SheaMoisture African Black Soap Clarifying Facial Wash & Scrub for oily acne-prone skin
African Black Soap
Tamarindus Indica Extract
Oil Tree
Shea Butter
Salicylic Acid
High
- HighOily Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few products fit it even better.
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
- Highly suitable for your oily and acne-prone skin, this formula leverages salicylic acid and theobroma cacao pod ash for excellent exfoliation and pore cleansing, effectively managing excess sebum.
- The inclusion of tea tree oil provides antimicrobial benefits, further supporting your goal of addressing blemishes and breakouts.
- This 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 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.
Questions and answers
What makes SheaMoisture African Black Soap Clarifying Facial Wash & Scrub a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?
SheaMoisture African Black Soap Clarifying Facial Wash & Scrub is a great fit because it uses salicylic acid and cocoa pod ash to deeply clean pores, remove dead skin, and manage extra oil. Tea tree oil also provides helpful antimicrobial benefits to keep blemishes and breakouts calm. It is safe for oily skin and is unlikely to cause irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Salicylic acid and cocoa pod ash make this cleanser a great fit because they deeply clean pores and clear away excess oil. Tea tree oil helps calm breakouts, while shea butter keeps your skin feeling soft without making it oily.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does African Black Soap do for oily acne-prone skin?
Traditional African black soap helps clean oily acne-prone skin deeply and may support overall skin health through its antimicrobial properties against certain bacteria. However, because it is an alkaline soap, it is likely to dry out and irritate the skin barrier, so oily skin types generally need a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser with added hydrating ingredients to avoid redness and moisture loss.
Dermatologic Therapy, 2021Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2022
What does Tamarind Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Tamarind extract helps keep oily acne-prone skin smooth and balanced by gently clearing dead skin cells and supplying lightweight moisture. It may also calm redness and is unlikely to clog pores.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliating cleanser is used once a week to start, and people who tolerate it well may carefully use it more often. It fits into your routine as your evening cleanser.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser with retinol by alternating them or using this wash in the morning and your retinol at night to avoid irritation. Using strong exfoliating washes and retinoids together may dry out your skin, so monitor how your skin feels and space them out if you notice any redness or flaking.
How often should I use this cleanser?
Start by using this exfoliating cleanser once a week to see how your oily acne-prone skin responds. If your skin tolerates it well and you see good results, you can carefully use it more often.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is a great fit for oily and acne-prone skin because it uses salicylic acid and tea tree oil to clear out pores and manage blemishes without causing irritation. Clinical studies show that salicylic acid helps reduce breakouts and keeps skin clear.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl alcohol and myristyl alcohol are fatty alcohols, which soften the skin.
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, 2020A survey of 100 black soap users demonstrated that the vast majority found the soap helpful for overall skin care and dermatologic conditions such as acne and dark spots.
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2017Topical application of a water-in-oil cosmetic emulsion containing 4% Tamarindus indica seeds extract significantly improved skin elasticity, moisture content, and surface evaluation parameters in 11 healthy male volunteers compared to a control base over 12 weeks.
Postepy Dermatologii I Alergologii, 2017Tamarindus indica n-hexane extracts from various organs demonstrated anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities by inhibiting nitric oxide and promoting fibroblast migration in in-vitro assays compared to control cells.
Plants, 2022Topical lycopene-enriched virgin olive oil provides effective pain relief similar to a placebo in patients with burning mouth syndrome, showing a strong placebo effect.
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 2014A combination cream of stimu-tex AS and saccharide isomerate reduced erythema, increased skin capacitance, and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to placebo in 20 subjects after fractional CO2 laser procedure without causing serious adverse events.
Lasers in Medical Science, 2025A skin barrier restoring cream with shea butter, silkflo, and vitamin E increased type I procollagen synthesis, enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, decreased reactive oxygen species generation, and promoted hyaluronic acid production in H2O2-stimulated human keratinocyte cells compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2025Cryotherapy 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, 2010
Ingredients
Water, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Myristyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Mangifera Indica Seed Oil, Myristic Acid, Coconut Acid, Jojoba Esters, Polysorbate 60, Glyceryl Caprylate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Shea Butter, Blend Essential Oil, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Sodium Cocoate, Theobroma Cacao Pod Ash, Salix Nigra Bark Extract Willow Bark Extract, Salicylic Acid, Nigella Sativa Seed Oil, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Bisabolol, Melaleuca Alternifolia Tree Oil Leaf, Decyl Glucoside, Tamarindus Indica Fruit Extract, Panthenol, Potassium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Undecylenate
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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