Last Updated on October 28, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
I’ve been using the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub for a minute now and honestly, we need to talk about it. I really wanted this to be the answer to my blackhead situation because it’s everywhere, it’s affordable, and the packaging makes it look so promising. But after actually using it and looking at what’s inside? Yeah, I have some thoughts. In this review, you’re gonna find out what’s actually in this scrub, whether it’s helping or hurting your skin, and my full honest take on whether it’s suitable for use on a daily basis.
Key Ingredients in Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub: What Makes It Work?
CELLULOSE
Cellulose is basically just plant fiber. Think wood pulp or cotton – and that’s what makes up those little scrubby bits you feel in this thing. it’s supposed to physically buff away all the dead skin and junk on your face. yYou know, you rub it around and the beads scrub everything off. Seems simple enough.
But lihere’s the problem. Scrubbing your face every day is actually kinda terrible for your skin. One: those dead cells are there to protect the delicate skin underneath that’s not ready to come to the surface yet. Daily exfoliation can remove too many layers of skin and make your skin super irritated and angry. your face turns red, it hurts… And that’s if you rub your face gently… It’s so easy with scrubs to be harsh, rub a bit too long… Cellulose is gentler than most scrubbing ingredients. Still, be careful!
Related: Physical VS Chemical Exfoliation: Which One Is Better For You?
SALICYLIC ACID
Salicylic acid at 2% is supposed to be the blackhead elimination star here and honestly on its own it’s actually really good. It’s a BHA which means it can dive into your pores because it dissolves in oil. Once it’s in there it breaks down all the gunk: oil, dead skin, all the stuff clogging your pores. This ingredient genuinely works for blackheads and acne, it’s one of the few things that actually does what it says. But the massive issue is you’re rinsing this off in like 30 seconds. Salicylic acid needs to sit on your skin and do its thing, it needs TIME to get in your pores and break everything down. If you’re just putting it on and washing it off immediately it’s basically useless. *sighs*
Related: Why Salicylic Acid Is The Best Exfoliant For Oily Skin
The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
- Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
- Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
- Red: What is this doing here?!
- Aqua (Water): Literally just water, the base of pretty much every skincare thing ever. It’s what holds everything together and helps it spread on your face without being chunky.
- Cetyl Alcohol: Don’t panic at the word alcohol. This one’s actually moisturizing and nice. It’s a fatty alcohol that makes the texture creamy instead of watery, so at least there’s that going for it.
- PPG-15 Stearyl Ether: This is an emollient that’s supposed to make your skin feel soft and smooth. Honestly it’s trying to do damage control for how harsh the scrubbing action is, but I’m not convinced it’s enough.
- Glycerin: This is actually one of the best hydrating ingredients you can get, it pulls moisture into your skin like a magnet. At least they threw this in to try to balance things out, even though it gets rinsed off pretty fast anyway.
- Polysorbate 60: An emulsifier that keeps the oily stuff and watery stuff mixed together. Basically the peacekeeper of the formula so it doesn’t separate into weird layers in the tube.
- Steareth-21: Another emulsifier doing the same job, making sure everything stays blended and spreads smoothly. It’s like backup for the polysorbate because nobody wants a goopy separated mess.
- Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan): Fancy name for red seaweed extract that thickens everything up. It makes the scrub have that gel texture instead of being runny, which is nice for application I guess.
- Glucose: Just sugar that helps with a tiny bit of hydration and also helps the preservatives work better. It’s not doing much heavy lifting here but it’s not hurting anything either.
- Agar: More seaweed stuff working as a thickener. This is what gives it that nice scoopable consistency when you squeeze it out of the tube.
- Menthyl Lactate: This is why you get that tingly cool feeling when you use it. It’s literally just there to make you FEEL like it’s working, even though that sensation doesn’t actually mean anything for effectiveness. And it can irritate sensitive skin.
- PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone): A binder that helps everything stick together properly. Pretty standard stuff in skincare, nothing wild but nothing special either.
- Potassium Cetyl Phosphate: An emulsifier and stabilizer that’s at least gentle enough to not piss off most people’s skin. Small wins, I guess.
- Xanthan Gum: You know this from cooking probably. It’s a thickener that makes the gel actually gel-like. Without it this would be runny and impossible to control.
- Potassium Chloride: A salt that helps thicken things and balance the pH. Though honestly I have questions about whether the final pH of this is even good for your skin.
- Ammonium Polyacrylate: Another thickening agent keeping everything suspended evenly. Prevents the scrubby bits from all sinking to the bottom which would be annoying.
- Mica: This gives it that slight shimmer you might notice. It’s purely aesthetic and does literally nothing for your skin, just makes it look prettier.
- Sodium Hydroxide: Basically lye but in super tiny amounts to adjust pH. In the right amount it balances things, too much would burn your face off, so there’s that.
- BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): A preservative that keeps the oils from going rancid. Some people avoid this ingredient entirely because it’s controversial, but it does extend shelf life.
- Phenoxyethanol: One of the main preservatives stopping bacteria and mold from growing. It’s in tons of products and most people tolerate it fine, though sensitive skin folks sometimes react.
- Benzoic Acid: Working alongside phenoxyethanol to keep things preserved. With this many preservatives you know they want this sitting on shelves for a long time.
- Dehydroacetic Acid: Yet another preservative because apparently we need three of them. It’s doing the same job as the others, just making absolutely sure nothing grows in here.
- Parfum (Fragrance): Synthetic fragrance that gives it that “clean” scent. Fragrance is literally one of the most common irritants in skincare and it has no business being in something for acne-prone skin, but here we are.
- CI 77492 (Iron Oxides): Mineral pigments for color. They’re just making it look a certain way, doing nothing beneficial for your actual skin.
- CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide): White pigment that adds to the color. It’s used in sunscreens too but in this case it’s purely cosmetic and giving you zero protection.
- CI 73360 (Red 30 Lake): Red dye for aesthetics. Again, just there to make the product look good in the tube, not doing anything for your blackheads or skin health.
Texture
It’s this gel-cream thing with little orange beads in it. When you squeeze it out it’s kinda runny but not like dripping everywhere runny. The beads are actually softer than I expected – not those evil walnut shell pieces that feel like you’re scraping your face with gravel. When you massage it around it foams up a tiny bit, nothing crazy. The beads kinda dissolve as you’re scrubbing so by the end they’re mostly gone.
Fragrance
The smell is… a lot. It’s got this clean fruity scent that hits you right when you open the tube. Some people probably think it smells nice and fresh but honestly I’m not here for fragrance in my skin care, especially not in something that’s supposed to help with acne. Like why does it need to smell like anything? The smell doesn’t stick around after you rinse though so at least there’s that.
How To Use It
Apply to wet face, massage it around in circles, then rinse. They say you can use it every day but no, don’t do that. Daily exfoliation is never a good idea. And be gentle when you’re massaging – don’t scrub like you’re trying to sand down a table because that’s how you end up with angry red skin.
Packaging
It’s a clear plastic tube with a flip cap. Nothing fancy, pretty basic drugstore packaging. It’s light enough to travel with and the cap actually stays closed so it won’t explode in your bag. You can see through it to check how much is left which is kinda helpful. The back has all the ingredient stuff and directions. It’s fine, does the job, nothing to write home about.
Performance & Personal Opinion
This scrub is really confusing to me. Right after I use it my skin feels super clean and smooth, like that squeaky-clean feeling. But am I actually seeing my blackheads disappear? Not really. After a few weeks maybe some of the tiny ones on my forehead looked a bit better but my nose is still a blackhead party. The stubborn ones didn’t move at all.
That tingly cooling feeling from the menthol is nice I guess but it’s literally just there to make you feel like something’s happening. And it can irritate sensitive skin. It’s not actually doing anything. And you’re washing off the salicylic acid (the only ingredient that could actually help!) in like 30 seconds so it doesn’t even have time to get in your pores and work. The whole thing just feels backwards.
What I Like About Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub
- The beads aren’t terrible: At least they’re not those sharp jagged ones that shred your skin.
- Smoother skin right after: My skin does feel really soft immediately after using it even if it doesn’t last.
- Lasts a while: The tube has a decent amount in it especially if you’re not using it every day.
What I DON’T Like About Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub
- Doesn’t actually get rid of blackheads: Like that’s the whole point and it just doesn’t do it.
- Way too harsh for daily use: My skin got so dry and tight when I used it every day like the name suggests.
- Wastes the good ingredient: The salicylic acid gets rinsed off before it can actually do anything which seems dumb.
- Unnecessary fragrance: Why does acne stuff need to smell like fruit punch or whatever this is. Plus, it can be irritating.
Who Should Use This?
Honestly I’m not really sure who this is perfect for. Maybe if you’ve got super oily thick skin that can handle a lot of exfoliation and you just want something that makes your face feel smooth? But even then there’s probably better stuff out there. If you have sensitive or dry skin or already irritated do not touch this. And if you’re trying to actually fix a blackhead problem this isn’t gonna be the miracle you’re looking for. Get a leave-on salicylic acid treatment instead.
Does Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Helps eliminate and prevent blackheads from the first use, for a visibly refined complexion. | It doesn’t stay on the skin enough to eliminate breakouts. |
| Targeted blackhead daily face scrub that deeply exfoliates, working at the source to minimise the appearance of pores. | It does exfoliate the surface of your skin, but can’t do much for your pores. |
Price & Availability
£6.00 at Asos, Look Fantastic, and Superdrug
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
Honestly no I don’t think so. If you actually want to deal with blackheads get a leave-on salicylic acid product like a toner or serum that has time to actually work. If you want a physical exfoliant find one that doesn’t also have acids so you’re not beating up your skin from two directions at once. Or use them on different days instead of going full attack mode on your face. This is one of those products that sounds good when you read the label but doesn’t really deliver. The salicylic acid is pointless because you wash it off immediately, the scrubbing is too harsh to do daily, and the fragrance has no business being there. There’s better stuff out there for your money and your skin.
Aqua, Cetyl Alcohol, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Cellulose, Glycerin, Polysorbate 60, Steareth-21, Salicylic Acid, Chondrus Crispus, Glucose, Agar, Menthyl Lactate, PVP, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Chloride, Ammonium Polyacrylate, Mica, Sodium Hydroxide, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Parfum, CI 77492, CI 77891, CI 73360
