Ilso

Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener.

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About this product

A sebum-softening treatment applied with a cotton pad to loosen and remove blackheads and pore filaments from the face.

Full ingredients

Water, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glycerin, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Codonopsis Lanceolata Root Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Sinense Flower Extract, Butylene Glycol, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Viscum Album (Mistletoe) Leaf Extract, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Isostearate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Phytosterols, Ethylhexylglycerin, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Sodium Gluconate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Panthenol, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Squalane, Glucose, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Malus Domestica Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Papain, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Origanum Vulgare Leaf Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Madecassoside, Citric Acid

Guru Score

84%

Yay

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

2Gurus

2Yay

0Mixed

0Nay

What they liked

Gentle exfoliation without stinging
Removes sebum and dead skin without irritation
Works on stubborn congestion across T-zone

What they flagged

Uses up quickly

What the gurus are saying

Clearing blackheads and sebum filaments without the irritation that usually comes with pore strips, this treatment pairs gentle exfoliation with centella and chamomile to soothe while it works. Reviewers report instant visible results and long-term congestion control, with successful use documented over a year and a half. Those with combo or oily skin may want to focus on the T-zone and give it 10-15 minutes to work.

Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take December 2025

Best for

Oily skin Acne-prone skin

Type

Liquid

Key actives

Squalane

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Yay

"This doesn't sting because it kind of soothes whilst you're doing it. It's very gentle. [...] I love this. It's gratifying because you get those instant results that you want from something like a pore strip without the irritation, but long-term it also really just helps keep everything congestion-free."

All 5 takes from James Welsh

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"ILSO sebum softener has to be one of the only products that have made an instant difference to the appearance of my enlarged looking pores. This is a sebum melting liquid that you pour over a cotton pad, leave on your skin for about 10 to 15 minutes, and then once you take it off you'll see loads of like whiteheads, sebaceous filaments, all that kind of stuff either on the surface of your nose or it's just been completely softened."

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"I absolutely love this. I don't know why more people don't use these type of products that can help with the look of pores on your nose and anywhere else on your face without having to irritate and rip stuff out. I wish more people used this or knew of it."

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"This is the Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener. My go-to for clearing blackheads, sebaceous filaments without ripping and squeezing. You soak this in a cotton pad, leave it for 10 to 15 minutes, then use a little spatula to gently remove all the gunk. They do give you cotton pads to use, but I found better ones, these nose paw strip shaped cotton ones from Amazon. They just cover your nose so perfectly, there's not a single bit of congestion or clogged pore that goes untreated."

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"My favorite being Ilso sebum softener. These are liquids that you kind of put on a cotton pad. You lay it over your nose and you leave it for about 15 minutes. And then you very gently scrape your nose, usually with a tool that you usually have to buy separately, but that I got free in this kit. So you scrape it off and all that gunk, all that excess sebum, blackheads just kind like pop out of your skin. I love these."

CYoung

95k subs

✓Yay

"You saturate a cotton pad with this and leave it on the area you want to target for 10 to 15 minutes, then gently slide it with a cotton swab and rinse with water. [...] It does an excellent job at removing stubborn nose filaments and cleaning them around my T-zone. I did it on my forehead, chin, and nose, but [...] if you're dry or combo skin, try just the T-zone. You'll use this up really quickly, but they run promotions on it, and I think if you care about your pores this works much better."

Frequently asked.

What is Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener?

A sebum-softening treatment applied with a cotton pad to loosen and remove blackheads and pore filaments from the face.

Is Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener worth it?

Yes. All 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener's Guru Score?

Ilso Super Melting Sebum Softener holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.