The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution for oily skin
Salicylic Acid
Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Citric Acid
Average
- SuperiorOily Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
Works for oily skin; other products 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
- This solution offers moderate exfoliation for your oily skin, with salicylic acid and witch hazel leaf water working to decongest pores and regulate oil production. While beneficial for general skincare, its support for your specific oily shine concerns is mild.
- The formula provides basic hydration and cleansing, with salicylic acid offering mild exfoliation that is supportive but not targeted for your oily shine concerns.
- The product is safe for your oily skin, as it lacks harsh ingredients and includes soothing witch hazel leaf water, posing no risk of irritation.
How to apply
- Use this exfoliant product as part of your PM routine once a week. Start slowly and build up frequency only if your skin tolerates it well.
- Apply the exfoliant after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the exfoliant into your skin and let it absorb fully. Avoid any harsh rubbing to keep your skin calm.
- Apply the exfoliant directly onto completely dry skin to get the best balance and results. Clean, dry skin helps the product work evenly.
- Always avoid the delicate eye area when applying. Be sure to use a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ daily while using exfoliating acids.
People Say
★3.6Overall rating based on 2.5k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is highly effective and affordable for acne-prone and oily skin, significantly reducing blemishes and clogged pores. Users frequently criticize the current formulation for foaming and leaving a sticky residue, which is a departure from previous versions.
Highlights
Clears acne Mostly Mentioned
- “pimples disappear within a day”
- “cleared my cystic acne”
- “stopped new breakouts”
Great price Mostly Mentioned
- “can't beat the price”
- “affordable acne solution”
- “great value for money”
Improves texture Often Mentioned
- “skin feels smoother”
- “helped with texture”
- “unclogged my pores”
Foaming texture Often Mentioned
- “foams up like soap”
- “turns white when applied”
- “weird soapy texture”
Sticky finish Often Mentioned
- “feels very sticky”
- “tacky residue”
- “pills under makeup”
Effective spot treatment Sometimes Noted
- “great for spot treating”
- “shrinks zits overnight”
- “dries out spots quickly”
Drying and irritating Sometimes Noted
- “dried out my skin”
- “caused peeling”
- “stinging sensation”
Initial purging Rarely Noted
- “caused bad purging”
- “broke out at first”
- “worse before it got better”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, ulta.com, influenster.com, reddit.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% work for oily skin?
This solution works moderately well for your oily skin, offering basic decongestion and mild oil regulation. While it is safe and unlikely to cause irritation, an exfoliant treatment for this skin needs effective ingredients like niacinamide, ferulic acid, and zinc PCA to control excess oil and shine.
Which ingredients make this exfoliant a good fit for oily skin?
Salicylic acid and witch hazel leaf water make this exfoliant a fit by clearing out pores and helping control extra oil. To work best for oily skin, this type of product needs ingredients like niacinamide, zinc PCA, and ferulic acid to better manage shine and pores, alongside soothing extracts and hydrators.
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
What does Water do for oily skin?
Water helps keep oily skin hydrated without adding grease or clogging pores. Keeping oily skin properly hydrated may also help balance oil production and reduce unwanted shine.
Where does it go in a skincare routine for oily skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine once a week to start, and can be used more often if your skin tolerates it well. Oily skin needs a product of this type with stronger pore-clearing and oil-regulating ingredients like salicylic acid and niacinamide.
Can I use this exfoliant with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this exfoliant with retinol by applying them on alternating nights rather than at the same time to help keep your skin calm and lower the likelihood of irritation. For your oily skin type, this routine needs a gentle approach that combines oil-regulating ingredients like salicylic acid with soothing components such as witch hazel leaf water.
How often should I use it?
Start using this treatment once a week in your evening routine, and if your skin handles it well, you may carefully use it more often. This gentle approach helps clear clogged pores and regulate oil without causing irritation.
Can this exfoliant clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily skin?
This exfoliant is unlikely to clog pores, but initial purging may occur as it clears your oily skin. It also helps manage oily shine and keeps skin smooth, though oily skin often needs stronger oil-balancing ingredients and targeted pore-clearing benefits to truly thrive.
Is it 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, 2020Hamamelis bark proanthocyanidins strongly increased the proliferation of cultured human keratinocytes and reduced transepidermal water loss and erythema formation in SLS-irritated skin, whereas the polysaccharide fraction had no effect.
Phytochemistry, 2001Cryotherapy 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, 2010Topical application of a novel gel containing 18% potassium complex, 10% dimethylisosorbide, and 72% aqueous hydroxyethyl cellulose provides rapid pain relief and inhibits chronic inflammation in patients with TMJ disorders, muscles of mastication, and myofascial pain usually within 5 minutes.
The Journal of Oral Implantology, 2007Fabricated dissolving microneedles composed of sodium hyaluronate, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and gamma-polyglutamic acid exhibited structural integrity, sufficient mechanical strength for skin penetration, in vivo dissolution within 1 hour, and no erythema or edema with rapid pinhole disappearance in mice.
Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 2026Hydroxyethyl cellulose as a structural modifier in surfactant-free cosmetic serums limited moisture loss to approximately 5% after 30 minutes and improved structural uniformity compared to HEC-free formulations.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2026A novel composition containing salicylic acid, capryloyl salicylic acid, HEPES, glycolic acid, citric acid, and dioic acid showed similar tolerance and efficacy compared with clindamycin 1% and benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in subjects with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2013Daily treatment with a facial serum containing multiple acids reduced post-inflammatory hyperchromia lesion grade and number by 29.4% at 56 days, and decreased skin oiliness by 30.7% at 7 days in Brazilian patients with acne vulgaris.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021Topical 20% citric acid lotion increases viable epidermal thickness and dermal glycosaminoglycan content in sun-damaged skin compared to vehicle alone.
Dermatologic Surgery, 1997
Why other products 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, Witch Hazel Leaf Water, Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Salicylic Acid, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Ethoxydiglycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol
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
How does it fit your skin?
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