BHA Liquid Exfoliant 2%
Reviewed by SerumTruth Editorial · Price and formula checked July 2026
A well-dosed BHA with a delivery twist that earns its slight premium over the bargain liquids, aimed at the look of clearer pores with less sting. A sensible pick if a straight salicylic acid runs your skin dry.
- Salicylic Acid dosed at a clinical, high-end level
- Every active discloses its concentration
- Encapsulated delivery protects and time-releases the active
- Cheap to use, about $8 a month
- Evidence21 / 30
Strength of the research behind the key actives
- Salicylic Acid: moderate evidence
The average of the key actives’ evidence grades.
- Potency25 / 25
Dosed at studied levels, not fairy-dusted
- Salicylic Acid (2%): dosed at a clinical, high-end level for its category
How strongly the actives are dosed, led by the strongest, not how many there are.
- Delivery & stability18 / 20
Delivery tech + packaging that protects fragile actives
- Delivery: encapsulated (protects and time-releases the active)
- Packaging: opaque tube
- No fragile actives here, so packaging barely moves the score.
Delivery tech plus packaging, and packaging only counts when actives are fragile.
- Formulation6 / 10
Disclosure, active breadth, and ingredient generation
- 1 of 1 actives disclose a concentration
- 1 key active (breadth credit caps at 3)
- No current-generation or synergy bonus
Disclosure, active breadth, and current-generation or synergistic actives.
- Value14 / 15
What a month of use costs vs. the category
- About $8 per month to use
- $19 for 120 ml, used about once a day (about 1.75 ml each time), so a bottle lasts about 2.3 months
- Frequency is set by Salicylic Acid, which is used no more than 7x a week, so a bottle stretches further
What a month of use costs: full marks at $6 a month or less, the floor at $60 a month or more.
Tap any row to see how its score was built.
Ranks #3 of 26 exfoliating acids serums we have scored.
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What’s inside
| Active | Disclosed | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Salicylic Acid | 2% | Clinical |
2% encapsulated salicylic acid, disclosed, with fruit-derived acids in an alcohol-free, oil-free base, in an opaque plastic bottle. The encapsulation meters the acid out for a steadier, gentler release, which is the real point of difference from a plain 2% BHA.
How it’s delivered
Air- and light-sensitive actives (vitamin C, copper peptides) lose potency fast in the wrong packaging, so delivery and the bottle are scored, not just what’s on the label.
The actives, explained
What the research says
A 1.5% salicylic acid cream was linked to visibly clearer looking, blemish-prone skin after 4 weeks in an open clinical study.
Clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of an antioxidant optimized 1.5% salicylic acid (SA) cream in the treatment of facial acne: an open, baseline-controlled clinical study. Skin Research and Technology, 2013. PubMed ↗
A study of the active, not this exact product. What matters for the score is whether this serum uses it at a comparable dose.
Higher-scoring alternatives
Same category, better SerumProof score. Worth a look before you buy.
Revision history
- July 11, 2026Price and formula rechecked
- July 10, 2026Review published
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Cosmetic information for general education, not medical advice. The SerumProof score reflects our reading of publicly available research and formulation disclosures. See how scoring works.