Beauty Elixir

Minimalist · Serum · leave-on

Is Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum pore-clogging or fungal-acne safe?

83%clean
Acne-safe

None of the recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers.

Not fungal-acne safe

1 ingredient can feed Malassezia yeast (itchy, uniform forehead or chest bumps).

#IngredientPoresFungal acneIrritancy
15 Polysorbate 20 0/5 · Low Trigger
1 Aqua 0/5 · Low Safe
3 Propylene Glycol 0/5 · Low Safe
7 Salicylic Acid 0/5 · Low Safe
8 Glycerin 0/5 · Low Safe
13 Sodium Hyaluronate 0/5 · Low Safe
19 ingredients not in our pore-clogging database

These have no published comedogenic rating in our data. Most are preservatives, fragrance, extracts or actives that are not known pore-cloggers.

methylpropanedioldimethyl isosorbideglycolic acidethoxydiglycolsodium hydroxidepentylene glycolmarrubium vulgare extractpolylysineepigallocatechin gallatyl glucosidehydroxyethylcellulosexanthan gumlecithinsclerotium gumpullulanphenoxyethanollactic acidoligopeptide-10ethylhexylglycerintrisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate

Ingredients rated 3–5 that appear after position 15 are usually present below about 1%, so they are shown as "Low amount" and do not trigger the pore-clog alert. Ratings come from the Fulton comedogenic scale (0–5) and published Malassezia research. They are a rough guide: the concentration and the whole formula matter, and everyone's skin is different.

Acne-safe breakdown

We found no ingredients rated 3 or higher in Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum. The ingredients doing most of the work are Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Salicylic Acid and Glycerin, which are all low-risk for pores.

Compare Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum

vs CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serumvs CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serumvs Minimalist Alpha Arbutin 2% Face Serumvs Minimalist Niacinamide 10% Face Serumvs Minimalist Retinol 0.3% Face Serumvs Minimalist Vitamin C 10% Face Serumvs Plum 15% Vitamin C & Mandarin Glow Boost Serumvs The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HAvs The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%vs The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation)

Full ingredient list

Water/Aqua, Methylpropanediol, Propylene Glycol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Glycolic Acid, Ethoxydiglycol, Salicylic Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Hydroxide, Pentylene Glycol, Marrubium Vulgare Extract, Polylysine, Sodium Hyaluronate, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Sclerotium Gum, Pullulan, Phenoxyethanol, Lactic Acid, Oligopeptide-10, Ethylhexylglycerin, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate

Source: official Minimalist product page, checked 27 Sep 2026. Formulas vary by country and change over time, so always check your pack.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum pore-clogging?

Acne-safe. None of the recognised ingredients are known pore-cloggers.

Is Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum safe for fungal acne?

No. It contains Polysorbate 20, which can feed Malassezia yeast.

What is the clean score of Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum?

Minimalist Salicylic Acid 2% Face Serum scores 83% on our pore-clog and fungal-acne scan, based on 6 recognised ingredients out of 25.

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