Clinique For Men Face Scrub for oily acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Glyceryl Stearate
Methylisothiazolinone
Hexylene Glycol
Disodium Oleamido Mipa-Sulfosuccinate
Low
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A weak match for oily acne-prone skin; the exfoliants alongside fit it 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
- Offers moderate exfoliation for your oily skin, as salicylic acid and silica work to gently cleanse pores and address acne and breakouts. This formulation is highly suitable for oily skin due to the keratolytic action of salicylic acid.
- The absence of harsh ingredients ensures no risks of irritation for your oily skin.
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
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.2k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly effective for oily and combination skin, frequently clearing pores and preparing skin for shaving. Users often report a smoother skin texture and reduced ingrown hairs. However, some users with sensitive skin find it too harsh, and a few mention stinging from menthol or difficulty dispensing the product.
Highlights
Leaves skin smooth Mostly Mentioned
- “Leaves skin feeling clean, smooth, and refreshed.”
- “Rinsed off, skin feels genuinely smoother.”
- “Leaves the skin feeling refreshed, smooth, and clean.”
- “Clears away dead skin perfectly.”
Clears pores Often Mentioned
- “Completely clears my pores and makes my skin feel so glossy and clean.”
- “Softens the look of congested pores over a few weeks of regular use.”
- “Good product... good at removing blackheads.”
- “Unclogging pores and removing dirt and oil.”
Excellent shave prep Often Mentioned
- “Excellent scrub both for making skin look fresher & for a pre shave.”
- “Game-changer for managing my coarse facial hair and prepping my skin before a shave.”
- “Few scrubs make the razor's job this much easier.”
- “Helps prepare skin for a closer, more comfortable shave.”
Reduces ingrowns Sometimes Noted
- “Noted for its ability to help with ingrown hairs.”
- “Helps reduce the likelihood of ingrown hairs.”
- “Fine rounded granules help lift beard hairs, reduce ingrown hairs.”
Harsh on skin Sometimes Noted
- “Wouldn't recommend it to someone with sensitive skin.”
- “You should know that this is a very aggressive scrub.”
- “How harsh it was exfoliating... literal scrub with no lubricant.”
- “Fast route to a stripped, tight, over-exfoliated mess.”
Hard to dispense Rarely Noted
- “Dissatisfaction with the current tube design, finding it difficult to dispense.”
- “Consistency quite thick, making it difficult to dispense from its container.”
- “I feel for the price paid, the tube should be bigger!”
Menthol stings Rarely Noted
- “Others find it stings... it is just menthol.”
- “Mixed opinions on recent formula changes, particularly regarding grit and menthol.”
- “Held back by menthol and a preservative.”
Sources: lovi.care, macys.com, sephora.sg, ulta.com, bloomingdales.com, kohls.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why is Clinique Face Scrub a weak match for oily acne-prone skin?
Clinique For Men Face Scrub is a weak match for oily acne-prone skin because it lacks the exceptionally safe, soothing, and clarifying ingredients like Niacinamide, Ceramides, BHA, and blue tansy found in higher-rated options. Oily acne-prone skin needs an exfoliant that pairs powerful blemish-fighting agents with soothing ingredients to clear pores and control oil without any risk of irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a poor fit for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is a weak match for your oily acne-prone skin because it contains methylisothiazolinone and menthol, which may cause irritation. An exfoliant for this skin type needs soothing and effective ingredients like niacinamide, ceramides, or BHA, along with a very safe formulation that cleanses deeply without causing any discomfort.
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
What does Glyceryl Stearate do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glyceryl Stearate helps keep oily, acne-prone skin soft and smooth by locking in moisture without feeling heavy. It works well in this type of product to blend oils and water together so the lotion stays light on your face. This ingredient is unlikely to clog your pores, though a great routine for this skin type also needs oil-balancing or clearing ingredients like salicylic acid or niacinamide.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This exfoliant is not a strong match for oily acne-prone skin, as this skin type needs gentle exfoliants with salicylic acid and soothing ingredients to clear pores without causing irritation.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
It is best to avoid using this scrub in the same routine as retinol, as combining strong exfoliants with retinol may cause excessive dryness and irritation on oily acne-prone skin. Instead, use your retinol at night and keep this scrub for a separate weekly routine.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
Start by using this exfoliant once a week, and if your oily skin tolerates it well and sees good results, you may carefully use it more often. An oily acne-prone skin type needs gentle chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid to clear pores and help prevent breakouts without causing irritation.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This scrub is unlikely to clog pores since salicylic acid helps cleanse pores and manage breakouts, but physical scrubbing grains and certain ingredients like menthol may irritate sensitive acne-prone skin. Oily acne-prone skin needs gentle chemical exfoliants and soothing ingredients that clear pores without harsh physical friction.
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, 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, 2020Cryotherapy 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, Glyceryl Stearate, Silica, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium Oleamido Mipa-Sulfosuccinate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Salicylic Acid, Stearamidoethyl Diethylamine, Butylene Glycol, Menthol, Trisodium Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Sulfate, Oleamide Mipa, Caramel, Methylisothiazolinone, Phenoxyethanol
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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