Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser for dry skin
Salicylic Acid
Glycerin
Peg-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Panthenol
Caution
- CautionDry Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A poor match for dry skin; the cleansers alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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 dry or flaky skin due to the presence of salicylic acid, which can help decongest pores but lacks emollient ingredients to provide necessary hydration for your dry skin.
- While salicylic acid offers mild cleansing benefits, the absence of ingredients like glycerin means it may not adequately address your dry skin's need for moisture.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser AM and PM every day to keep your skin clean. Start using it daily right away since your skin is not sensitive.
- Apply this cleanser as the very first step in your morning routine and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow with your toner and moisturizer afterwards.
- Gently massage a small amount of cleanser onto your face using soft circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean towel.
- Apply this cleanser on slightly damp skin for a comfortable and refreshing wash. This helps maintain your skin's natural moisture while cleansing away dirt.
- Avoid getting the cleanser directly into your eyes to prevent any irritation. Do a simple patch test before your first use to ensure your skin likes it.
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 700+ reviewsUsers with oily, acne-prone, and combination skin frequently praise this cleanser for its ability to reduce breakouts and unclog pores without stripping the moisture barrier. While most find it leaves skin feeling soft and thoroughly cleansed of makeup and oil, a minority of users with drier or highly sensitive skin experienced tightness, flaking, or irritation.
Highlights
Effective acne control Mostly Mentioned
- “Helped clear my cystic acne”
- “keeps my breakouts at bay”
- “noticed fewer blackheads within weeks”
- “essential for maintaining clear skin”
Gentle & non-stripping Often Mentioned
- “Doesn't strip my skin”
- “gentle enough for daily use”
- “leaves face feeling soft not tight”
- “soothing on inflamed skin”
Thorough cleansing Often Mentioned
- “Removes all my makeup easily”
- “cuts through oil instantly”
- “face feels incredibly clean”
- “takes off waterproof sunscreen”
Pleasant gel texture Sometimes Noted
- “Silky gel feel”
- “lathers up perfectly”
- “rinses off without residue”
- “a little goes a long way”
Drying for some Sometimes Noted
- “Made my skin flaky”
- “felt very tight after washing”
- “dried out my cheeks”
- “too harsh for winter use”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Cap broke immediately”
- “leaks when traveling”
- “dispenses too much product”
- “hard to close the lid”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “Caused a burning sensation”
- “turned my face red”
- “broke me out in a rash”
- “stung my eyes”
Unpleasant scent Rarely Noted
- “Smells like plastic”
- “has a weird chemical odor”
- “scent is off-putting”
- “smells like glue”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com.au, dermstore.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, paulaschoice-eu.com, influenster.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with the Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser for dry skin?
This cleanser is a poor match for dry skin because it lacks hydrating ingredients to provide necessary moisture while cleaning. A cleanser for dry skin needs essential ceramides, sodium hyaluronate, or niacinamide to maintain moisture and protect the skin barrier.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a poor fit for dry skin?
Salicylic acid makes this cleanser a poor fit because it clears pores but lacks the softening and moisturizing ingredients needed by dry skin. A cleanser for dry skin needs gentle, hydrating ingredients like essential ceramides, sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide, and prebiotic thermal water to support the moisture barrier and keep skin soft.
What does Salicylic Acid do for dry skin?
Salicylic acid is generally not a good fit for dry skin, as it is meant to clear out pores and remove dead skin rather than hydrate. Because dry skin needs soothing and moisture rather than exfoliation, a product for dry skin needs nourishing ingredients like urea to lock in moisture and keep the skin soft.
What does Glycerin do for dry skin?
Glycerin helps dry skin by drawing in moisture and keeping it locked in, which makes the skin feel much softer and smoother. It also supports your natural skin barrier to stop water from escaping easily. A product for dry skin needs extra ingredients like hyaluronic acid and soothing plant extracts to truly calm and hydrate dry patches.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This cleanser goes into your morning and evening routine before hydrating toners and moisturizers. Because it contains salicylic acid and lacks moisturizing ingredients, a cleanser for dry skin needs gentle cleansing agents paired with rich, soothing hydrators to keep your skin soft and comfortable.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You may use this cleanser with retinol, but because it lacks hydrating ingredients for dry skin, it needs gentle, moisture-restoring ingredients and rich emollients to protect your skin barrier.
How often should I use this cleanser?
This cleanser may not be a good fit for dry skin because it lacks the moisturizing ingredients needed to keep your skin soft and comfortable. When using a cleanser of this type on dry skin, you need soothing and hydrating ingredients like glycerin and panthenol to prevent dryness and irritation.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores since it contains salicylic acid to help clear them out, but it may feel too drying and irritating for dry skin. A cleanser for this skin type needs gentle, hydrating ingredients like glycerin and rich moisturizing agents to protect your skin barrier.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser is not recommended for dry skin because it lacks nourishing, moisturizing ingredients like glycerin to prevent tightness and dryness. A cleanser for this skin type needs hydrating ingredients and gentle softening agents to keep the skin comfortable and smooth.
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, 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, 2010A 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, 2017The 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, 2001Sodium lauroyl sarcosinate in facial cleanser decreased prokaryotic microbial alpha diversity, altered prokaryotic microbiome structure, increased phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine, and decreased ceramides on facial skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024Coacervates formed from mixed micelles of sodium lauroylsarcosinate and cocamidopropyl betaine with cationic guar gum exhibited a dense porous structure with high viscoelastic modulus under strong electrostatic interactions, and a looser mesh structure with lower viscoelasticity and enhanced skin adsorption under weakened interactions.
Soft Matter, 2024Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002Moisturizer containing 5% panthenol, madecassoside, and copper-zinc-manganese decreased adverse reactions and downtime after ablative fractional carbon dioxide laser resurfacing with comparable efficacy to 0.02% triamcinolone acetonide cream in 20 subjects.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2019Topical dexpanthenol formulated in lipophilic vehicles improved stratum corneum hydration and reduced transepidermal water loss compared to vehicle control in humans.
Arzneimittel-Forschung, 2000
Ingredients
Salicylic Acid, Water, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Acrylates Steareth-20 Methacrylate Copolymer, Glycerin, Peg-200 Hydrogenated Glyceryl Palmate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Arginine, Butylene Glycol, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Panthenol, Disodium Edta, Citric Acid, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sodium Citrate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin
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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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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Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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