might experience is a temporary result of the salicylic acid clearing out debris from deep within your skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
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, 2020Hamamelis bark proanthocyanidins strongly increased the proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes and reduced transepidermal water loss and erythema formation in SLS-irritated skin, whereas the polysaccharide fraction had no effect.
Phytochemistry, 2001Cryotherapy 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, 2010A Hamamelis virginiana leaf extract increased LOXL1 expression twofold, decreased elafin synthesis, restored functional elastic fibers, reduced nonfunctional elastin aggregates, decreased wrinkles, and improved skin firmness.
Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2018Witch hazel bark extract and hamamelitannin showed pronounced anti-inflammatory activity, supported keratinocyte migration in a wound healing assay, and inhibited Staphylococcus aureus growth, whereas their skin microbiota metabolite ellagic acid stimulated inflammatory mediator release.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2025Hamamelis virginiana bark extract inhibited Cutibacterium acnes-induced IL-6 release and TNF-α-induced IL-8 release in human keratinocytes without showing antibacterial or antibiofilm activities.
Antioxidants, 2022A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Apigenin protects against UVA-induced cytotoxicity and senescence in normal human dermal fibroblasts, decreases MMP-1 expression, and when applied topically as a cream in human subjects, increases dermal density and elasticity while reducing fine wrinkle length, skin evenness, moisture content, and transepidermal water loss compared to control cream.
International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2016Topical chamomile oil combined with a night splint significantly improved the symptomatic and functional status of patients with severe carpal tunnel syndrome compared to placebo, while electrodiagnostic parameters showed no significant changes.
Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2015German chamomile solution applied twice a day healed peristomal skin lesions significantly faster than once-a-day 1% hydrocortisone ointment in colostomy patients, with a mean healing time of 8.89 days versus 14.53 days.
Ostomy/wound Management, 2011
Ingredients
Salicylic Acid, Alcohol Denat, Water, Witch Hazel Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycereth-7, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Matricaria Flower Extract Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Methyl Gluceth-20, Benzophenone-4, Blue 1, Propylene Glycol
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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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
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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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
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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