Gleanser + SA Non-Drying Salicylic Acid Cleanser — Reddit Reviews
by Prequel
Updated October 27, 2026
Salicylic acid cleanser for occasional use; daily use leaves skin dry and red.
What the community says
A 1% salicylic acid wash people slot into evening routines when they want exfoliation without a leave-on step. Redditors report daily use can trigger irritation, dryness, redness, or a greasy-feeling finish, making frequency the real deal-breaker.
What this means for you
What people love
- 1% salicylic acid with 50% glycerin
- Fits simple PM cleansing routines
Watch out for
- Daily use can trigger irritation, dryness, and redness
- Painful cystic cheek breakouts reported after starting
- Can feel oily and rinse away incompletely
Product details
Skin type data limited
Where to buy
What the science says
Acne
Some evidence
Salicylic Acid: 16 studies tested it directly. See all 34 studies
What the studies found
- Most studies found salicylic acid helped clear acne
- It often reduced pimples, blackheads and whiteheads
- It often worked about as well as other common acne treatments
- Used with other acne treatments, it sometimes cleared acne better than the other treatment alone
- Side effect results were uncertain when compared with benzoyl peroxide
Studied at 0.5–30%this product: 1%
Research context, not treatment advice. Studies are about the ingredient, not necessarily this exact product.
Real Reddit threads — 8 mentions across 6 threads
Prequel Gleanser + SA Non-Drying Salicylic Acid Cleanser on Reddit, in one place — 6 threads from r/SkincareAddiction and r/30PlusSkinCare, summarized.
“PM: prequel oil cleanser, prequel salicylic acid cleanser”
Positive
“Salicylic acid daily paired with the Azelaic acid is likely causing the irritation.”
Positive
“I think using the SA cleanser everyday is probably the reason 😔”
Positive
“And sometimes use prequel salicylic acid cleanser”
Positive
“My current routine consists of:”
Positive
“I recently started using the prequel salicylic acid cleanser and it’s only been about a week and I have painful cystic acne.”
Cautionary
“But after starting this face wash I have cystic acne on my cheeks which I haven’t had in forever!”
Cautionary
“your chin/jaw. Getting deep painful cysts on your cheeks is 100% a reaction, not purging.”
Cautionary
“which is recovering from the prequel salicylic acid cleanser I tried and regret”
Cautionary
“The acne is getting better but it's still very dry and red.”
Cautionary
“Cleanser - prequel + SA non-drying salicylic acid cleanser”
Cautionary
“sometimes I feel like this makes my face oily and doesn’t come off fully when I try and remove it”
Cautionary
“Would be willing to change this since it might be for more oily skin than mine”
Cautionary
“As for cleansers I have used:”
Mentioned
“Prequal salicylic acid cleanser”
Mentioned
