Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub for oily skin
Salicylic Acid
Menthol
Glycerin
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Microbeads
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily skin; other exfoliants fit it 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 moderate exfoliation for your oily skin due to cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose, which aid in physical exfoliation without causing irritation. Glycerin and sodium laureth sulfate provide general cleansing benefits, though specialized ingredients for controlling oily shine are absent.
- The formula is highly suitable for oily skin, with glycerin offering humectant action and sodium hydroxide modulating pH to help balance sebum production.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your oily skin due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components like glycerin.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product as part of your PM routine once a week. Start slowly and build up frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb fully. Avoid any harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the exfoliant directly onto completely dry skin to get the best balance and results. Clean, dry skin helps the product work evenly.
- Always avoid the delicate eye area when applying. Be sure to use a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily while using exfoliating acids.
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 900+ reviewsThis product is highly praised for its refreshing, cooling sensation and effective deep cleansing that leaves oily and combination skin feeling smooth and radiant. Users with sensitive or dry skin conditions report that frequent use can lead to over-drying, redness, and irritation.
Highlights
Effective deep cleaning Mostly Mentioned
- “Does a decent job at keeping my oily skin clean.”
- “Removed all the dirt and grime from my face with ease.”
- “Great for removing all of my makeup.”
- “My skin had become squeaky clean.”
Leaves skin smooth Often Mentioned
- “Skin showed signs of becoming quite soft and smooth.”
- “Looked just radiant and happy.”
- “Clearing pores for smooth, purified skin.”
- “Leaves skin feeling smooth and energized.”
Refreshing cooling sensation Often Mentioned
- “Leaves your skin feeling cool, clean and fresh!”
- “Quite minty and makes your skin feel tingly after use.”
- “The cooling lather has a refreshing and relaxing feel.”
- “Left with energized clean skin at the start of my day.”
Gentle daily exfoliation Sometimes Noted
- “Tiny little beads that lightly exfoliate your skin.”
- “Gentle texture that doesn't feel irritating.”
- “Beads are great... but is still gentle on my skin.”
- “Gently buff away rough skin patches.”
Causes dryness Sometimes Noted
- “Slightly drying skin after washing.”
- “Can strip the skin's natural moisture if used daily.”
- “Left my face feeling a bit tight and dry.”
- “Need to use a good moisturizer afterwards.”
Harsh ingredients Rarely Noted
- “Contains sulfates which I try to avoid.”
- “Has parabens and artificial fragrances.”
- “Wish it didn't have sodium laureth sulfate.”
- “Not a fan of the synthetic ingredients.”
Irritating if overused Rarely Noted
- “Using it too often would leave my skin red.”
- “Felt irritated and itchy when used more than twice a week.”
- “A bit too harsh for my sensitive skin.”
- “The menthol can be irritating around the eyes.”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, beautyheaven.com.au, healthylife.com.au, reviewstream.com, chickadvisor.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub work for oily skin?
Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub works okay for oily skin, though other products fit it better. It gives you moderate physical scrubbing and general cleansing, but lacks specialized ingredients to control oily shine. An exfoliant for oily skin needs ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, and probiotics to manage oil and support skin health without irritation.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily skin?
Salicylic acid, cellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose make this exfoliant a fair fit for oily skin by offering moderate physical and chemical cleansing without causing irritation. Glycerin also helps by adding moisture, but this skin type needs ingredients like Niacinamide and Ceramides to better control oily shine and support skin health.
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 Menthol do for oily skin?
Menthol helps calm irritated skin and may reduce redness, but it does not specifically target oily skin. To properly care for oily skin, a product needs ingredients that balance oil production and keep pores clear without causing dryness.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This exfoliant works as a scrub for oily skin, though this skin type needs specialized ingredients to help control oily shine.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant with retinol by using them on alternate nights to avoid irritation on oily skin. Because both ingredients renew the skin, separating them helps keep your skin calm and comfortable.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start using this exfoliant once a week, and if your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often. Oily skin also needs specialized ingredients for controlling shine.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for oily skin, as it has a very safe formula with soothing glycerin and no harsh irritants. However, because it lacks specialized ingredients for controlling oily shine, oily skin often needs targeted sebum-regulating ingredients and oil-absorbing components to stay clear.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
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, 2017Cryotherapy 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, 2010A 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 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, 2024Coadministration of 40% topical L-menthol with 10% trans-cinnamaldehyde reduced spontaneous pain intensity, neurogenic inflammation, primary and secondary mechanical hyperalgesia, and heat hyperalgesia, but not cold hyperalgesia, in 14 healthy volunteers.
The Journal of Pain, 2016Topical application of menthol-based cooling gel decreased intramuscular temperature by 1.9 °C and increased cutaneous blood flow by 0.3 ml/min in healthy males compared to placebo gel.
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2018Cooling skin temperature or applying topical menthol reduced histamine-induced itch intensity and flare diameters in healthy male volunteers.
Neuroscience Letters, 1995The 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, 2012Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) treatment decreases lipid membrane chain conformational order and stiffness leading to increased water sorption and diffusivity, whereas sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) treatment increases lipid membrane conformational order and stiffness with increased water sorption capacity driven by its hygroscopic nature.
Langmuir, 2014
Why other exfoliants fit oily skin better
A 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, 2019A 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, 2021
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cellulose, Lauryl Glucoside, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Phenoxyethanol, Synthetic Wax, Methylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, Menthol, Disodium Edta, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate, Ultramarines, Blue 1
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.