Huxley Secret of Sahara Cleansing Foam for oily acne-prone skin
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract
Glycerin
Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract Tangerine Peel Extract
Average
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily acne-prone skin; other cleansers 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 cleansing for your oily skin, as myristic acid and lauric acid effectively remove impurities and excess oil, while Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract and Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract help regulate sebum production.
- While it provides good pore cleansing, the formula lacks specialized ingredients to directly address your concerns with acne, blemishes, and breakouts.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, with no risk of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract.
How to apply
- Use this cleanser as part of your AM and PM routine. Start using it daily to help clear your breakouts.
- Apply this cleanser as the first step in the morning and right after your pre-cleanser in the evening. Follow it with your toner and moisturizer.
- Gently massage a small amount of the cleanser onto your face using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry.
- Apply the cleanser on slightly damp skin to help clean deeply and remove excess oil. This works best for oily skin types.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Do a patch test before your first use.
People Say
★4.2Overall rating based on 100+ reviewsBased on limited data, users describe this cleanser as a rich, creamy foam with a unique blue tint that provides a thorough "squeaky clean" feeling without immediately stripping the skin. While many appreciate its deep cleansing ability and luxurious lather, it is best suited for normal to oily/combination skin, as some users with very dry or sensitive skin found it slightly drying or irritating due to the strong fragrance.
Highlights
Signature scent Mostly Mentioned
- “Fresh floral smell”
- “spa-like fragrance”
- “relaxing aroma”
- “cactus scent”
Effective cleansing Often Mentioned
- “Removes makeup”
- “deep cleans pores”
- “removes sebum”
- “squeaky clean finish”
Luxurious texture Often Mentioned
- “Rich creamy foam”
- “dense lather”
- “soft bubbles”
- “blue color”
Hydrating ingredients Sometimes Noted
- “Contains cactus oil”
- “blue agave”
- “non-drying for most”
- “leaves skin soft”
Strong fragrance Sometimes Noted
- “Overpowering scent”
- “perfume-like”
- “potential irritant”
- “lingers too long”
Eye irritation Rarely Noted
- “Stings eyes”
- “burns if enters eyes”
- “not for eye makeup”
Potentially drying Rarely Noted
- “stripping for dry skin”
- “tight feeling”
- “caused dry patches (for some)”
Price Rarely Noted
- “Expensive”
- “pricey for cleanser”
- “small tube size”
Sources: lovi.care, iherb.com, yesstyle.com, go-picky.com, reddit.com, klipshop.co.uk, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Huxley Secret of Sahara Cleansing Foam work for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser works moderately well for oily skin by clearing away excess oil and impurities, but it lacks specialized ingredients to directly target your acne and breakouts. A cleanser for this skin needs soothing and effective ingredients like Niacinamide, Ceramides, probiotics, or salicylic acid to address acne while balancing oil and keeping the skin clear.
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?
Myristic acid and lauric acid help remove excess oil, while Opuntia ficus-indica stem extract and quillaja saponaria bark extract help regulate oil production. Because it lacks specialized ingredients for breakouts, a cleanser for this skin needs soothing and effective ingredients like Niacinamide, Ceramides, salicylic acid, or probiotics to clear blemishes and balance oil without irritation.
What does Prickly Pear Extract do for oily acne-prone skin?
Prickly Pear Extract helps calm angry, red skin and supports healing with its anti-inflammatory properties, making it a soothing addition to an oily routine. It is unlikely to clog pores while providing light moisture and antioxidant protection to keep skin balanced.
BioMed Research International, 2015Journal of Medicinal Food, 2015
What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?
Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Where does this cleanser go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser goes in your morning and evening routine as the first or second cleansing step to wash away excess oil and impurities. Oily acne-prone skin also needs targeted ingredients like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide to directly clear and prevent breakouts.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this cleanser in the same routine as retinol, applying the cleanser first to wash your face before putting on your retinol treatment. This cleanser is unlikely to cause irritation on oily skin, but to get the best results for breakouts, this skin type needs targeted blemish-fighting ingredients in the cleanser or treatment steps.
How often should I use this cleanser?
You can use this cleanser daily in the morning and evening to help remove excess oil and impurities from your oily skin. It offers a safe and moderate clean, but an oily acne-prone routine ultimately needs specialized blemish-fighting ingredients to properly target breakouts.
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts because it safely removes excess oil and impurities without harsh ingredients. However, because the formula lacks specialized acne-fighting ingredients, oily acne-prone skin needs a product that also includes targeted blemish-clearing components.
Can I use this cleanser around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this cleanser on your body, but you should avoid the very thin skin around your eyes. Cleansers used near the eyes need to be extra gentle to prevent irritation, and this formula does not target that delicate area specifically.
Is this cleanser fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no fragrance and contains drying alcohol (alcohol).
What the research says
Opuntia ficus-indica extract and its isorhamnetin-glucosyl-rhamnoside suppressed nitric oxide, COX-2, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 production in vitro and inhibited croton oil-induced ear edema in vivo.
BioMed Research International, 2015Opuntia ficus-indica extract activated AHR-NRF2 signaling, inhibited reactive oxygen species generation, and upregulated filaggrin and loricrin expression in human keratinocytes.
Journal of Medicinal Food, 2015Pre-treating normal human keratinocytes with an Opuntia ficus-indica cladode water extract protected against UVA-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis by inhibiting free radicals, lipid peroxidation, and GSH depletion.
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2017A 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, 2001Emulgels containing Perilla frutescens seed oil, Moringa oleifera seed oil, and mixed seed oil microemulsions exhibit good stability, lack of cytotoxicity in PBMC, and no skin irritation or allergic reactions in human subjects.
Polymers, 2022Moringa seed oil stimulated sebaceous lipogenesis, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, and exhibited a low n-6/n-3 index in cultured human SZ95 sebocytes compared to untreated cells.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023Topical Moringa oleifera seed oil and its main constituent oleic acid reduced acute and chronic skin inflammation and epidermal hypertrophy in mice through glucocorticoid receptor activation without dexamethasone-like adverse effects on organ weights.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2020Topical application of Citrus reticulata fruit extract provided instant relief from lactic acid-induced skin discomfort and increased skin tolerance by inhibiting TRPV1 activation and expression.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2023Fermented Citrus unshiu peel extract inhibited MMP-1 expression and decreased SA-beta-gal positive cells by approximately 45% at 0.1% concentration in ultraviolet-A-irradiated human dermal fibroblasts compared to untreated irradiated cells.
Phytotherapy Research, 2012
Why other cleansers fit oily acne-prone skin better
Topical application of Lactobacillus plantarum-GMNL6 enhanced collagen synthesis and SPTSSA gene expression while reducing melanin synthesis, Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and Cutibacterium acnes proliferation, leading to clinical improvements in skin moisture, color, spots, wrinkles, UV spots, and porphyrins in human volunteers.
International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021A panthenol-enriched mask improved skin hydration, regulated sebum, and reduced redness and TEWL across dry sensitive, oily sensitive, and oily acne skin subgroups with excellent tolerance and no adverse reactions.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024A novel emulsion containing niacinamide, lens esculenta seed extract, and white willow bark extract effectively improved acne, blackheads, and conspicuous facial pores in 30 subjects with oily skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Water, Peg-8, Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Lauric Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Palmitic Acid, Alcohol, Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract, Nymphaea Caerulea Flower Extract, Citrus Reticulata Peel Extract Tangerine Peel Extract, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Bentonite, Coco-Glucoside, 1,2-Hexanediol, Peg-150 Distearate, Polyquaternium-7, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Peg-14m, Caprylyl Glycol, Silica, Citric Acid, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Disodium Edta, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Ultramarines
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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