The Best Acne Oil Reducer

Overview

Acne is a skin condition driven by excess sebum (oil), it affects a large number of people and causes multiple mental and physical issues. The purpose of this project is to determine which active or main ingredient–benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, tea tree oil, and aloe vera–in acne cleansers best removes oil from the skin. I hypothesized that salicylic acid would be the best active ingredient. To conduct this experiment, I used porcine (pig) skin as human skin and jojoba oil as sebum. I cut 5 pieces of porcine skin and added the jojoba oil to each piece, letting it sit for 15 minutes. Then, I used each cleanser to clean a designated piece of porcine skin, using one of the pieces as none-control. After that, I used blotting paper to see how oily each piece was, taking pictures as well. I did 3 trials of this. To analyze, I compared the oiliness of blotting paper on a scale of 1-5, 1 being the least oily and 5 being the most oily. I compared them to the none-control, a 5, and calculated the averages. Overall, rating the cleansers whose blotting paper was the least oily to the most oily, it would be first benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, aloe vera, and lastly tea tree oil. In the future, I would weigh the oily blotting paper for more accurate results. These findings help people who are struggling with acne to find the right treatment and cure for it.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Product Science (Junior Division) · Entry J-19-02

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