Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment.

Haircare

About this product

A pre-wash salicylic acid exfoliating treatment for the scalp, designed to remove buildup and treat oily or congested scalp conditions.

Full ingredients

Water (Aqua/Eau), Propanediol, Salicylic Acid, Betaine, Panthenol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Polyquaternium-37, Hexylene Glycol, Capryloyl Glycine, Citronellyl Methylcrotonate, Sodium Hydroxide, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Guru Score

84%

Yay

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

2Gurus

1Yay

0Mixed

1Nay

What they liked

Targets hairline acne and scalp breakouts
Removes scalp buildup
Works as a pre-wash treatment

What they flagged

May not show noticeable results for everyone

What the gurus are saying

Hairline acne and scalp buildup from products are this treatment's strength when applied before shampooing or directly to problem spots. Gurus praise its 2% salicylic acid and hydrating panthenol for oily or product-prone scalp, though it may not work for everyone and those with dry or eczema-prone scalp should limit use to once or twice weekly. The treatment won't cure serious conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, so see a dermatologist if needed.

Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take June 2024

Best for

Oily skin Acne-prone skin

Type

HaircareLiquid

Key actives

Salicylic acid (BHA)

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Amazon → Google →

Opens a search for this product. We do not sell anything ourselves.

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.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Cassandra Bankson

2.45M subs

✓Nay

"This right here is from The INKEY List, it's a Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment. I don't feel like this made much of a difference so I'm probably not going to continue using this."

Top Pick: scalp exfoliating treatment

All 5 takes from Cassandra Bankson

f it... i'm microneedling my scalp? (everything i'm doing for my hair loss) [Dec 2023]

"This right here is from The INKEY List, it's a Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment. I don't feel like this made much of a difference so I'm probably not going to continue using this."

Best and Worst Products From The Inkey List

"This is the Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment and just the way this salicylic acid cleanser is amazing for those who have acne or blackheads. If you get hairline acne, if you get pomade acne, if you are someone that gets acne in your hairline, this is so good. If you get a crusty scalp, if when you scratch you get snowflakes, this is so good. Now this is not going to cure dandruff, it's not going to cure any scalp condition, right, especially if you have psoriasis or eczema or seborrheic dermatitis, see a dermatologist, get a diagnosis, probably get a prescription. But if you're someone who just has like a thick scalp, if your scalp is thick and it's not due to lupus, this stuff baby is so good. I also love the nozzle, the application of this is so easy. It's a nice lightweight formula and it doesn't nasty up your hair. I massage it in either before I shampoo or sometimes I do this after I'm out of the shower and I sleep with it in my scalp overnight. Again, so good, especially if you get acne right around your hairline from using different hair products."

🧀 Got Scalp Cheese? How I Got Rid Of It - How To Remove Scalp Buildup & Scalp Exfoliation Favorites

"The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment is a liquid that you can put into your part or into any of those areas that you're struggling with, and especially if you get hairline acne this can help so much because salicylic acid is medically proven to help with acne. This is made for the scalp and made for the hair, and it's the exact same thing as using a skincare product on your scalp, only with salicylic acid instead. The entire reason I started exfoliating my scalp regularly was because of this."

What I'm Doing About My Hair Loss…

"The salicylic scalp exfoliating treatment. I have been using this. I am having some hairline acne and I think it's scene skin's fault because I've been breaking out a ton. But I do have some breakouts kind of in my scalp area. This really has been helping. If you have scalp acne, this is amazing. Or if you have just like a ton of scalp buildup, this will stop all of that. Bomb diggity."

5 Things People Don't Realize are Triggering Their Acne

"The Inkey List has a salicylic acid hair treatment, it's actually a scalp treatment, and yes salicylic acid is recommended by the derms and doctors that I've worked with for people who have scalp acne or scalp pimples. It's a beta hydroxy acid, it works on the face and it works here too."

Dr. Jenny Liu

322k subs

✓Yay

"One I really recommend is from The INKEY List, their Salicylic Acid Oily Scalp Treatment. That is essentially a pre-washed exfoliating treatment that you will apply on your scalp and then you jump in the shower and wash that off. It contains 2% salicylic acid as well as panthenol that's hydrating, so overall a great scalp treatment to use. And again, just like facial exfoliants, you don't want to overdo it. At most, like once or twice a week depending on your scalp type. In general, these type of exfoliating treatments with salicylic acid is better suited for those that have more like flaky, oily scalp, dandruff-prone that needs kind of that type of additional exfoliation to remove buildup. If you have more eczema-prone, dry scalp, this is probably something not that you can't use, but you definitely want to just limit the use."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment?

A pre-wash salicylic acid exfoliating treatment for the scalp, designed to remove buildup and treat oily or congested scalp conditions.

Is The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment worth it?

Mostly yes. 1 of the 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment's Guru Score?

The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Treatment 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. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.