All scans / Serums / AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum
AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum ingredients: is it worth it?
Solid drugstore acne serum with good actives but dragged down by likely low concentrations and irritation risks from alcohol-free but active-heavy combo.
Solid drugstore acne serum with good actives but dragged down by likely low concentrations and irritation risks from alcohol-free but active-heavy combo.
READ MORE
Efficacy score of 4.3 reflects strong actives like salicylic acid (position 6, likely 0.5-2%), niacinamide (position 5, >1%), retinol (position 10, sub-1% likely weak), and tea tree in a leave-on format, but deducts for no confirmed pH (assumed 3.5-4.0 for BHA efficacy), potential instability of retinol without encapsulation, and no synergistic stabilizers; outperforms basic cleansers but not clinical-strength prescription alternatives.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum 4.3/5 for efficacy and 4.1/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (8)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Salicylic Acid, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Retinol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Panthenol, Sodium Hydroxide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Carbomer, Arginine, Disodium EDTA
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (18)⌄
- Water
- Solvent
- Propanediol
- Humectant solvent
- Butylene Glycol
- Humectant solvent
- Glycerin
- Humectant
- Niacinamide
- Brightening anti-inflammatory
- Salicylic Acid
- BHA exfoliant anti-acne
- Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract
- Antibacterial anti-acne
- Centella Asiatica Extract
- Soothing anti-inflammatory
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Humectant hydrator
- Retinol
- Cell turnover retinoid
- Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
- Antioxidant soothing
- Allantoin
- Soothing skin protectant
- Panthenol
- Humectant soothing
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
- 1,2-Hexanediol
- Preservative solvent
- Carbomer
- Thickener
- Arginine
- pH adjuster
- Disodium EDTA
- Chelating agent
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Salicylic Acid: 2% BHA effective for acne (J Am Acad Dermatol, 1990)
Niacinamide: 4-5% reduces acne lesions (Int J Dermatol, 2004)
Retinol: 0.1-0.3% improves acne (J Drugs Dermatol, 2017)
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper serum with a similar formula
A partial ingredient match (41%), not a close dupe.
AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum: common questions
Is AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum worth it?
AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum scores 4.3 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Effective) and 4.1 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. Solid drugstore acne serum with good actives but dragged down by likely low concentrations and irritation risks from alcohol-free but active-heavy combo.
What are the key active ingredients in AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum?
AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum contains these gold-standard actives with strong clinical evidence: Salicylic Acid, Retinol.
Does AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum as documented irritants: Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Extract.
How is AOA Skin Clearing Anti-Acne Serum scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.