Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: a Guru Score of 62%

Every take, in full

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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"I just assumed that this would be a good product for oily acne-prone skin, but again it had fragrance in it, had menthol in it, had glycolic acid in it. So menthol is a sensitizer to the skin, fragrance is your number one cause of contact dermatitis and it's a co-sensitizer. This is a thing that there are 4,000 different fragrances and you don't know how your skin is going to react and you get delayed reaction. What's going to happen after years? I mean, menthol is just it just should not be in skin care either. Especially, imagine your acne oily-prone skin which is already inflamed, it's got free fatty acids that are going berserk in your skin, irritating your skin, leading to pigmentation and red marks and then you go and put menthol on it which is a sensitizer. It's just not a good idea."

All 2 takes from Dr. Vanita Rattan

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"I just assumed that this would be a good product for oily acne-prone skin, but again it had fragrance in it, had menthol in it, had glycolic acid in it. So menthol is a sensitizer to the skin, fragrance is your number one cause of contact dermatitis and it's a co-sensitizer. This is a thing that there are 4,000 different fragrances and you don't know how your skin is going to react and you get delayed reaction. What's going to happen after years? I mean, menthol is just it just should not be in skin care either. Especially, imagine your acne oily-prone skin which is already inflamed, it's got free fatty acids that are going berserk in your skin, irritating your skin, leading to pigmentation and red marks and then you go and put menthol on it which is a sensitizer. It's just not a good idea."

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"Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash contains denat alcohol, which is a marketing trick. The reason they put it into an acne product is because it evaporates quickly and so you get that quick dry feeling. The problem is it tends to trigger more acne because there's a negative feedback loop. When there's less sebum on the skin it actually tells your glands to produce more sebum. It also contains fragrance, which leads to contact dermatitis, and when you already have inflamed skin from acne the last thing you want to do is put on an irritant."

Dr. Mamina

279k subs

~Approved

"Neutrogena has their Oil-Free Acne Wash. That's a classic."

Cassandra Bankson

2.45M subs

~Mixed

"It has 2% salicylic acid and fragrance but it's honestly super basic so I still don't know why they raised the price. I do think it kind of worked, it was salicylic acid it was fine, but when my acne was at its worst it was severe it was chronic it was cystic and it took over my face chest and back and the Neutrogena cleanser just didn't cut it. I remember it being like $5... it's no longer $5."

Dr. Jenny Liu

318k subs

~Approved

"Neutrogena with the 2% salicylic acid is a great one. Any salicylic acid cleanser that's the most affordable that will allow you to get more bang for your buck is what I recommend. You can certainly use salicylic acid cleanser alternating with your benzoyl peroxide if you're able to do that or in place of your benzoyl peroxide."

Doctorly

3.57M subs

~Mixed

"The hero product here was Neutrogena for like ever, with that orange pump top bottle. It still is pretty effective, but it's fragranced and I think that we've made a lot of advances in skincare since then, so it's probably not the best product out there. I actually don't like the smell of the Neutrogena one even though it's the one that I use growing up. It just maybe reminds me of childhood and kind of like that Proactiv smell bothers me."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.71M subs

~Mixed

"Neutrogena also has your salicylic acid cleanser."

Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash?

A foaming gel cleanser with 2% salicylic acid designed to remove excess oil and help treat acne-prone skin.

Is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 62%.

What is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash's Guru Score?

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash holds a Guru Score of 62%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 independent expert reviewers we have collected.