Murad Clarifying Cleanser for sensitive skin
Salicylic Acid
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
Menthol
Silver Citrate
Caution
- LowNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- RiskySafety
A poor match for sensitive skin; the cleansers 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 redness and irritation due to salicylic acid and urea, which can cause dryness and irritation for your normal skin with sensitivity. Trehalose and betaine are included to help mitigate this dryness.
- The cleansing action is moderate, with sodium c14-16 olefin sulfonate helping to decongest pores.
How to apply
- Use your cleanser in the AM and PM routines every day. Start using it daily since your sensitive skin needs gentle care.
- Apply this first in your morning and evening skincare routine before toner and moisturizer. This clears away dirt without upsetting your skin.
- Gently massage a small amount onto your face using soft circles. Avoid any rough rubbing to keep redness away.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help it wash away impurities softly. Clean skin feels fresh and comfortable afterwards.
- Avoid getting the cleanser in your eyes and do a quick patch test before first use. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 5.0k+ reviewsThis gel cleanser is widely praised by users with oily and acne-prone skin for its ability to significantly reduce breakouts and control excess oil using encapsulated salicylic acid. While effective for deep cleaning, it is potent and frequently cited as drying or stripping, making it less suitable for sensitive or dry skin types without careful hydration. The summary is based on a very large amount of data and should be definitely taken into account.
Highlights
Clears acne effectively Mostly Mentioned
- “significantly decreased my breakouts”
- “bumps and acne are smoothing out”
- “kills all bacteria on face”
- “cleared up my chin acne”
Controls oil and shine Often Mentioned
- “dissolves excess oil”
- “skin doesn't feel as oily”
- “keeps my face matte”
- “controls shine for hours”
Deep clean feeling Often Mentioned
- “pores feel like they are breathing”
- “feels squeaky clean”
- “removes all grime”
- “leaves skin fresh”
Drying and stripping Often Mentioned
- “dried me out like a prune”
- “skin feeling tight and dry”
- “left face flaky and red”
- “stripped my moisture barrier”
Cooling sensation Sometimes Noted
- “tingly cooling sensation”
- “cools your face”
- “feels refreshing and minty”
- “nice cooling effect”
Lathers well Sometimes Noted
- “little goes a long way”
- “lathers up really well”
- “rich foam”
- “only need a pea size”
Causes purging/breakouts Sometimes Noted
- “caused breakouts and cystic acne”
- “purging phase never stopped”
- “made things worse at first”
- “gave me huge pimples”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “expensive for a face wash”
- “waste of money”
- “price is steep”
- “not worth the cost”
Medicinal scent Rarely Noted
- “smells like pine-sol”
- “strong chemical smell”
- “medicinal scent”
- “scent is overpowering”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “paint coming off tube”
- “leaks in the shower”
- “hard to get product out”
- “packaging peels off”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, amazon.com, dermstore.com, murad.com, and more
Questions and answers
Why does Lovi advise caution with Murad Clarifying Cleanser for sensitive skin?
Lovi advises caution because this cleanser contains salicylic acid and urea, which may cause dryness and irritation for sensitive skin. A product of this type needs effective hydrating and soothing ingredients like niacinamide and ceramide-3 to keep the skin calm and comfortable.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a poor fit for sensitive skin?
Salicylic acid and menthol make this cleanser a poor fit, as they may cause dryness and irritation for sensitive skin. Cleansers for this skin need effective hydrating and soothing ingredients like Niacinamide and Ceramide-3 to cleanse without stripping moisture.
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 Cocamidopropyl Betaine do for sensitive skin?
Cocamidopropyl Betaine helps cleanse the skin, but it may cause irritation or allergic reactions in sensitive skin because of impurities like amidoamine. Sensitive skin needs cleansers with very well-tolerated ingredients like sodium cocoyl glutamate that do not trigger redness or rashes.
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This cleanser goes in the morning and evening routine for sensitive skin, but because it can cause dryness and irritation, a cleanser for this skin needs to be mild and hydrating to keep the skin calm and comfortable.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
This cleanser may be too harsh for sensitive skin when combined with retinol, as it contains strong ingredients that can cause dryness and irritation. If you choose to use them together, apply the cleanser first, rinse thoroughly, and follow with your retinol and a gentle moisturizer to help calm your skin.
How often should I use this cleanser?
This cleanser requires caution on sensitive skin because its salicylic acid and strong cleansing ingredients may cause dryness and irritation, though it includes betaine to help comfort the skin. A sensitive skin routine needs a gentle, mild cleanser that washes away dirt without stripping moisture, paired with soothing and hydrating ingredients.
Skin Research and Technology, 2003The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
Yes, this cleanser may cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin, as reviewers frequently report it being drying and stripping. To safely care for sensitive skin, a cleanser of this type needs soothing ingredients like betaine and calming plant extracts to keep skin comfortable without causing irritation.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
This cleanser may be too harsh for the thin skin around the eyes and is better suited for the body. Because sensitive skin needs gentle care, a cleanser of this type for sensitive skin needs soothing extracts and gentle cleansers to keep skin calm and hydrated without irritation.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Skin Research and Technology, 2003
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene and parfum).
What the research says
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, 2010A 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, 2020Treatment 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, 2024The cytotoxic effect of sodium lauryl sulphate on normal human keratinocytes was significantly decreased when combined with cocamidopropyl betaine, Tween 20, and Tween 80 at concentrations well below the critical micelle concentration.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2003Topical 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, 2017Topical low-dose green tea extract reduces UVB-induced p53 expression and apoptosis in human skin keratinocytes compared to placebo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2009An 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, 2019Coadministration 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
Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Inositol, Taurine, Betaine, Methyl Gluceth-20, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Butylene Glycol, Cimicifuga Racemosa Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Silver Citrate, Peg-150 Distearate, Menthol, Zea Mays Starch, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Hydrolyzed Corn Octenylsuccinate Starch, Glyceryl Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Polysorbate 80, Citric Acid, Disodium Edta, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Limonene, Citrus Reticulata Oil Leaf Tangerine Oil Leaf, Citronella Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Citrus Nobilis Peel Oil Mandarin Orange Peel Oil, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil Apricot Kernel Oil, Parfum, Salicylic Acid
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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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
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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