Paula's Choice Clear Daily Skin Clearing Treatment for oily skin
Benzoyl Peroxide
Salicylic Acid
Glycyrrhiza Glabra Root Extract Licorice Root Extract
Allantoin
BisabololAverage
- HighOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for oily skin; other serums fit it 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 moderate benefits for oily shine on your oily skin, as benzoyl peroxide helps control oil and reduce acne, complemented by bisabolol and allantoin for soothing irritation.
- While effective for acne, the formula is not specialized enough to fully address your primary concern of oily shine.
- The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of soothing components.
How to apply
- Use this serum in your PM routine. Start by applying it 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toning, but right before your moisturizer for the best results.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin. Let it absorb ⏱ for a minute before applying the next product.
- Apply the serum on clean and dry skin since your skin is not sensitive and you want to target oily shine. This helps control excess oil throughout the night.
- Avoid the delicate eye area and do a patch test before using the serum for the very first time.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 400+ reviewsThis benzoyl peroxide treatment is highly effective at clearing acne, including cystic and hormonal types, with many users experiencing rapid results and a pleasant matte finish. A notable number of reviews mention that the product can be drying, necessitating the use of a good moisturizer to avoid flaking.
Highlights
Effective acne clearance Often Mentioned
- “Clears cystic acne, hormonal breakouts, back acne, prevents future zits.”
Fast acting Often Mentioned
- “Results seen overnight, significant clearing in weeks, "magic" speed.”
Drying and flaking Often Mentioned
- “Causes dry patches, peeling skin, requires heavy moisturizing.”
Gentle formulation Sometimes Noted
- “Less irritating than drugstore BP, lightweight texture, matte finish, non-greasy.”
Long-lasting value Sometimes Noted
- “A little goes a long way, tube lasts months, worth the investment.”
Bleaches fabrics Sometimes Noted
- “Bleaches towels, pillowcases, clothes, hair.”
Expensive price Sometimes Noted
- “Pricey compared to drugstore alternatives, small tube size.”
Fades redness Rarely Noted
- “Helps calm inflammation, reduces redness, improves skin tone.”
Packaging issues Rarely Noted
- “Leaky cap, spills easily, difficult to dispense small amounts.”
Sensitizing and stinging Rarely Noted
- “Burns upon application, stings sensitive skin, causes redness.”
Sources: lovi.care, paulaschoice.com, sephora.ph, amazon.com, influenster.com, youtube.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Paula's Choice Clear Daily Skin Clearing Treatment work for oily skin?
This treatment is an average fit for oily skin because, while benzoyl peroxide helps control oil and acne, the formula is not specialized enough to fully address oily shine. To work best for oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc pca, and soothing extracts that control excess oil, manage pores, and keep the skin comfortable.
Which ingredients make this treatment a good fit for oily skin?
This treatment works for your oily skin because benzoyl peroxide helps control oil and reduce acne, while bisabolol and allantoin soothe irritation. To better fit oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients like niacinamide and zinc PCA to manage excess oil and enlarged pores, along with light hydrators and soothing extracts for comfortable daily use.
What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for oily skin?
Benzoyl peroxide helps clear up acne on oily skin by targeting multiple causes of breakouts, though it may occasionally cause irritation. When used in treatments, it significantly reduces both inflamed and uninflamed pimples.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
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
Where does this treatment go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Oily skin also needs oil-controlling ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide along with oil-free moisturizers to manage shine effectively.
Can I use this treatment with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this treatment with retinol by applying them on alternate nights or using retinol in your evening routine and this treatment at a different time, as combining them directly may cause dryness and irritation. To properly care for oily skin, a product of this type needs ingredients that control oil and soothe the skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024American Family Physician, 2012
How often should I use this treatment?
This treatment works well in the evening as part of your routine for oily skin. You can start using it once a week, and if your skin feels comfortable and you see good results, you may carefully use it more often.
Can this treatment clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on oily skin, as benzoyl peroxide helps control oil and clear acne. However, oily skin still needs a product with specialized oil-controlling ingredients to fully manage oily shine.
Is this treatment fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
Topical benzoyl peroxide may improve acne more effectively than placebo or no treatment, while showing little to no difference compared with adapalene or clindamycin, but with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects compared to placebo.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020A 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, 2020Twice 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, 2024Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel achieved significantly greater treatment success and lesion reductions compared to vehicle in participants with moderate-to-severe acne.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023Daily application of adapalene 0.3%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel reduced and prevented atrophic acne scar formation, achieving a total scar count change of -15.5% versus +14.4% for vehicle over 24 weeks in 67 subjects with moderate or severe facial acne.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2018Cryotherapy 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, 2010Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025Topical application of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Sophora japonica flavonoid-rich fractions individually and in combination significantly increased the wound healing rate and reduced oxidative stress compared to wound and Nolaver-treated groups.
Molecules, 2023Topical gel containing chitosan, 0.2% chlorhexidine, allantoin and dexpanthenol did not improve postoperative comfort regarding swelling and pain, but improved the wound's aesthetic appearance following impacted lower third molar extraction compared to no gel.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2016A topical gel containing chitosan, chlorhexidine, allantoin, and dexpanthenol significantly reduced postoperative pain, trismus, swelling, and analgesic consumption, while improving wound healing after third molar surgery compared to a placebo.
Medicina Oral, Patologia Oral Y Cirugia Bucal, 2020An overnight patch containing Allium cepa extract and allantoin safely promotes scar healing after dermatologic surgery, resulting in significantly greater reductions in observer- and patient-assessed POSAS scores compared to no treatment.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2018Application 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, 2010The 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
Why other serums fit oily skin better
A 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, 2024Niacinamide and ferulic acid incorporated in a stable multiple emulsion successfully reduced melanin, sebum, and skin erythema while improving skin elasticity and hydration in human skin compared to a placebo.
BioMed Research International, 2022
Ingredients
Water, Benzoyl Peroxide, Propylene Glycol, Bisabolol, Allantoin, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Citrate, Laureth-4, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium Edta, Hexylene Glycol, Phenoxyethanol
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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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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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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