What is salicylic acid and can it reduce my spots and pore size?

Plus three products with salicylic acid to introduce to your skincare routine

Settling on an SA cleanser can be like setting up your fussiest friend

Salicylic acid is a face-changer for oily, acne-prone skin but settling on an SA cleanser can be like setting up your fussiest friend. Mr Oily-or-Acne-Prone is naturally demanding. Beyond basic washing, he’ll want something to reduce shine, kill bacteria, shrink pores, and fade red marks. Rosacea flare-ups must be tamped down. Ceramides that counteract the drying effect of cleansing are a plus. Even if his oily skin isn’t spotty, there may be rough texture he’d like to even out. If he has a beard, dead cells can linger where there’s hair and he may experience seborrheic dermatitis where they enter and inflame the follicles. Salicylic acid cleansing reduces the risk of this by clearing those cells regularly.