The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser for oily skin
Decyl Glucoside
Coco Glucoside
Tocopherol
Phytic Acid
Xanthan Gum
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
A great choice for oily skin; a few cleansers 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
- Highly suitable for your oily skin as decyl glucoside and coco glucoside effectively cleanse pores and provide mild degreasing without stripping your skin.
- Tocopherol and phytic acid offer antioxidant benefits and help to gently refine the skin's surface.
- The formula is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
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
★4.4Overall rating based on 3.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users consistently describe this cleanser as a gentle, effective option for daily use that cleanses without stripping the moisture barrier, making it particularly popular among those with sensitive, oily, and combination skin. While many praise its affordability and non-irritating formula, a significant number of reviewers dislike its runny, "snot-like" texture and note that it struggles to remove heavy makeup on its own.
Highlights
Gentle and non-stripping Mostly Mentioned
- “skin feels clean not tight”
- “doesn't strip my barrier”
- “very gentle on sensitive skin”
- “leaves face soft”
Affordable price point Often Mentioned
- “great value for money”
- “can't beat the price”
- “budget friendly staple”
- “good size for cost”
Great for sensitive skin Often Mentioned
- “no irritation or redness”
- “perfect for reactive skin”
- “didn't break me out”
- “safe for acne-prone”
Runny, slime-like texture Often Mentioned
- “consistency like snot”
- “too liquidy and spills”
- “hard to control amount”
- “slips off hands”
Effective second cleanse Sometimes Noted
- “perfect after cleansing balm”
- “removes residue well”
- “great morning cleanser”
- “good for double cleansing”
Fragrance-free formula Sometimes Noted
- “no strong perfume”
- “great it has no scent”
- “doesn't sting eyes”
- “good for fragrance sensitivity”
Poor makeup removal Sometimes Noted
- “struggles with mascara”
- “doesn't remove foundation”
- “need a separate remover”
- “not for heavy makeup”
Unpleasant chemical scent Sometimes Noted
- “smells like chemicals”
- “weird plastic smell”
- “scent is off-putting”
- “has a funk to it”
Drying for some Rarely Noted
- “left skin feeling tight”
- “too drying for dry skin”
- “caused dry patches”
- “stripped my skin”
Messy packaging Rarely Noted
- “leaks from the cap”
- “dispenses too much”
- “cap gets messy”
- “product runs out tube”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, theordinary.com, influenster.com, skinsort.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The Ordinary Glucoside Foaming Cleanser a great fit for oily skin?
This cleanser is a great fit for your oily skin because decyl glucoside and coco glucoside clean out pores and wash away extra oil without leaving your skin feeling stripped. Tocopherol and phytic acid protect against damage and help make your skin surface smoother and more refined. It is also very safe for your skin, as it leaves out harsh ingredients and includes soothing components so it is unlikely to cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily skin?
Decyl glucoside and coco glucoside make this cleanser a great fit by effectively cleaning pores and providing mild degreasing without stripping your skin. Additionally, tocopherol and phytic acid offer antioxidant benefits and help gently refine your skin surface safely without irritation.
What does Decyl Glucoside do for oily skin?
Decyl Glucoside helps gently cleanse oily skin while respecting its barrier. This mild surfactant helps wash away buildup without stripping the skin of essential moisture.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2009Dermatologic Therapy, 2004
What does Coco Glucoside do for oily skin?
Coco glucoside helps gently cleanse oily skin while supporting the skin's natural barrier without causing irritation. It is typically found in stable formulas that wash away excess oil while keeping the skin feeling balanced and comfortable.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2025Dermatologic Therapy, 2004
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This cleanser goes in your morning and evening routines as the first step or right after your makeup remover. It effectively cleans pores and provides mild degreasing for oily skin without stripping it.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by washing your face with it before applying your retinol treatment. Using a gentle cleanser like this helps keep your pores clean without stripping your oily skin, which supports a smooth routine.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser twice a day as part of your morning and evening routine, because its gentle ingredients clean pores and remove excess oil without stripping your skin. This regular use is safe and unlikely to cause irritation.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for oily skin because its gentle cleansers clean out pores and degrease without stripping your skin. It also has a very low likelihood of causing irritation or purging, as it avoids harsh ingredients and includes soothing components.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is safe to use on your body, but you should avoid applying it directly in the eye area. Its gentle ingredients cleanse effectively without harshness, making it very well tolerated on general body skin.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (benzyl alcohol).
What the research says
A topical serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract improved skin color, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles compared to the untreated contralateral side in fifty female volunteers.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020A topical xanthan gum nanogel containing gamma-oryzanol-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers and nanosized TiO2 and MBBT filters demonstrated high photoprotection with an SPF of 34 and no skin irritation or sensitization in a rat model.
Pharmaceuticals, 2023Coco-glucoside powered emulgels containing probiotics and prebiotics demonstrated stability without phase separation and preserved probiotic viability for up to 11 days, supporting the skin's natural barrier.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2025Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024L-ascorbic acid 10% plus phytic acid 2% serum significantly reduced the pigmentation index of solar lentigines compared to a vehicle control in 30 healthy subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2011Chemical peels using 35% glycolic acid, 20% salicylic-10% mandelic acid, and phytic acid reduce acne scores by 70.55%, 74.14%, and 69.7% respectively, and significantly decline the postacne hyperpigmentation index in Asian patients with mild to moderate acne.
Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 2019A topical facial emulsion containing 10% glycolic acid, 2% phytic acid, and a soothing complex significantly improved skin hyperpigmentation, texture, and tone homogeneity from week 4 through week 12 in American female volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin types II-VI.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Biodegradable wound dressings functionalized with silver nanoparticles showed >99% pathogen growth inhibition, bactericidal effects, free radical scavenging, reduced inflammatory response in macrophages, and accelerated wound healing in animals.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2022Dense chitosan-xanthan membranes associated with multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells accelerated wound healing in Wistar rats compared to untreated conditions, demonstrating safety and feasibility for dermo-epidermal wound treatment.
Journal of Biomaterials Applications, 2015Glycerol crosslinked vitamin E loaded xanthan gum and gellan gum nanoemulgels scavenged 88.5% of free radicals, reduced transepidermal water loss by up to 33.3%, and improved moisture content and skin structural characteristics in a murine dry skin model.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Coco Glucoside, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherol, Phytic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin
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.
-
Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-
Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-
Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-
Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-
Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-
Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-
Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.