Receipt

Murad Clarifying Cream Cleanser

Everything behind the verdicts on this product: the rule that fired for each concern, the three answers and the documents they rest on, every study on the row with the date it was opened, and the versions of the tables that produced them. Nothing here is edited by hand; it is generated from the same records the verdicts are.

The scaleRecommendedGoodSupportingEarly evidenceNot for thisAvoidhow it works

Engine 5.2.0 · rules 0.5.1 · evidence table ev-2026.10-r231 · computed October 13, 2026 · how we decide · the evidence table · the anchors

Good choice

for Acne

Salicylic Acid is an approved or monograph active for acne; this rinse-off cream carries it — short contact still counts for this active, but a leave-on does more.

A trial-supported active, or a reference standard by mechanism, at a working level; or a first-line active below its studied range.

Rule
R2r → Good choice. A first-line active (approved, monograph-listed or named in a current guideline) or a supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism); declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level; in a rinse-off product the claim allows; not for a scalp concern.
q1 = first-line | supported · q2 = adequate | plausible · rinse = true · scalp = false
Why this rule exists: Rinse-off exceptions (BPO wash, salicylic acid cleanser) deliver a real but smaller effect than the leave-on form; they cap at 'good choice'. Medicated shampoos for scalp concerns are exempt — the shampoo is the treatment form. Editorial decision 2 Sep 2026, pending advisory review.
Rule R2r decided 413 verdicts across the catalog; “Good choice” is the verdict on 10,340 of 45,446. The full register.
Carrying active
Salicylic Acid
1 · Standing
First-line — a regulator recognises it for this use; trials support it
Document: § 333.310 Acne active ingredients. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration — 21 CFR Part 333 Subpart D (Topical Acne Drug Products), Code of Federal Regulations via GovInfo), opened July 27, 2026
2 · Form
Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 0.5–2%, from the OTC monograph or label; judge it after about 6 weeks
3 · Tolerability
Standard tolerability — fragrance load, irritant load, fungal triggers
Cautions: fragrance; known irritants; fungal-acne triggers.
Evidence dots
Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 27, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231).
What readers report
No reviews read yet for this product. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
Verdict since
September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)

The studies and documents on the row

← Back to the verdict All acne products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →

Good choice

for Blackheads

Salicylic Acid is an approved or monograph active for blackheads; this rinse-off cream carries it — short contact still counts for this active, but a leave-on does more.

A trial-supported active, or a reference standard by mechanism, at a working level; or a first-line active below its studied range.

Rule
R2r → Good choice. A first-line active (approved, monograph-listed or named in a current guideline) or a supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism); declared at a working strength, or a labelled active or at a plausible but undeclared level; in a rinse-off product the claim allows; not for a scalp concern.
q1 = first-line | supported · q2 = adequate | plausible · rinse = true · scalp = false
Why this rule exists: Rinse-off exceptions (BPO wash, salicylic acid cleanser) deliver a real but smaller effect than the leave-on form; they cap at 'good choice'. Medicated shampoos for scalp concerns are exempt — the shampoo is the treatment form. Editorial decision 2 Sep 2026, pending advisory review.
Rule R2r decided 413 verdicts across the catalog; “Good choice” is the verdict on 10,340 of 45,446. The full register.
Carrying active
Salicylic Acid
1 · Standing
First-line — a regulator recognises it for this use; trials support it
Document: 21 CFR § 333.350 - Labeling of acne drug products. (US Code of Federal Regulations (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)), opened July 27, 2026
2 · Form
Plausible — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 0.5–2%, from the OTC monograph or label; judge it after about 6 weeks
3 · Tolerability
Standard tolerability — fungal triggers
Cautions: fungal-acne triggers.
Evidence dots
Moderate evidence
Row checked against its sources on July 27, 2026 (evidence table ev-2026.10-r231).
What readers report
No reviews read yet for this product. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
Verdict since
September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)

The studies and documents on the row

← Back to the verdict All blackheads products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →

Supporting role

for Excess Oiliness

Rinse-off cream: Salicylic Acid gets seconds of contact, so this supports a routine for excess oiliness rather than treating it.

Nothing here targets the concern directly, but the product’s job — barrier care, gentle cleansing, photoprotection — is the recognised companion to treating it. Rinse-off products carrying leave-on actives land here too.

Rule
R6 → Supporting role. A first-line active (approved, monograph-listed or named in a current guideline) or a supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism) or an active with early or mechanistic evidence only or an active researched for the concern and found wanting or an active with no evidence row for the concern yet; in a rinse-off form the claim cannot use.
q1 = first-line | supported | plausible | none | not-assessed · q2 = contact-limited
Why this rule exists: Contact time cannot deliver a leave-on claim; the product is judged on its job (cleansing without aggravating). Explicit exceptions (BPO wash, SA cleanser, medicated shampoos) never reach this rule because their rows set rinse_off_ok.
Rule R6 decided 2,083 verdicts across the catalog; “Supporting role” is the verdict on 7,796 of 45,446. The full register.
Carrying active
Salicylic Acid
1 · Standing
Plausible — trials support it
2 · Form
Contact-limited — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
3 · Tolerability
Standard tolerability — fungal triggers
Cautions: fungal-acne triggers.
Evidence dots
Moderate evidence
What readers report
No reviews read yet for this product. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
Verdict since
September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)

The studies and documents on the row

← Back to the verdict All excess oiliness products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →

Supporting role

for Large Pores

Rinse-off cream: Salicylic Acid gets seconds of contact, so this supports a routine for large pores rather than treating it.

Nothing here targets the concern directly, but the product’s job — barrier care, gentle cleansing, photoprotection — is the recognised companion to treating it. Rinse-off products carrying leave-on actives land here too.

Rule
R6 → Supporting role. A first-line active (approved, monograph-listed or named in a current guideline) or a supported active (trial-backed, or a reference standard by mechanism) or an active with early or mechanistic evidence only or an active researched for the concern and found wanting or an active with no evidence row for the concern yet; in a rinse-off form the claim cannot use.
q1 = first-line | supported | plausible | none | not-assessed · q2 = contact-limited
Why this rule exists: Contact time cannot deliver a leave-on claim; the product is judged on its job (cleansing without aggravating). Explicit exceptions (BPO wash, SA cleanser, medicated shampoos) never reach this rule because their rows set rinse_off_ok.
Rule R6 decided 2,083 verdicts across the catalog; “Supporting role” is the verdict on 7,796 of 45,446. The full register.
Carrying active
Salicylic Acid
1 · Standing
None
2 · Form
Contact-limited — concentration not declared; read from the position in the ingredient list
Studied range: 0.5–2%, from the OTC monograph or label; needs leave-on contact; judge it after about 6 weeks
3 · Tolerability
Standard tolerability
Evidence dots
Not from a trial row
What readers report
No reviews read yet for this product. Shown beside the verdict; never blended into it.
Verdict since
September 5, 2026 (unchanged across rebuilds since then)

The studies and documents on the row

← Back to the verdict All large pores products → Disclose a concentration or correct a fact →

The category job
Does the job

as a cleanser

Does what a cleanser is for: puts something back, surfactant mildness.

Rule
J2 → Does the job. The category-job reading is 65 or more.
Category job score over the measured features 65–85.
Measured from the label
surfactant mildness, rinses clean without stripping, puts something back
Not measurable from the label
pH match to skin
Tolerability
Standard tolerability
Formula flags read from the ingredient list
  • Fragrance
  • Known irritants
  • Fungal-acne triggers

A verdict is Dermington’s assessment of how well a product’s ingredients fit a concern — never a claim about what the product treats. Every rule is public and the same for every product; a brand cannot buy a reading. How we decide · what has changed · disclaimer.

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