Noxzema Ultimate Clear Anti-Blemish Pads for sensitive skin
Salicylic Acid
Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf
Camphor
MentholCaution
- CautionNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for sensitive skin; the serums alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. 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 redness and irritation, as salicylic acid helps reduce blemishes, but it can be drying and potentially worsen sensitivity for your normal skin.
- The presence of alcohol denat and camphor may further irritate your skin, counteracting the exfoliating benefits.
How to apply
- Use your serum in the PM routine, starting 3 times a week before building up to daily use if your skin is happy.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin and wait a minute ⏱ for it to soak in.
- Since your skin is sensitive and easily irritated, apply the serum on completely dry skin to help keep it calm.
- Always do a patch test before your first use and avoid getting the serum too close to your eyes .
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 3.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this product is highly effective for oily and acne-prone skin, utilizing 2% salicylic acid to rapidly clear breakouts and deeply clean pores. Some users report a refreshing cooling sensation. However, due to high alcohol content and a strong eucalyptus scent, it can cause stinging and over-drying, making it unsuitable for sensitive or dry skin types.
Highlights
Cleans pores Often Mentioned
- “blown away with how much dirt was on my skin”
- “keeps my pores small”
- “I know I have 100 percent clean skin”
- “helps to clear pores”
Clears acne Often Mentioned
- “Helped clear up my son's acne quick”
- “heals my acne quicker and better than anything else”
- “1 a day cleared up my skin”
- “In less than three days, it had already improved the look of my skin”
Removes oil Often Mentioned
- “remove all excess oil from my skin”
- “takes away the oil that has accumulated”
- “leave my skin feeling clean and oil free”
- “prioritizes immediate degreasing”
Cooling sensation Sometimes Noted
- “cooling sensation rather than a burning sensation”
- “leaves my face feeling clean & fresh”
- “classic Noxzema tingle sensation”
- “cooling clean that feels as good as it works”
Causes stinging Sometimes Noted
- “It does burn a bit when you apply it”
- “stinging comes primarily from the 60%+ denatured alcohol”
- “Kinda burned my eyes and my nose a tiny bit”
- “burns your eyes strong”
Over-drying skin Sometimes Noted
- “excessive drying may occur”
- “eventually dry out”
- “too harsh for your skin type”
- “dehydration, peeling, or irritation”
Strong scent Sometimes Noted
- “scent is REALLY strong - like hard to breathe”
- “burns your eyes strong”
- “smell was strong when I first used them”
- “burns your eyes a bit”
Sources: lovi.care, walmart.com, kroger.com, dermapproved.com, meijer.com, target.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Noxzema Ultimate Clear Anti-Blemish Pads for sensitive skin?
Lovi advises caution because this product contains alcohol denat, camphor, and menthol, which may dry out and further irritate sensitive skin. A treatment for this skin needs soothing hydrating ingredients, antioxidants, and skin-repairing components to calm redness without causing irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a poor fit for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid, alcohol denat, eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, camphor, and menthol make this product a poor fit because they can dry out and irritate sensitive skin. A treatment for this skin needs soothing antioxidants, hydrating ingredients, and skin-repairing components like niacinamide and snail secretion filtrate to calm redness without causing dryness or irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Salicylic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid may cause irritation on sensitive skin, so it requires careful use and good sun protection to keep skin comfortable. A product for this skin type needs gentle, soothing ingredients and a mild formula that respects the skin barrier.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 1999International Journal of Toxicology, 2003
What does Eucalyptus Leaf Oil do for sensitive skin?
Eucalyptus leaf oil helps calm and soothe sensitive or inflamed skin by providing anti-inflammatory benefits, though it may occasionally irritate very reactive skin types. It is unlikely to cause issues when properly formulated, but sensitive skin often needs gentle, hydrating ingredients and barrier-repairing components to stay comfortable.
Where does this exfoliant go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This treatment is a poor fit for sensitive skin because its alcohol and camphor may cause irritation and dryness. This skin type needs gentle exfoliants and soothing ingredients like nourishing masks and hydrating cleansers instead.
Can I use this exfoliant with benzoyl peroxide, and in what order?
Using this product with benzoyl peroxide is not recommended, as the combination may cause excessive dryness and irritation on sensitive skin. A product of this type needs soothing and hydrating ingredients to protect the skin barrier while managing blemishes.
How often should I use this exfoliant?
This product is a poor fit for your sensitive skin, so you should use it only once a week to test how your skin reacts. Alcohol denat and camphor may further irritate your skin, counteracting the exfoliating benefits, so this skin type needs gentle exfoliants with soothing and hydrating ingredients instead.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This product is unlikely to clog pores, but it may cause breakouts or worsen redness for your sensitive skin because alcohol denat and camphor can dry you out and cause stinging. A product of this type needs gentle exfoliating ingredients and soothing hydrators to clear blemishes without stripping dry or easily irritated skin.
Is this exfoliant fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol denat).
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, 2010An 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, 2023Topical application of a methyl salicylate gel with turpentine essence, camphor, and menthol achieved skin penetration and significantly reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression compared to untreated controls in human skin explants.
Farmaceuticos Comunitarios, 2024Volatile compounds including 1,8-cineole, borneol, camphor, and thujone reduce PMA/I-stimulated IL-6 and IL-8 release by more than 50% in human gingival fibroblasts, proving more effective than rosmarinic acid.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2013Camphor induced human primary dermal fibroblast proliferation and collagen expression while reducing UV-induced MMP1 expression and wrinkle formation in mouse skin.
Phytotherapy Research, 2015Coadministration 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, 1995
Ingredients
Salicylic Acid, Alcohol Denat, Water, Peg-4, Ppg-11 Stearyl Ether, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil Leaf, Camphor, Menthol, 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.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
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PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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