Review of the new The Ordinary Anhydrous Salicylic Acid 2% Solution- Does it Work for Acne?

The new Anhydrous Salicylic has been a long time coming! Since The Ordinary’s 2% Salicylic in it’s water based serum disappeared from the Deciem site around 3 years ago, we have been promised a reformulation. The old water based serum got a lot of hate for causing irritations and even mild chemical burns. It was used as a spot treatment for blemishes and lot of users came back with reports of nasty red reactions. Since it was withdrawn, customers have been left with the Salicylic Masque (which is great by the way, here’s my Salicylic Masque review), but no daily leave on topical Salicylic has been available. Until now…

Disclaimer- Deciem sent me the sample of Salicylic Anhydrous to try free of charge, I received no money for writing this review but some of the links may be affiliate, if you click and buy I will receive a small percentage which I will put back into my blog.

The Ordinary New Anhydrous Salicylic Acid- The Facts

Price– £5.20, $6.50 Canadian/American Dollars, $11.50 Australian Dollars, $54 HK Dollars

Released date- 7th December 2021 From Deciem.com

Ingredients– Squalane, Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Pentylene Glycol, Salicylic Aci, Oleic/Linoleic Polyglycerides, 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl decanone, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

Directions– Apply morning and evening. Apply a small dot to the target area, or a small amount over the face for general use.

Warnings– Avoid the eye contour. Do not allow contact with eyes. Do not use on sensitive, peeling or compromised skin. Patch testing is advised for allergy and irritation, some people are allergic to salicylates and this should be avoided if you have an aspirin allergy. This product increases UV sensitivity, ensure sunscreen is used and limit sun exposure while using.

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Anhydrous Solution- What Does it Do?

Let’s have closer look at the key ingredients to get an idea of how it will work-

• 2% Salicylic Acid– Salicylic Acid is an organic acid labelled as a Beta Hydroxy Acid (despite not actually being a true BHA) has been used to treat acne for 100s of years. It is lipophilic and oil soluble, which means that is can absorb into the oily sebum filled pores and can break down keratin. This means that has the potential to unclog pores and treat spots. Salicylic acid breaks down the bonds between the dead skin cells and brings about exfoliation (Arif, 2015). It has also been found to reduce oil production and has an anti inflammatory action. All of this makes Salicylic Acid a favourable acne treatment and lots of people successfully treat their acne using SA products. The downsides are that Salicylic Acid can be irritating and it shouldn’t used by those who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Squalane– A hydrocarbon which is great for moisturising the skin. Squalane features in several of The Ordinary’s products because it is stable (it won’t go rancid like other plant oils) and has the added bonus of it’s anti oxidant qualities. Our own sebum is made up of 12% Squalane.
• 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol– It sounds space age, but it’s actually a known treatment for sensitive skin that’s prone to redness. Not wanting to blind you with science, but if you’re interested 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol is a Transient Receptor Potential channel blocker. This means it has the effect of reducing the sensation of stinging or burning in the skin (Sulzberger et al, 2016).
• Polyglycerides– Great for moisturising and trapping water in the skin, Deciem has included these to provide gradual delivery of Salicylic Acid to the skin.

What is The Ordinary Anhydrous Salicylic Like?

I’ve been trying the new Salicylic for a few days now and it’s fortunately (or unfortunately for me) coincided with a large chin acne outbreak. So I’ve been able to try it out on a breakout to see if it’s effective or if it’s as irritating as it’s predecessor. I’m really happy to say that soon after I started using Anhydrous Salicylic from The Ordinary my break out cleared up, it could be that the Salicylic did the trick! (FYI I’m also using Azelaic 20% from Dermatica). It certainly didn’t worsen the situation.

It comes in a UV protective dropper bottle and has a pleasant oily feel. It’s quite fluid so you’re best off placing a couple of drops on your clean hand and dabbing from there. The Ordinary has said that we can spot treat or apply to the full face (apart from he eye area), my intuition is that it should be applied the whole acne affected area as an acne preventative as well as treating active spots. To start with I did a patch test on a dry area of skin to the side of my face and didn’t experience any burns or irritation so I went ahead introducing Anhydrous SA slowly into my routine.

There is a slight stinging feeling on application but it doesn’t cause visible redness or any long lasting side effects. I have found that it takes a while to absorb. It stayed in an oily layer on the top of my skin for a long time. Which is fine in the evening, but in the morning when I need to get going and have to apply sunscreen on top, it’s not ideal. If you want to use it in the morning, just use a dry small amount and rub in well plus giving plenty of time for absorption. Or just use in the evening.

I used Anhydrous Salicylic Acid on my active break out once daily 3 times a week to see if it would help speed up healing and prevent further spots. It seemed to reduce the pain I had in the spots quickly, the spots went from angry and active to calm and healing at a quicker rate. I think it’s going to good for helping oil flow, preventing blocked pores, texture and loosening blackheads.

it’s important to say at this point that your experience may vary, I’ve got really stubborn acne and I’m not expecting miracles. I was a little nervous with the new Salicylic, given the issues we had with the old one. I was pleasantly surprised by how gentle it is. I like that the formula is moisturising a this is going to help with acne treatment and I love the inclusion of skin calming 4-T-Butylcyclohexanol. All in all I would recommend the new Anhydrous Salicylic to an acne suffering friend and it would be worth trying for those suffering with congested pores and blackheads.

How to Use The Ordinary Anhydrous Salicylic 2%

1. Start out with a patch test and slow start, incorporating once or twice a week and watch for irritation, breakouts and allergy.
2. Use a small drop on the back of the hand then apply to the face with a fingertip. It’s very fluid and a little goes a long way.
3. You can use as a spot treatment or a full face treatment (apart from the eyes). I would use regularly on all acne/blackhead affected areas
4. Don’t forget your SPF
5. Avoid using at the same time as other acids (such as Azelaic, Mandelic, Glycolic and Lactic), Peptides (Buffet, Buffet plus Copper, Matrixyl and Argireline), EUK-134. Don’t mix with Niacinamide powder. Also be careful as Salicylic may cause irritation when used with Granactive Retinoid, Retinol and vitamin C. Here’s my handy conflict chart to refer to-

Summary

• Packaging– Standard The Ordinary UV protective dropper bottle and card box
• Texture– a very runny oil, takes a while to soak in, better to use at night
• Effect– an effective exfoliator which smoothes texture, helps to unblock pores and prevents acne
• Good for– those with acne sufferers, people with open pores, black heads and rough skin
• Bad for– those with sensitive skin, salicylic/aspirin allergy, pregnant/breast feeding women

Head to Deciem.com to purchase on or after the 7th December 2021

References

Arif T. (2015). “Salicylic acid as a peeling agent: a comprehensive review.” Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 8, 455–461. https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S84765

Sulzberger M, Worthmann AC, Holtzmann U, Buck B, Jung KA, Schoelermann AM, Rippke F, Stäb F, Wenck H, Neufang G, Grönniger E. (2016) “Effective treatment for sensitive skin: 4-t-butylcyclohexanol and licochalcone A”. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. ;30 Suppl 1:9-17. doi: 10.1111/jdv.13529. PMID: 26805417.