This post will be reviewing The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque.
Whether you’re a newbie or veteran user of The Ordinary Skincare products, I’m sure you must have heard about the original Salicylic Acid Solution that was discontinued a few years ago. Instead of releasing the reformulated version, to pacify us, they gave us The Salicylic Acid Masque. Surprisingly, this has become a best-seller especially among those with oily acne-prone skin.
For someone like me with dry acne-prone skin, I was a bit sceptical about trying it. I generally stay away from clay masks because of how drying they can be. Plus, I’m not about to dehydrate my skin even further. But then, I run a Facebook group with over 40,000 women, I had to try it to give them more accurate recommendations.
So, I used this product on and off for about a month plus and I’m ready to share my thoughts with you.
First Impressions of The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque
According to The Ordinary;
Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is formulated to target lackluster tone and textural irregularities. The formula, infused with charcoal and clays, aims to enhance the appearance of smoothness and clarity, leaving the skin feeling refreshed. The structure of salicylic acid facilitates its lipophilicity and miscibility with the lipids located on the surface of the skin.
It is a suitable ingredient for targeting the removal of dead skin cells on the surface of oily and blemish-prone skin. With the purpose of revealing more radiant skin beneath. Charcoal and clays are ingredients renowned for their deep cleansing abilities. This due to their porosity and large surface area available for adsorption. They aid the removal of facial impurities that would otherwise remain on the skin surface and clog pores.
In comparison to Salicylic Acid 2% Solution, Salicylic Acid 2% Masque is a rinse-off formula. Leave on for no longer than 10 minutes in order to maximize the exfoliating benefits.
Ingredient List
As the name of the product implies, this is a rinse-off mask with 2% Salicylic Acid; the highest percentage you’ll get for any drugstore/over the counter product.
It’s also formulated with Kaolin Clay which is less drying but equally effective as Bentonite Clay. I’m guessing they wanted to make this product as inclusive as possible for all skin types prone to blemishes. The Vegetable Charcoal Powder gives the masque its nice black hue.
To top it off, they included Squalane and Glycerin to ensure even those of us with dry dehydrated skin can still benefit from the purifying properties of Salicylic Acid.
Like the rest of all the products from The Ordinary, it is alcohol, essential oil and fragrance-free.
Texture & Consistency
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque comes in a paste format which spreads very smoothly and evenly. I’ve applied it with both my hands and a silicone masque applicator and they both glided smoothly. Although, you have to be careful to avoid using too much product. Usually, three small squeezes from the tube are enough for my entire face.
Just like a regular clay mask, after application, the product dries down on your face until after 10 minutes when you should rinse out.
Avaliability & Price
Just a couple of weeks ago, The Ordinary released a 100ml version of the Salicylic Acid Masque. So, if it is your staple product and you use it regularly, you’re better off getting the 100ml. Otherwise, just get the 50ml. Both products are reasonably priced and easily accessible depending on what country you’re based in.
Review of The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque
The first and every other time I used this product, it stung a bit. This I figured was a result of the Salicylic Acid. But after reading other people’s experiences, I realized how common that was. So, I didn’t bother with it anymore because it eventually went away after the first couple of minutes.
As instructed, I apply on clean dry skin and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing out with warm water. I never use it more than once a week. Although you can use it up to twice a week. This is because I use other Salicylic Acid products at the same time.
Performance
There are two areas I want to cover in terms of how well the product performed;
- How my dry acne prone skin felt after rinsing out.
I was particularly looking forward to how my skin would feel after rinsing out. This would help me determine if I would continue using it. So, I went in expecting to leave with my dry skin that has been dehydrated by the clay. Surprisingly, my skin was not dry at all. In fact, I was really impressed by soft my skin was after rising out. This could only be as a result of Squalane being the third ingredient. With this experience, I had the confidence to continue using it when I needed to. In the history of clay masks I’ve ever used, this is probably the least drying product.
So, for those of you with dry acne prone skin still debating whether or not to use the Salicylic Acid Masque, yes you can definitely use it with no problems.
- How effective it was on my breakouts.
I’m currently using Retinal 0.1% which is stronger than Retinol so I’ve been purging a lot. I have an army of Salicylic Acid products that I alternate depending on the stage of the breakout. When I have a number of pimples at the same time that I’m trying to target, I reach out for this mask.
The first thing I noticed after using the masque was that by the next day, the inflammation and size of my breakouts have drastically reduced. So, instead of sore inflamed pimples, you have dried pimples with zero to no inflammations that disappear in a couple of days. The combination of Kaolin Clay and Salicylic Acid helps dry out the breakouts and reduce inflammations.
Bear in mind that if you want your breakouts to disappear completely without scarring, you’ll need to use the Masque up to twice a week consistently.
In Conclusion,
The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque is a great product for all skin types prone to blemishes and congestion. If you have sensitive skin, you’ll need to patch test first. Otherwise, you shouldn’t have any problems.
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