Glycolic Serum Wash

Dove

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Dove Glycolic Serum Wash is a misc. Our analysis of its 21 ingredients (14 low-risk) rates it Excellent (85/100). Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Misc
Ingredients
21
Low-risk
14
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United States
Data updated
May 2026

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 4/7
Good for dry skin
Glycol Distearate Glycol Stearate Glycerin Palmitic Acid
Caution for dry skin
Glycol Stearate Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate Stearic Acid Glycerin Palmitic Acid Hydroxystearic Acid Acrylates Copolymer
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 1/9
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Chloride Stearic Acid Glycerin Palmitic Acid Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate Linalool Limonene Hydroxycitronellal

Ingredients list

21 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All21 Fragrance8 Skin Conditioning6 Masking6 Emulsifying5 Foam Boosting4 Viscosity Controlling4 Emollient3 Opacifying3
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
4
B
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
B
Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
4
B
Glycolic Acid
(Exfoliant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Sodium Chloride
(Bulking Agent, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
1
A
Hydroxystearic Acid
(Cleansing, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
1
A
Stearic Acid
(Fragrance, Sufactant, Emulsifying, Surfactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Stearic Acid., Emulsion Stabilising, Masking, Refatting)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Palmitic Acid
(Fragrance, Opacifying, Sufactant, Surfactant Emulsifying Agentsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Palmitic Acid., Emollient)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
4
B
Cocamide MEA
(Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emulsifying, Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Sodium Gluconate
(Chelating Agent, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Glycol Stearate
(Emulsion Stabilising, Opacifying, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
A
Glycol Distearate
(Opacifying, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
2
B
Acrylates Copolymer
(Adhesive, Artificial Nail Builder, Binding Agent, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Antistatic Agent, Binding)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
B
PPG-9
(Skin Conditioning)
7
Hydroxycitronellal
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Linalool
(Fragrance, Deodorant, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

AHA
Exfoliates skin for a brighter complexion.
Exfoliators
Removes dead skin cells to smoothe texture.

Benefits

HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Scar HealingImproves the look of marks and scars.
Acne FightingFights acne and helps prevent breakouts.
Anti-AgingSoftens lines and helps skin look youthful.
BrighteningRestores radiance to dull, tired skin.
Good For Oily SkinBalances oil and helps reduce shine.
Reduces Large PoresMinimizes the look of enlarged pores.
Dark SpotsFades dark spots for even skin tone.

Concerns

Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Hydroxycitronellal — higher EWG
May not suit dry skin
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Sodium Methyl Lauroyl Taurate
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingFoamingSurfactant
Sodium Chloride
Bulking agent, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Bulking agentMaskingOral care agentViscosity controlling
PARFUM
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfuming
Hydroxystearic Acid
Cleansing, Emulsifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A CleansingEmulsifyingSurfactant
Cocamide MEA
Foam boosting, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 1–4 CIR B Foam boostingViscosity increasing agentEmulsifyingEmulsion stabilisingViscosity controlling
Sodium Gluconate
Chelating agent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentSkin conditioning
Acrylates Copolymer
Adhesive, Artificial nail builder
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR B AdhesiveArtificial nail builderBinding agentFilm formingHair fixingSuspending agent -nonsurfactantAntistatic agentBinding
Sodium Benzoate
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePreservativeAnticorrosiveMasking
PPG-9
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Skin conditioning
Glycolic Acid
Exfoliant, Ph adjuster
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B ExfoliantPh adjusterBuffering agent Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Stearic Acid
Fragrance, Sufactant
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceSufactantEmulsifyingSurfactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of stearic acid.Emulsion stabilisingMaskingRefatting Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
Palmitic Acid
Fragrance, Opacifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A FragranceOpacifyingSufactantSurfactant -emulsifying agentsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of palmitic acid.Emollient Bad for Oily SkinFungal-acne trigger
Glycol Stearate
Emulsion stabilising, Opacifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingOpacifyingSkin conditioningEmollientEmulsifyingSurfactant Fungal-acne trigger
Glycol Distearate
Opacifying, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A OpacifyingViscosity increasing agentEmollientEmulsifyingSkin conditioningViscosity controlling Fungal-acne trigger
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Hydroxycitronellal
Fragrance, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceMasking Allergens
Limonene
Deodorant, Perfuming
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 DeodorantPerfumingSolvent Allergens
Linalool
Fragrance, Deodorant
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 FragranceDeodorantMasking Allergens

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Glycolic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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