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SLMD Salicylic Acid Cleanser for oily skin

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes

SLMD Salicylic Acid Cleanser

High

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

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

  • Offers excellent cleansing for your acne-prone skin as salicylic acid effectively exfoliates and decongests pores, while beta-glucan and oat kernel extract support barrier repair. Rosa canina fruit extract and bisabolol further soothe and calm the skin, making it highly suitable for oily skin concerns.
  • The formula is designed to manage oily shine and control sebum production, addressing your main goal directly.
  • This product has a safe profile with no risks of irritation for your oily skin, thanks to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion 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

★4.5Overall rating based on 200+ reviews

This cleanser is highly praised for its effectiveness in clearing pores and reducing active breakouts, with many users noting smoother, healthier-looking skin. While it is marketed as non-stripping, some users with sensitive or combination skin report experiencing dryness or peeling, suggesting it may require careful integration into a routine.

Highlights

  • Clears acne Often Mentioned
    • “Works fast on active breakouts.”
    • “Chilled out five spots at once.”
    • “Never seen anything work that fast.”
  • Refreshed feel Often Mentioned
    • “Leaves skin feeling clean and refreshed.”
    • “Skin feels clean but not tight.”
    • “Fresh, clinical-but-clean vibe.”
  • Causes dryness Often Mentioned
    • “Made me feel pretty dry.”
    • “Causes that drying issue.”
    • “Skin started feeling super dry.”
  • Pleasant scent Sometimes Noted
    • “Smells really nice and fresh.”
    • “Smells so good.”
    • “Fresh, herby scent.”
  • Smooths texture Sometimes Noted
    • “Visibly smooths texture.”
    • “Skin looks smoother immediately.”
    • “Skin feels smooth from exfoliation.”
  • Leads to peeling Sometimes Noted
    • “Peeling is a big drawback.”
    • “I could peel off big chunks.”
    • “Peeling issue is a flaw.”
  • Not non-stripping Sometimes Noted
    • “Claims it's non-drying, I call bullshit.”
    • “Was really harsh on my skin.”
    • “Left my skin feeling stripped.”

Sources: lovi.care, influenster.com, slmdskincare.com, gopicky.com, youtube.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes SLMD Salicylic Acid Cleanser a great fit for oily skin?

SLMD Salicylic Acid Cleanser is a great fit because salicylic acid effectively exfoliates and clears out pores while managing oily shine and controlling sebum production. At the same time, beta-glucan, oat kernel extract, rosa canina fruit extract, and bisabolol help soothe and calm your skin with a safe profile that 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 skin?

Salicylic acid makes this cleanser a great fit for your oily skin because it effectively exfoliates and decongests pores, while beta-glucan and oat kernel extract support barrier repair. Rosa canina fruit extract and bisabolol further soothe and calm the skin, and the formula manages oily shine and controls sebum production.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

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 Rosehip Fruit Extract do for oily skin?

Rosehip Fruit Extract helps balance oily skin by providing lightweight moisture that keeps your face feeling soft without clogging pores or feeling heavy. It is rich in vitamins that help calm the skin and keep it smooth, while supporting a clear complexion.

Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily skin?

This cleanser is used in the morning and evening routine for oily skin, followed by a hydrating toner, moisturizer, and sunscreen in the morning, and a makeup remover, cleansing toner, treatment, and moisturizer at night. It offers excellent cleansing and helps manage oily shine while keeping your skin calm.

Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this cleanser with retinol by using the cleanser first and applying your retinol afterwards. When combining active ingredients, using gentle and soothing formulas helps keep your skin calm and is unlikely to cause irritation.

How often should I use this cleanser?

This cleanser is a great fit for your oily skin and helps manage shine while keeping pores clear. You can use it daily as part of your morning and evening routine, as it is designed with a safe profile and soothing ingredients that minimize the likelihood of irritation.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?

This cleanser helps clear pores and is unlikely to clog them or cause breakouts on oily skin, because salicylic acid deeply exfoliates and decongests pores while managing excess oil. Although some reviewers report dryness and peeling, the formula includes soothing ingredients like bisabolol and beta-glucan to help calm your skin.

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023

Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?

This cleanser is not intended for use around the eyes because the thin skin there easily reacts to active ingredients and foaming cleansers. It may be used on the body, especially on areas prone to breakouts where its ingredients can help clear pores and manage oily shine safely.

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002

Is this cleanser 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, 2024

  • The 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, 2023

  • Skin care regimens containing beta-glucan improved hemoglobin index, skin hydration, and transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in 20 patients undergoing fractional laser therapy.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021

  • A 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, 2020

  • Cryotherapy 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, 2010

  • Treatment 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, 2024

  • Topical 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

  • Topical treatments containing rosehip extract may reduce the size and erythema of postsurgical scars through macrophage polarization and inflammatory cytokine inhibition, though current clinical evidence remains insufficient to recommend its routine use.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024

  • Sunflower and rosehip oil nanoemulsions prepared with a mix of phospholipids and synthetic emulsifiers permeated intact skin to the dermis and showed a more prominent healing effect in a human organotypic skin explant culture wound model compared to nanoemulsions prepared only with phospholipids.

    Pharmaceutics, 2023

  • Topical treatment with rosehip seed oil stimulates hair growth in telogenic C57BL/6 mice by inducing the early transition of hair follicles from the telogen to the anagen phase and upregulating hair growth-associated genes.

    Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, 2023

  • Topical green tea extract significantly improved clinical symptoms, tear breakup times, and meibomian gland health compared to standard treatment in patients with dry eye and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

    Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 2017

  • Topical low-dose green tea extract reduces UVB-induced p53 expression and apoptosis in human skin keratinocytes compared to placebo.

    Experimental Dermatology, 2009

  • An anti-acne hydrogel containing Aloe barbadensis, Garcinia mangostana, and Camellia sinensis extracts showed superior antiacne and antiblotch activities compared to 1% clindamycin gel in sixty subjects with mild-moderate acne.

    Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2019

  • An ointment containing larch turpentine, eucalyptus oil, and turpentine oil improved discomfort scores (7.3 vs. 4.7) and increased complete healing (67% vs. 46%) compared to placebo in outpatients with painful skin abscesses over 10 days.

    Complementary Medicine Research, 2023

  • Application of an alpha-bisabolol-containing cream produced a significant skin-lightening effect in pigmented skin compared to a vehicle control in the majority of female subjects after 8 weeks.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2010

  • The combination of allantoin, bisabolol, D-panthenol and dipotassium glycyrrhizinate reduces UVB-induced PGE2, inflammatory cytokines, and mitochondrial superoxide in human epidermal keratinocytes.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2024

Ingredients

Salicylic Acid, Water, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Glycerin, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Rosa Canina Fruit Extract, Myristoyl Tetrapeptide-13, Acetyl Carboxymethyl Cocoyl Glycine, Beta-Glucan, Bisabolol, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Extract, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Witch Hazel Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf, Menthol, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Edta, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide

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.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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How does it fit your skin?

Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.

QR code: get the Lovi app
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play