Versus

Needly Daily Toner Pad Versus Stridex Maximum 2% Salicylic Acid

Toner
Facial Treatment
Korean Brand South Korea
American Brand United States

Updated on April 01, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe and reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, brightening skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and better texture

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols or parabens

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Skin Conditioning

Ethylhexylglycerin (we can't pronounce this either) is commonly used as a preservative and skin softener. It is derived from glyceryl.

You might see Ethylhexylglycerin often paired with other preservatives such as phenoxyethanol. Ethylhexylglycerin has been found to increase the effectiveness of these other preservatives.

Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

When to use

619 Routines
27% use in am
73% use in pm
68% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
74 Routines
26% use in am
74% use in pm
58% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Needly Daily Toner Pad 23 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 13 ratings
Works Well (7) Absorbs Well (5) Great Value (4)
skinogre's avatar

skinogre

1 year ago
Review

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this soooo much. First of all, it literally smells like a spa, it comes with a cute little toner pad plucker so that your fingers don’t cross contaminate the contents. I even showed it to my neighbours who are also obsessed with Korean skincare and they were so jealous of how it looks. But the use was even better. The needley toner pads are double sided one side being Show more

#great value
#expensive
#absorbs well
#light scent

mixed feelings about this one. it helps but not for people that are sensitive to salicylic like me. it makes me more oily. it causes me more breakouts and the pad and the toner itself cause me redness. one swipe from the cotton my face is red. so if u like the product but have a better pad then buy the bottled one hopefuly itll be better. but overall my skin is too young and sensitive for this. Show more

#drying
#broke me out
#irritating
#absorbs well

Stridex Maximum 2% Salicylic Acid 12 ingredients

4.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Drying (2) Great Value (2) Irritating (1)
ThrowMeAway's avatar

ThrowMeAway

3 months ago
Review

This is something that is consistently in my routine. I've been using this for over 10 years. I can't believe this still actually works. This is FA safe and helps with flare ups, especially when used in combination with a sulfur mask.

I like using this in the AM on non retinoid days as a short contact treatment. I find that if I leave it on all day my face becomes super dry. I leave it on for Show more

#great value
#drying
#irritating
gigiskinbeaute's avatar

gigi

1 month ago
Review

This was the Ride or Die, the absolute GOAT of affordable 2% BHAs before its reformulation at the end of 2019. The reformulation made the product far more sudsy and less effective. Previously it applied like water and left no trace behind, sinking in deeply and de-clogging congested skin like a champ. Now it bubbles a little while applying, and dries to form a visible film over the surface of the Show more

#great value
#drying
#light
#works well