Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Cleanser

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

~Nay

"I just assumed that this would be a good product for oily acne-prone skin, but it had fragrance in it, had menthol in it, had glycolic acid in it. Menthol is a sensitizer to the skin, fragrance is your number one cause of contact dermatitis and it's a co-sensitizer. [...] There are 4,000 different fragrances and you don't know how your skin is going to react and you get delayed reaction. [...] Menthol [...] should not be in skin care either."

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 it had fragrance in it, had menthol in it, had glycolic acid in it. Menthol is a sensitizer to the skin, fragrance is your number one cause of contact dermatitis and it's a co-sensitizer. [...] There are 4,000 different fragrances and you don't know how your skin is going to react and you get delayed reaction. [...] Menthol [...] should not be in skin care either."

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"It's denatured alcohol, it's 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."

The Budget Dermatologist

724k subs

~Yay

"Neutrogena also makes a good example of this cleanser for your anti-aging routine acne wash. Check it out, 2% salicylic acid. You might recognize this from like many years ago if you are a millennial like me who probably used this in your teenage years, but this is not the same cleanser that you use when you are a teenager. This is actually now reformulated to be fragrance-free and dye-free, so it's not actually orange, it's just the label."

All 2 takes from The Budget Dermatologist

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"Neutrogena also makes a good example of this cleanser for your anti-aging routine acne wash. Check it out, 2% salicylic acid. You might recognize this from like many years ago if you are a millennial like me who probably used this in your teenage years, but this is not the same cleanser that you use when you are a teenager. This is actually now reformulated to be fragrance-free and dye-free, so it's not actually orange, it's just the label."

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"Both contain 2 percent salicylic acid and it's listed in the active ingredients just like I taught you, so this is a good choice for a chemical exfoliating salicylic acid cleanser."

Dr. Mamina

282k subs

~Yay

"Neutrogena has their oil-free acne wash. That's a classic."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

~Yay

"Did you guys see that Neutrogena came out with a fragrance-free version of their oil-free acne wash? I'm excited for that."

All 6 takes from Dr Dray

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"Did you guys see that Neutrogena came out with a fragrance-free version of their oil-free acne wash? I'm excited for that."

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"This is a favorite of mine personally, it is the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash. This has been around for a really really long time, so it has a long standing track record of being useful for people who have acne. [...] I've personally used it, I've recommended it to acne patients, it's reliable, it's good. It does have fragrance though, and fragrance can be irritating to the skin, some people are allergic to fragrance, and if you are allergic to fragrance you'd want to avoid it."

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"I've used the Neutrogena oil free acne wash as a teenager all the time. [...] I prefer to not have that Dawn dish soap smell of the dupe, and I like the texture of the Neutrogena one better, it's just a silkier smoother lather to it."

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"I prefer the Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash, I prefer the consistency of the Neutrogena one better."

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"I've been using Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash for years. It has two percent salicylic acid."

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"I used this salicylic acid face wash in the 90s to treat my acne, especially on my forehead and nose where I was prone to breakouts, and this really helped me a lot. I use it pretty much every morning and I still highly recommend it. [...] They haven't really changed the formula or packaging much. [...] Salicylic acid is also good beyond acne—it helps remove sun-damaged skin cells and can help improve hyperpigmentation."

Dr. Jenny Liu

324k subs

~Yay

"Neutrogena, their oil-free cleanser in that orange bottle, that iconic one, those are all great and fairly affordable options."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"Neutrogena, their oil-free cleanser in that orange bottle, that iconic one, those are all great and fairly affordable options."

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"If you're allergic to benzoyl peroxide because some people can or benzoyl peroxide is just too irritating, then salicylic acid would be a good alternative. Any salicylic acid cleanser that's the most affordable that will allow you to get more bang for your buck is what I recommend. I think Neutrogena with the 2% salicylic acid is a great one, but you can certainly use a salicylic acid cleanser alternating with your benzoyl peroxide if you're able to do that or in place of your benzoyl peroxide."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

~Mixed

"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. It has 2% salicylic acid and fragrance, but it's honestly super basic. I still don't know why they raised the price."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Nay

"They're a grapefruit cleanser, I mean for real, a grapefruit cleanser. A lot of their stuff is great. They've, in my opinion, recently been doing a lot better in terms of allergens and fragrance and things like that, but they still have a lot of stuff that they've made that has a ton of fragrance in it. So be on the lookout. Neutrogena is another brand that really markets to sensitive skin or to people that want a simple routine without a lot of added irritant and things like that."

Doctorly

3.59M subs

~Mixed

"The hero product here was Neutrogena for like ever, I don't know if you remember that like 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 and so it's probably not the best product out there."

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.73M subs

~Mixed

"This is a good alternative because it's at 1% salicylic acid. I wish they marketed it better—maybe they could have said salicylic acid for sensitive skin—because it is not as strong as the 2% classic salicylic acid. But [...] it can help at least with some of the acne if you have oily skin but you are sensitive."

All 3 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss

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"Neutrogena also has your salicylic acid cleanser"

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"This is a good alternative because it's at 1% salicylic acid. I wish they marketed it better—maybe they could have said salicylic acid for sensitive skin—because it is not as strong as the 2% classic salicylic acid. But [...] it can help at least with some of the acne if you have oily skin but you are sensitive."

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"The salicylic acid Neutrogena is the one everyone thinks of, the orange one, the oil-free acne wash is probably what I think of when I think of salicylic acid. If you have acne or you're breaking out or you're extremely oily this one's for you just don't overuse it because it will overstrip your skin and you will make more oil in the process."

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

Frequently asked.

What is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Cleanser?

A 2% salicylic acid cleanser designed to remove oil and help clear acne-prone skin.

Is Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Cleanser worth it?

The gurus are split. 4 of the 9 gurus give it their stamp of approval while 2 would skip it, which lands it in the middle at a Guru Score of 62%.

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

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Cleanser holds a Guru Score of 62%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 9 expert reviewers we have collected.