Medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad for oily acne-prone skin
Succinic Acid
Salicylic Acid
Glycolic Acid
Panthenol
NiacinamideSuperior
- SuperiorOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best products for oily acne-prone skin.
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
- Excellent suitability for your oily, acne-prone skin is provided by succinic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid, which effectively manage breakouts and oiliness while smoothing texture.
- Allantoin, panthenol, and Centella Asiatica extract further soothe your skin, enhancing comfort and reducing potential irritation.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of beneficial soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant as part of your PM routine once a week to start, increasing frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toning, but before your final moisturizer step.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
- Apply the product directly onto clean, dry skin for the best results against breakouts.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and always use a daily SPF since exfoliating makes skin more sensitive to the sun.
People Say
★4.8Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users with acne-prone and sensitive skin frequently report significant improvements in skin texture and clarity, with many praising the pads for calming active breakouts and reducing redness without causing severe irritation. Most users find them gentle and hydrating, though a small minority experienced tingling or found the product too pricey for the quantity.
Highlights
Clears acne Often Mentioned
- “active breakouts look less inflamed”
- “blemishes fading”
- “pimple clearing”
- “reduced minor blemishes”
Soothes redness Often Mentioned
- “calming the skin”
- “soothe irritation”
- “redness noticeably improves”
- “calms down inflammation”
Gentle exfoliation Sometimes Noted
- “gentle and not irritating”
- “daily mild exfoliation”
- “no harsh effects”
- “suitable for sensitive skin”
Hydrating and light Sometimes Noted
- “finish isn't sticky”
- “lightweight texture”
- “keeps skin hydrated”
- “fresh light finish”
Improves texture Sometimes Noted
- “skin feels smoother”
- “refined skin texture”
- “soft instantly”
- “evened out complexion”
Expensive for quantity Sometimes Noted
- “price is a bit steep”
- “quite expensive”
- “wouldn't buy at full price”
- “wait for a sale”
Causes tingling Rarely Noted
- “slight tingling sensation”
- “stings a bit”
- “intense at first”
- “irritation on sensitive days”
Leaves residue Rarely Noted
- “oily residue left”
- “feels like it's sitting on top”
- “doesn't absorb well”
Not effective Rarely Noted
- “didn't feel much help”
- “broke me out”
- “temporary effects only”
Pad quality issues Rarely Noted
- “pads come apart”
- “wish there was more product”
- “pads are a tad small”
- “hard to keep in place”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, stylekorean.com, stylevana.com, medicube.us, yesstyle.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes medicube Red Succinic Acid Peeling Pad one of the best fits for oily acne-prone skin?
Succinic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid effectively manage breakouts and oiliness while smoothing your texture, making this an excellent fit for your oily, acne-prone skin. Allantoin, panthenol, and Centella Asiatica extract further soothe your skin to help enhance comfort and reduce potential irritation.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Succinic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid make this exfoliant a great fit because they manage breakouts and oiliness while smoothing texture. Allantoin, panthenol, and Centella Asiatica extract further soothe your skin and help reduce potential irritation.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016
What does Succinic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Succinic acid helps oily, acne-prone skin by balancing skin microbes and reducing breakouts, excess oil, and redness. It is also shown to help calm irritation and decrease acne severity.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Skin Research and Technology, 2024
What does Salicylic Acid do for oily acne-prone skin?
Salicylic acid helps clear breakouts and keeps oily skin balanced by reducing oil levels and calming inflammation. It is well suited for oily, acne-prone skin because it targets pimples while helping keep the skin hydrated and protected.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Experimental Dermatology, 2019
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant goes in your evening routine, starting at once a week so your skin adjusts safely. If your skin handles it well, you can carefully use it more often to help manage breakouts and oiliness.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying them on alternate nights to avoid overwhelming your skin, as combining multiple strong exfoliants may increase the likelihood of dryness and irritation. Always follow up with a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin calm and comfortable.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant treatment once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. This approach helps manage breakouts and oiliness while keeping your skin calm.
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
It is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily, acne-prone skin because succinic acid, glycolic acid, and salicylic acid help manage oiliness and clear blemishes while soothing ingredients keep irritation low.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
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, 2023Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Cosmetic formulations containing 5% Centella asiatica extract showed the best efficacy in improving skin moisture and decreasing transepidermal water loss, while also exhibiting antiinflammatory properties in 25 volunteers compared to baseline measurements.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016A 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, 2020Treatment with a facial cream gel containing a biotechnological phytocomplex, niacinamide, and succinic acid increased skin microbial diversity and reduced C. acnes abundance, lesion counts, sebum, and acne severity in 44 subjects with mild-moderate acne over 56 days.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Treatment with a lotion containing a phytocomplex, niacinamide, and succinic acid increased skin microbial alpha diversity, reduced Cutibacterium acnes relative abundance, and improved acne severity and clinical symptoms in 43 subjects with truncal mild-moderate acne.
Skin Research and Technology, 2024Treatment with plant-derived exosomes combined with non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid and succinic acid improved facial hyperpigmentation in two patients.
Cureus, 2026Cryotherapy 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, 2010Repeated 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, 2017Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000Hyaluronic acid, hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol, and isotonic saline nasal sprays all significantly improved dry nose symptoms over four weeks in 240 patients, with hyaluronic acid plus dexpanthenol providing superior nasal moisturisation compared to the other two.
Auris, Nasus, Larynx, 2020Topical 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, 2005
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Succinic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Allantoin, Panthenol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium Edta
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.