Salicylic Acid
Results
Side Effects

Widely available in over-the-counter skin care products in 0.5 - 2% strength, salicylic acid helps shed skin cells as well as reduce inflammation in the skin.

It's generally recommended to apply a salicylic acid-containing product 1-2 times per day, depending on your skin's tolerance and the product type.

3.6
6049
Read All About Salicylic Acid
Compare To Other Treatments
5
32.8%
4
28.4%
3
17.3%
2
10.9%
1
10.6%

Used Salicylic Acid? Rate It:

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May 28, 2013
Product used: Clearasil (Ultra Acne Marks Wash and Mask)

Pros:

It doesn't break me out even if I use a lot of the product in one day
It is gentle and eliminates all oil from face
Reduces size of pimples and slightly fades marks.

Cons:

Expensive where I live. It costs $12 per bottle
Also being discontinued in most stores where I live. Its really hard to find.
Packaging is ridiculous. Wish it was a pump bottle.

Great product. Have been successfully using it for almost 2 months with not problems whatsoever
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April 20, 2013
Product used: Clearasil (Ultra Overnight Lotion)

Pros:

• Works well
• Moisturizing
• Non-drying
• Gets rid of most pimples overnight/reduces size
• Not too heavy
• 2% salicylic acid

Cons:

• Quite pricey
• Doesn't get rid of cysts

I've used this overnight lotion for more than a year and it's made my skin alot better! Although it doesn't get rid of my large pimples, overnight it manages to shrink and dry up, and sometimes completely get rid of my small-medium sized pimples. The 2% salicylic acid isn't too strong and doesn't affect my sensitive skin. I really like this product as it works effectively overnight so I can feel better about my face in the morning. Definitely recommend this product!
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March 27, 2013
Product used: Neutrogena (Oil-Free Acne Stress Control, Power-Clear Scrub)

Pros:

-Smells Great!
-Helps out a little with my acne.
-Kind of cheap.

Cons:

-None so far...

It helps out when you start to use it but acne comes back either way.
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January 27, 2013
Product used: SkinCeuticals (Blemish + Age Defense)

Pros:

none

Cons:

made me break out even more. spent almost $200 on the cleanser, toner and serum and i stopped using them. waste of money!

save your money.
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December 16, 2012
Product used: Neutrogena (Clear Pore Oil-Eliminating Astringent)

Pros:

-Great for acne on back, chest and shoulders.
-Controls oil
-Helps with large pores, blackheads and whiteheads

Cons:

-weird smell

I used to have terrible acne all over by body, it was painful and left scars. But since I've been using this my acne is about 90% gone. I usually use it at night before bed. Definetly worth a try!
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November 21, 2012
Product used: Aveeno (Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer)

Pros:

doesn't break me out
smells amazing
moisturizing, feels nice on skin
can be put on morning and nighttime

Cons:

doesn't seem to clear up acne especially
salicylic acid too weak, but this way it can be used twice a day
expensive compared to other moisturizers

Slightly on the expensive side, so I'm looking for a stronger lotion with benzoyl peroxide for when this lotion runs out, but I will keep using it until it does
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October 11, 2012
Product used: Clean & Clear (Dual Action Moisturizer Oil-Free)

Pros:

Lightweight
Inexpensive
Medicated

Cons:

Not very mosturizing
Doesnct't do much

This product would be the perfect product for someone with oily skin who doesn't have a lot of acne. Unfortunately for me I have very dry skin and did not like this very much at all!
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September 27, 2012
Product used: Murad (Acne Body Wash)

Pros:

- calms body acne
- smells good
- exfoliating beads

Cons:

- doesn't clear acne (may prevent new ones)
- can become drying

Besides having a crap ton of facial acne, I tried using this on my bacne because I was using Murad for my face. I used this product for about 5 months and the only thing I would really commend it that it calms down body acne that's inflamed. If it's red, sensitive, or itchy - it'll cool down your skin really nice. Besides that there's not much more I could say. I still had (and have) back acne and after about 1 month it's as if my skin gave the wash the silent treatment - no difference at all. It did not work for me, but it may work for others. Don't mark it out. Try it, but don't hold your breath too long.
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September 9, 2012
Product used: Clean & Clear (Dual Action Moisturizer Oil-Free)

Pros:

Light, comfortable. Fresh feeling on my skin. I used it on my face, chest and neck.

Cons:

I have very large pores. Even my radiologist noticed it during a mammogram/sonogram. It aggravates my acne. I noted more comegenes, and blackheads after use.

Good for mild, small pore acne. But, for large pored oily skin like mine. Not a wise choice.
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August 26, 2012
Product used: Dermalogica (Overnight Clearing Gel)

Pros:

Not too drying, doesn't smell strongly, doesn't bleach your bedding!

Cons:

Price, insanely expensive. A word of warning your acne WILL get worse when you start using this as it starts to clear out the blocked pores. I had some really horrible spots on my neck and forehead in the first month.

I've had hormonal acne for years (from 14, I'm now 31), it disappears when I'm on the pill but I'm fed up of pumping my body full of hormones all the time. I decided to try Dermalogica products despite the price as I was so sick of using benzyl peroxide gel nightly and still having red marks from my acne and dry patches that in my opinion were almost as bad as the spots! Also I had blackheads that benzyl peroxide did nothing to clear so the spots never went away and I hate the bleach stains on my towels, bedding and clothes. I'm using this gel in conjunction with the special cleansing gel, multi-active toner, daily microfoliant and active moist (oil free moisturiser) and my skin feel really smooth, the blackheads are going and the oil has calmed down. I hate the price but I think it's worth it to have clearer skin. If you're going to use Dermalogica products go for the facial mapping first in store as I know I would have chosen completely the wrong products that would have been too drying and maybe made things worse.
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