Daily Care Acne Pads With Salicylic Acid, Maximum Strength — Reddit Reviews
by Stridex
Updated August 19, 2026
Maximum strength 2% salicylic acid pads clear acne and exfoliate; drying and harsh.
What the community says
These no-rinse pads deliver 2% salicylic acid to clear acne and exfoliate pores. They're best for oily and acne-prone skin needing chemical exfoliation. The formula is drying and can burn sensitive or dry skin, so use cautiously and moisturize well.
What this means for you
What people love
- Maximum strength 2% salicylic acid
- Affordable and widely available
- Effective for acne and KP treatment
Watch out for
- Drying and irritating to sensitive or dry skin
- Pads can be hard to separate and use
- May cause initial redness or burning sensation
Product details
Skin Type
Product Traits
Key Ingredients
Where to buy
Real Reddit threads — 82 mentions across 30 threads
Stridex Daily Care Acne Pads With Salicylic Acid, Maximum Strength on Reddit, in one place — 30 threads from r/30PlusSkinCare, r/AsianBeauty and 5 more, summarized.
“Same, but with Stridex. I genetically have oily skin and this stuff still doesn’t dry me out.”
Positive
“Stridex still work for me whenever I need them. You’re supposed to rub a little on your acne spots only, not the entire face…”
Positive
“Stridex in the red tub is still bomb. The salicylic acid really helps to chemically exfoliate and even out rough skin texture.”
Positive
“Those Stridex pads are actually excellent though. It's just 2% salicylic acid.”
Positive
“Yes, I came here to defend red Stridex. Alcohol free, 2% salicylic acid, fairly affordable.”
Positive
“I use it on the backs of my arms and legs for kp and it works excellent.”
Positive
“I use bha, stridex, along my jaw line and it's worked for dealing with hormonal acne”
Positive
“Ditto for sebaceous filaments along nose.”
Positive
“I started using wait times for it and it ended up being pretty harsh.”
Positive
“I've tried glycolic acid, stridex, cerave SA cream for rough and bumpy skin.”
Cautionary
“KP/strawberry skin.”
Cautionary
“I'm bout to just scrub my arms with sandpaper at this point lol.”
Cautionary
“Honestly? The good old stridex in a red jar.”
Positive
“Give it a good six months to a year of daily use and TONS of moisture afterwards and you’ll see a difference.”
Positive
“Red box is stronger than the green one.”
Positive
“The only thing that has helped consistently is using stridex pads on my boobs after the shower daily.”
Positive
“If I'm consistent with it, it tends to clear up within two weeks.”
Positive
“If I get lazy, they come back.”
Positive
Dupes & Alternatives
Paula's Choice
Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant
Better for Texture / Pores
4 shared traits
666 mentions
