Products Guide

You do not have to use
Acne.org products to get clear
  • How to find the right products

I spent years trying every product out there. Don't go
through what I did. Just follow this guide to buying products.

Since nothing available was exactly right, the community asked me to make products specifically for The Regimen. So, I did. You do not have to buy our products to get clear.

I started Acne.org to share a regimen that worked for me -   not to sell stuff. For years, we all just used drugstore products and did fine.

Years ago, the only 2.5% BP available came in .75 ounces. Since The Regimen calls for a lot of 2.5% BP,
the community asked me to make it in a big size. So, I did.

I figured if I make products they should be
affordable and the best. Working with Bio-chemists,
I designed our products specifically for The Regimen.

Cleanser: Our cleanser is liquid so it is less drying, pH neutral so it is kind to sensitive skin, and lather-rich so it glides over the skin without irritation.

Treatment: Studies show that 2.5% BP works as well as 10% BP without the excessive dryness and irritation. Our pH neutral BP is gel based so it glides on easily and doesn’t turn white when you perspire. It is triple milled, and then distilled, creating a pharmaceutical grade product which is just the right strength for maximum effectiveness without added irritation.

Moisturizer: Choosing the right moisturizer can be like walking through a mine field. A proper one needs to be non-greasy, carefully formulated with non-comedogenic ingredients, and light yet completely moisturizing. After working with top chemists on 87 iterations, we finally nailed it.

Finding Supplies
Option A: Drugstore Products
Option B: Acne.org Products
1. Read guide below thoroughly
2. Print it & take with you to store
3. Check labels for ingredients to avoid below
4. Try a few brands to find the best for you
1. Order Dan's Regimen kit

Guide to buying drugstore products

When choosing a cleanser

Be aware of irritating and comedogenic ingredients.

Avoid:

  • Soap. Soap will dry and irritate the skin. A tell-tale sign of whether something is soap is a lack of an ingredient list. Soap manufacturers are not required to list ingredients on the package.
  • Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS strips the skin, damaging its protective barrier and introduces irritation. Avoid it altogether.
  • Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Not as big of an offender as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate should still be avoided if it is one of the first 3 or 4 ingredients in a cleanser. If it is far down in the list of ingredients, it should be okay.
  • Scrubbers. Scrubbing beads, seeds, shells, sugars, or anything else that is made to “scrub” the skin is the last thing inflammatory acne needs. Scrubbing irritates the skin and should be avoided at all cost. Unless you have only non-inflammatory acne, the kind that never gets red and is way under the surface of your skin, or unless you only get blackheads, avoid scrubbers entirely.
  • Scents. Some fragrances tend to irritate some people, and some do not. I recommend avoiding scents when possible.
  • Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Myristal Myristate

Look for:

  • The words "gentle", "non-overdrying", "for dry, sensitive skin", and similar words alluding to the gentle nature of the cleanser.
  • Glycerin, a moisturizing ingredient, is often included in non-overdrying cleansers, and is a welcome addition to an ingredient list.

Men:

I recommend that men who shave to use the lather from a cleanser as their shaving cream. You can choose either a foaming liquid cleanser (the best option) or a gentle bar (perhaps less expensive per use, but not as gentle).

The two adequate foaming cleansers I have found on most store shelves include:

  • Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser
  • Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash

The four bars which which I have found safe to use are:

  • Basis Sensitive Skin Bar
  • Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar
  • Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, Antibacterial
  • Purpose Gentle Cleansing Bar

Women:

If I had to choose between a liquid and a bar for cleansing, I’d choose a liquid every time. However, if you are on an extremely tight budget, a bar can tend to be less expensive per use.

The four liquid cleansers I have found on most store shelves which seem to work well for most people include:

  • Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser
  • Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash
  • Netrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser
  • Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser Wash

The four bars which I have found safe to use are:

  • Basis Sensitive Skin Bar
  • Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar
  • Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, Antibacterial
  • Purpose Gentle Cleansing Bar

When Choosing a 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide (BP)

BP must be 2.5% strength.

Avoid:

  • Alcohols. Alcohol can tend to dry and strip the skin.
  • High levels of moisturizing ingredients. You want BP to be in a neutral base. Part of why BP works so well is because it is a mild drying and peeling agent. Too much moisturizer in the formula can prevent some of this drying and peeling from taking place. It’s best to give BP the environment it needs to do its job.
  • Other active ingredients. When you start adding in other active ingredients, that means you’re adding in an external variable. We want to get you completely cleared up on The Regimen before adding in any external variables. Once you’re completely clear, you can feel free to add in 1 variable at a time. If you stay clear, you’re good to go. If you break out from the new variable, you’ll know it’s the culprit.
  • Fragrance. Some fragrances tend to irritate some people, and some do not. Avoid if possible.
  • Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Myristal Myristate
  • 10% benzoyl peroxide (BP), 5% benzoyl peroxide (BP)

Look for:

  • Gel based benzoyl peroxide. Cream based BP tends to turn white when you perspire. This can cause embarrassment at times. Also, cream based BP can be harder to apply since it dries so quickly. Gel based BP gives you more time to apply and also does not turn white when you perspire.

A note on prescription BP:

  • Some prescription BP can be okay to use. If you can buy it for an extremely low price, this may be an option for you. Just follow the above suggestions when looking through ingredients, and feel free to ask the pharmacist to go over it with you.

BP may also be available over-the-counter at your HMO pharmacy. I used to be a member of Kaiser Permanente and they sold 2.5% benzoyl peroxide at their pharmacy. Kaiser seems to have discontinued this, but your HMO may offer this option.

If buying on store shelves:

  • Neutrogena On-The-Spot is the only widely available 2.5% benzoyl peroxide on store shelves. It is cream based, which is not ideal, but it should still work. It comes in small .75ounce tubes, so try to find it on sale and stock up big time. You’ll eventually be using lots of BP, so you’ll need many, many tubes.

When choosing a moisturizer

Be diligent when checking labels.

Without SPF:

Avoid:

  • Most oils with the exception of jojoba oil (which is actually an extremely welcome ingredient), macadamia nut oil, and mineral oil. Some other oils may be safe as well, but generally it’s a good idea to avoid oils.
  • Thick and greasy moisturizers. Moisturizers that are too thick and greasy can sometimes tend to clog pores. Plus, when a moisturizer is thick, it can be harder to apply gently to avoid irritation.
  • Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Myristal Myristate

Look for:

  • Moisturizers made specifically for the face.
  • The words "non-comedogenic" on the label.
  • Jojoba oil as an ingredient.

If buying on store shelves:

It’s very difficult to find a great moisturizer on store shelves. I don’t love anything out there myself. Some people find that these options work well for them, however:

  • Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. Takes care of flakiness well. I’m slightly concerned with the combination of Cetearyl Alcohol and Ceteareth-20 as the 3rd and 4th ingredient, however, due to high comedogenicity scores in rabbit ear assays when this combination is used.
  • Complex 15. Contains Mysristyl Myristate, a highly comedogenic ingredient, but as the 12th ingredient. Requires jojoba oil with each use for full moisturization.
  • Lac-Hydrin Five. Contains AHA, so not for use at the onset of The Regimen. Wait 4 weeks before use.

With SPF:

Avoid:

  • Most sunscreens. In my experience, most SPF moisturizers I have tried have broken me out. I am uncertain if this is due to a particular active ingredient or the stabilizing ingredients. I am researching this and will report back when I find out more.
  • Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Myristal Myristate
  • I have not found any good SPFs other than Oil of Olay Classic Gentle Formula (see below).

Look for:

The only SPF which I have found that works well (and I have tried them all!) is:

  • Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer - Sensitive Skin

Note: Be sure to add 5-6 drops of jojoba oil into the Olay in your palm before you apply.

See our reviews pages for reviews from Acne.org members of drugstore products. Keep in mind, however, that not all of the reviews are from people on The Regimen. You may need to read through a bunch to sift out people who are using these products with The Regimen.

Print this guide and take it to the drugstore with you for reference when choosing your products.

Remember!

Print out The Regimen and take checklist into the bathroom with you.

or

If you ordered Dan's Regimen Kit,
the checklist and full regimen instructions will be sent to you.

Go to store »