The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution

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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✓Yay

"Well, The Ordinary has an anhydrous salicylic acid, this is basically BHA in oil and I'm so happy they launched this because this is so good. It has no water in it, so it's anhydrous. If you're someone who loves a good oil serum but you have acne and you're like I'm so dry, I love an oil and it breaks me out every time, this is going to be a best friend."

Top Pick: acne treatment for dry skin

All 6 takes from Cassandra Bankson

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"The Ordinary has a really good Salicylic Acid 2% Solution. If you have acne you'll love that. However, if you have sensitive skin and acne, the Aloe and Niacinamide solution is so good."

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"Well, The Ordinary has an anhydrous salicylic acid, this is basically BHA in oil and I'm so happy they launched this because this is so good. It has no water in it, so it's anhydrous. If you're someone who loves a good oil serum but you have acne and you're like I'm so dry, I love an oil and it breaks me out every time, this is going to be a best friend."

Best Acne Products Under $35 Dollars

"This is wonderful for anyone who is struggling with acne and dry skin because a lot of the acne products out there do tend to dry dry skin out even more. You can use it under or over a moisturizer either on its own or as part of an entire acne prone routine, [...] but this is absolutely beautiful for the dry skin people out there that still tend to break out."

Dry Skin & Acne Skincare Routine 🌵

"Squalane is basically almost identical to that oil that our skin naturally produces that makes up that acid mantle that skin barrier that is damaged in dry skin. So now we're giving the skin salicylic acid but in a form of an oil that replenishes our skin barrier. This is amazing and this is one of my favorite dry skin products from the ordinary. You can still use it if you have oily skin but this definitely gives you that lightweight oil feel."

I Bought Into The Hype — This Is What Happened…

"This is oil soluble so it seemed like a very authentic fit. I'm comparing this to their original salicylic acid solution, and this one has [...] squalene oil, which is the hydrogenated version of squalene that our skin naturally produces. [...] This is a really interesting solution that can burn if you use it improperly, but it's a budget version that is still really good for acne-prone skin."

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ORDINARY'S SALICYLIC ACID?! VS THE NEW SALICYLIC ACID ANHYDROUS SOLUTION

"I feel like this is excellent for people who have dry skin and acne and like this oily texture. [...] If you have acne and dry skin and you've always struggled to find something that doesn't strip things for you, this might be an unsung hero. This is two percent salicylic acid so I would recommend it for evening use. [...] I feel like this is a really unique formula especially because there aren't a lot of oil salicylic acids out there."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

✓Yay

"One of the main reasons I got excited about this is we get questions all the time about having acne and sensitive skin, [...] and this is actually going to help fill that space, especially for the over-the-counter world, because this gives you a salicylic acid but squalane is just such a soothing, moisturizing ingredient. It's like a humectant and a moisturizer. This actually provides that dry, sensitive, acne-prone skin with an actual simple and easy to use product."

Mad About Skin

728k subs

✓Yay

"Salicylic acid is actually oil soluble. So it binds to oil and it goes into the pores. It flushes out dirt, debris, excess sebum, blackheads, sebaceous filaments, all gone. It just makes sense to have salicylic acid in an oil-based formula. And so it baffles me that no other brands seem to be doing this. There are a couple on the market, but they come with quite bougie price points. The Ordinary are, to my knowledge, the only affordable drugstore priced oil-based salicylic acid."

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 Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution?

A 2% salicylic acid treatment in an anhydrous oil base designed to treat acne without over-drying the skin.

Is The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution worth it?

Yes. All 3 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 88%.

What is The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution's Guru Score?

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Anhydrous Solution holds a Guru Score of 88%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 3 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.