The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque, Clarifying Charcoal & Clay Mask for Blemish-Prone Skin, 1.7 Fl Oz

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Masque, Clarifying Charcoal & Clay Mask for Blemish-Prone Skin, 1.7 Fl Oz

ASIN: B07SZ9PTLP
Analysis Date: Jan 12, 2026 (re-analyzed Jan 12, 2026)

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Review Analysis Results

B
Authenticity Grade
15.00%
Fake Reviews
4.80
Original Rating
4.40
Adjusted Rating

Analysis Summary

The overwhelming majority of these reviews appear genuine, with approximately 85% showing authentic user experiences. All reviews are verified purchases, which significantly increases their credibility. The reviews display a natural distribution of content, length, and language styles, with users sharing specific personal experiences rather than generic marketing language. The presence of a 3-star review in Spanish and a 4-star review expressing mild reservation further supports the authenticity of the review ecosystem, as fake review campaigns typically avoid negative or mixed feedback.

Strong evidence of authenticity includes detailed personal context in multiple reviews. Review #1 discusses the user's skincare journey, mentioning considering microneedling and having breakout-prone skin. Review #3 provides specific details about sensitive skin, oil-prone skin, and under-eye brightening effects. Review #7 offers a balanced perspective acknowledging difficulty isolating effects due to using multiple products. These reviews contain the kind of nuanced, personal information that is difficult to fabricate convincingly at scale.

A few reviews raise minor concerns due to their brevity and generic nature. Review #6 consists of extremely short, fragmented sentences with minimal detail. Review #5 appears to be video metadata rather than a genuine review, though this could be a platform display issue. Review #14 contains marketing-like phrasing ('applies smoothly,' 'draws out excess oil and impurities') but still includes personal experience elements. These represent a small subset of the total reviews.

Overall, this appears to be a legitimate collection of customer feedback for a skincare product that generally performs well. The high proportion of detailed, personal reviews with verified purchase status strongly indicates authenticity. While a few reviews show patterns that could suggest inauthenticity, they constitute a small minority and do not indicate systematic manipulation. The product seems to be well-received for pore cleansing, oil control, and gentle exfoliation based on genuine user experiences.

Key patterns identified in the review analysis include: Verified purchase status for all reviews, Personal skin type details (sensitive, oily, breakout-prone), Specific usage instructions and timing mentioned.

Review Statistics

4,511
Total Reviews on Amazon
-0.40
Rating Difference

Price Analysis

The Ordinary is known for its direct-to-consumer, no-frills pricing model, positioning this mask in the budget segment of the skincare market. Given the brand's consistent pricing strategy, a fair price on Amazon should be close to its standard retail of around $12. For the best deal, wait for a major sales event or use Subscribe & Save if you plan to repurchase regularly.

MSRP Assessment

Estimated MSRP: $12.00
Source: Brand typical pricing
Amazon Price: Unable to compare

Market Position

Positioning: Budget
Alternatives Range: $8-$40
Value: This product offers professional-grade ingredients at an exceptionally low price point compared to similar clarifying masks from prestige skincare brands.

Buying Tips

Best Time to Buy: Skincare often sees promotions during major sales events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and post-holiday clearance.
Deal Indicators: Look for Subscribe & Save discounts, bundled deals with other The Ordinary products, or coupons applied at checkout.
Watch For: Be wary of prices significantly below $8, as this may indicate counterfeit products; also check seller ratings and 'Ships from/Sold by' information.
Price analysis generated by AI based on product category and market research. Actual prices may vary. Last analyzed: Jan 12, 2026

Understanding This Analysis

What does Grade B mean?

This product has good review authenticity with minor concerns. While most reviews appear genuine, we detected some patterns that warrant mild caution.

Adjusted Rating Explained

The adjusted rating (4.40 stars) represents what we estimate this product's rating would be if fake reviews were removed. This product's adjusted rating is lower than Amazon's displayed rating (4.80 stars), suggesting positive fake reviews may be inflating the score.

How We Detect Fake Reviews

Our AI analyzes multiple factors: language patterns (generic vs. specific), reviewer behavior (history, timing), temporal anomalies (review clusters), verification status, sentiment authenticity, and statistical outliers. No single factor determines a review is fake - we look at the combination of signals.

Important Limitations

No automated system is perfect. Sophisticated fake reviews can evade detection, and some genuine reviews may be incorrectly flagged. Use this analysis as one data point in your purchasing decision, not the only factor. Reading actual review content yourself is always valuable.

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