Salicylic Acid: How and When to Use Salicylic Acid

Article Published: 8 January 2022

Learn how to use Salicylic Acid in your skincare routine and discover how Salicylic Acid Benefits skin, exfoliates and unclogs pores.

Salicylic Acid – it’s not quite your Hyaluronic Acid or Niacinamide, but it’s still an ingredient worth incorporating into your skincare routine. It’s been used topically on the skin for over 2,000 years so what makes this ingredient stand the test of time?

Salicylic Acid Benefits for Skin

Salicylic Acid for Exfoliating Clogged Pores

Salicylic Acid is categorized as a BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) and its particularly known for its exfoliating abilities – it helps to exfoliate the skin and unclog the pores and may help clogged pores from forming in the first place.

Salicylic Acid for Breakouts

Salicylic Acid has been shown to help with breakouts and blemishes on the skin such as blackheads and whiteheads. As a Beta Hydroxy Acid it’s a recommended option for helping to clear up and prevent blackheads and whiteheads. As such you will often find Salicylic Acid as a key ingredient in products and over the counter treatments which are designed to help manage mild and moderate breakouts.

Products with Salicylic Acid

If you tend to have issues with congestion and clogged pores – Salicylic Acid is definitely an ingredient worth looking to incorporate into your skincare routine.

For some daily exfoliating action – our Clarifique Face Essence is a standout. Designed to be used as an exfoliating and skin texture refining facial treatment Clarifique visibly improves uneven skin texture & tone while minimizing the appearance of pores. You can find Salicylic Acid as a key ingredient alongside Organic Beech Bud Extract and Glycolic Acid. Use it day and night before applying your face serum to prepare skin for any other products you apply.

For a weekly (or bi-weekly) quick skin refresh you can find Salicylic Acid as a key ingredient in our Rose Sorbet Cryo-Mask which is designed to be used twice a week after your regular cleansing routine. Made with Salicylic Acid, Rose Water and Meadowsweet Extract, its pink sorbet texture cools and mattifies, revitalizing tired, dull skin. In just five-minutes the cooling face mask instantly re-energizes skin and reveals a rosy glow as it works to tighten pores, smooth skin texture and even skin tone.

Salicylic Acid isn’t just limited to face masks and exfoliating treatments – you can also find it in moisturizer. Our Hydra Zen Gel Cream Moisturizer has a bouncy, gel-like texture and is formulated with a blend of Rose Extract, Salicylic Acid, Moringa Seed Extract, and Peony Root Extract, this soothing moisturizer helps visibly reduce redness, dullness, and fatigue to reveal glowing skin. It’s also a great moisturizer for oily skin.

Ingredient Compatibility with Salicylic Acid

Salicylic Acid is a star ingredient on its own thanks to its exfoliating properties – but you may wonder what other ingredients it works well with. For example, how does a combination of Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid benefit skin?

Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid

The sound of using two acids together may not sound the most appealing, but Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid can play nice together. As an AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) Glycolic Acid regularly used for its exfoliating and clarifying benefits. It can even help to improve the appearance of skin tone, texture and radiance. You will often find the two ingredients together in a variety of different exfoliating products (including our Clarifique Facial Essence). The addition of both ingredients helps to provide exfoliating action as Glycolic Acid is known to exfoliate the skin’s outer surface and Salicylic Acid helps to remove dead cells from skin surface and

Salicylic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid

As Salicylic Acid works to exfoliate and is typically associated with products designed to help unclog pores and manage mild to moderate breakouts Hyaluronic Acid serves a different purpose – although it may have acid in its name but it’s unlike its exfoliating Salicylic Acid and Glycolic Acid counterparts. Known for its hydration benefits Hyaluronic Acid can help improve skin hydration , reduce the look of fine lines and improve skin elasticity . This makes the two great ingredients to include in your routine as Salicylic Acid can sometimes be drying on the skin. You will often find Salicylic Acid and Hyaluronic Acid paired together in skincare products.

Salicylic Acid and Vitamin C

Vitamin C isn’t the most stable ingredient so it sometimes doesn’t play well with acids –however you can find a combination of both Salicylic Acid and Vitamin C in our Clarifique Facial Essence. The formula contains Salicylic Acid to remove dead skin cells from skin surface and also includes Vitamin Cg, a stable vitamin C derivative.

Tip: use our E-Youth Finder Skin Analysis tool to help you find products for you.

Shop Salicylic Acid skincare at Lancôme.

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2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5172479/
3 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acne/in-depth/acne-products/art-20045814
4 https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-get-rid-of-blackheads/
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7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5172479/
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