SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser for oily acne-prone skin
Allantoin
Glycerin
C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Cetyl Alcohol
Glycolic Acid
Average
- AverageOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other cleansers fit it better.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. 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, as capryl capramidopropyl betaine and glycolic acid gently remove impurities and dead skin cells without causing irritation. Glycerin provides some humectant action to maintain hydration, though it lacks specialized ingredients for optimal oil control.
- While the formula is safe for your oily skin and free of harsh ingredients, it does not contain targeted components like salicylic acid to effectively address your acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it daily to help clear your breakouts.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in the morning and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow it with your toner and moisturizer.
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help clean deeply and remove excess oil. This works best for oily skin types.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1000+ reviewsThis creamy, non-foaming cleanser is highly recommended for dry, sensitive, or reactive skin, effectively cleansing without stripping moisture. It is frequently noted as ideal for post-procedure care and calming irritated skin, though a moderate number of users mention it may not fully remove heavy or waterproof makeup.
Highlights
Extremely gentle Mostly Mentioned
- “doesn't dry out skin”
- “leaves face soft”
- “skin feels moisturized”
- “no tight feeling”
Ideal for sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “great for sensitive skin”
- “calms redness”
- “soothing after peels”
- “doesn't cause breakouts”
Pleasant texture Sometimes Noted
- “creamy texture”
- “light orange scent”
- “smells like fresh citrus”
- “melts into skin”
Safe post-procedure Sometimes Noted
- “used after laser treatment”
- “safe after chemical peels”
- “good for traumatized skin”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for a cleanser”
- “wish it was cheaper”
- “pricey but worth it”
Struggles with makeup Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't remove waterproof eyeliner”
- “need a separate eye remover”
- “leaves mascara residue”
Eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “stings my eyes”
- “burns if it gets in eyes”
- “irritates eye area”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “pours out too fast”
- “hard to control amount”
- “waste product due to runny texture”
Sources: lovi.care, lovelyskin.com, dermstore.com, walmart.com, bestderm.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does SkinCeuticals Gentle Cleanser work for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for oily skin by removing impurities without irritation, but it lacks targeted ingredients for breakouts. To fit oily acne-prone skin best, a cleanser needs soothing and effective ingredients like Niacinamide, ceramides, probiotics, or salicylic acid to help balance oil and clear blemishes.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works for your oily skin because capryl capramidopropyl betaine and glycolic acid gently wash away dirt and dead skin cells, while glycerin keeps your skin hydrated. However, it lacks targeted ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, or probiotics to properly control oil and help with breakouts.
What does Allantoin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Allantoin helps calm oily, acne-prone skin by soothing irritation and supporting a healthy skin barrier. It is often combined with other gentle ingredients to keep skin comfortable while managing breakouts.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser goes in the morning and evening routine, coming right after a makeup remover at night and before a hydrating toner, moisturizer, and SPF. Because this skin needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid for breakouts and specialized oil-control components, this skin type requires a cleanser with blemish-fighting and oil-balancing actives.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol, applying the cleanser first on your oily skin and following with your retinol treatment. This cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation, but because it lacks targeted ingredients for breakouts, an oily acne-prone skin routine needs a cleanser with salicylic acid to effectively clear blemishes.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in your morning and evening routines. Cleansers of this type work best for oily acne-prone skin when they include targeted ingredients like salicylic acid to effectively manage breakouts and specialized components for optimal oil control.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause irritation on oily skin, but because it lacks targeted blemish-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid, it may not effectively prevent breakouts. Oily, acne-prone skin typically needs specialized components like salicylic acid and strong oil-control agents to properly clear pores and manage blemishes.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this gentle cleanser safely around the eyes and on the body because its mild formula lacks harsh ingredients and causes no irritation. However, for oily acne-prone skin, this type of product needs specialized ingredients like salicylic acid to effectively clear breakouts and control oil.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene). Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
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, 2017Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, gluconolactone, and licochalcone A combined with 0.1% adapalene showed no hindrance compared to adapalene monotherapy and provided benefits in reducing complications in 25 subjects with mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019A soap-free cleansing lotion containing cetyl alcohol and sodium cocoyl apple amino acids reduced skin surface impurities and improved skin hydration, barrier function, and skin tone in 27 healthy adult subjects over 30 days.
Cureus, 2025Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018The 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, 2001Niacinamide/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, 2012Repeated 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, 2000Serial 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
Why other cleansers fit oily 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, 2024Topical application of Lactobacillus plantarum-GMNL6 enhanced collagen synthesis and SPTSSA gene expression while reducing melanin synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and Cutibacterium acnes proliferation, leading to clinical improvements in skin moisture, color, spots, wrinkles, UV spots, and porphyrins in human volunteers.
International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021A botanical face cleanser with hops and willow bark extract continuously reduced skin sebum levels without reactive seborrhea after treatment in 21 healthy volunteers compared to a sodium laureth sulfate cleanser, with neither cleanser causing skin irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019
Ingredients
Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Glycerin, Propanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Methyl Gluceth-20, Neopentyl Glycol Dicaprate, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprate, Phenoxyethanol, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Orange Peel Oil Oil, Limonene, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Capryl Capramidopropyl Betaine, Caprylyl Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Disodium Edta, Polyquaternium-39, Sodium Chloride, Peg-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Trideceth-6, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Benzoate
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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