Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads Versus DHC Salicylic Acne Wash

See how these products line up with your preferences

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads versus DHC Salicylic Acne Wash .

Last updated on April 01, 2024. Published on July 21, 2021

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 2 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 and scar healing

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols or parabens

What's Inside

They both contain sulfates

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

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Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash

Facial Treatment Brand

Face Cleanser Japanese Brand Japan

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Face cleansers are used to remove makeup, dead skin cells, pollutants, oil, dirt, and/or clean out pores on the skin. Face cleansers may specialize in having one function (exa. just removing makeup) or may have multiple functions (exa. Removing makeup and cleaning pores).

Price

Shop

Buy Max Strength Acne Pads

Starts at $4.47

Shop

Buy Salicylic Acne Wash

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

alcohol-free

silicon-free

fragrance-free

sulfate-free

paraben-free

oil-free

fungal-acne safe

reef-safe

eu-allergen-free

vegan

cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients

Notable Ingredients

AHA

BHA

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin

Skin Texture

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Scar Healing (2)

Acne Fighting

Brightening (2)

Concerns

Drying (2)

Irritating (5)

Rosacea (4)

Eczema (3)

Notable Ingredients

BHA

Exfoliators

Benefits

Good For Oily Skin

Redness Reducing (2)

Reduces Irritation (2)

Reduces Large Pores (2)

Anti-Aging

Scar Healing (3)

Acne Fighting (2)

Brightening

Concerns

Drying

Irritating

Rosacea

Eczema (2)

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Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients

Salicylic Acid 2% • Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate • Ammonium Xylenesulfonate • Citric Acid • DMDM Hydantoin • Parfum • Menthol • Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 • Water • Simethicone • Sodium Borate • Tetrasodium EDTA

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Salicylic Acid

What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

Community Rating: Liked

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

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads contains this as ingredient number 1.

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 1.

Water

What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads contains this as ingredient number 9.

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash contains this as ingredient number 2.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients

17% are loved or liked

0% have mixed ratings

50% are disliked or very disliked

33% have no rating yet

41% are loved or liked

5% have mixed ratings

45% are disliked or very disliked

9% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

DHC Salicylic Acne Wash 22 ingredients

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Stridex Max Strength Acne Pads 12 ingredients

4.5 /5

from 2 ratings

Great Value (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)

DamDamfino

3 months ago · Combination Skin

Review

I've never had an issue with this product being too harsh.
It's not even that drying (you can sometimes feel like a "film" dry down on your skin...

I've never had an issue with this product being too harsh.
It's not even that drying (you can sometimes feel like a "film" dry down on your skin if you put on too much, but it's not the skin that's drying out.)

I don't understand the hype of PC 2% BHA when stridex is not only
- much cheaper
- much easier to find and get your hands on (it's at every dollar store!)
- comes already on pads for each use

People say it's harsh and drying, but there's no menthol (in the red box version), and there's no alcohol.
And I never feel tingly or burning. Maybe I've just grown a tolerance for it?

Anywho, I use this everyday - and I don't only use it on my face, either.