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 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. If you are sensitive, you may want to avoid scented products.
• Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Myristal Myristate, Laureth-4. See below for a complete list of ingredients to avoid.

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.
• Use cleanser made specifically for the face even though you are using it on the body.

When choosing a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide must be 2.5% strength.

Avoid:

• 10% benzoyl peroxide, 5% benzoyl peroxide. 5% may be used if no 2.5% is absolutely unavailable to you, but will cause more dryness and irritation than 2.5%.
• Alcohols. Alcohol can dry and strip the skin.
• High levels of moisturizing ingredients. You want benzoyl peroxide to be in a neutral base. Part of why benzoyl peroxide works so well is because it is a drying and peeling agent. Too much moisturizer in the formula may prevent some of this drying and peeling from taking place.
• Other active ingredients. When you start adding in other active ingredients, that means you’re adding in an external variable. Once you’re completely clear, you can feel free to add in 1 variable at a time such as another active ingredient. If you stay clear, you’re good to go. If you break out from the new variable, you’ll have a good idea that it’s the culprit.
• Fragrance. Some fragrances tend to irritate some people, and some do not. Avoid if possible.
• Isopropyl Palmitate, Isopropyl Myristate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Myristal Myristate, Laureth-4. See below for a complete list of ingredients to avoid.

Look for:

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

A note on prescription benzoyl peroxide:

• Some prescription benzoyl peroxide can be okay to use. If you can buy a 2.5% prescription benzoyl peroxide for an extremely low price, this may be an option for you. Just follow the above suggestions when looking through ingredients since even some prescriptions include highly comedogenic ingredients, and feel free to ask the pharmacist to go over it with you.

Benzoyl peroxide may also be available over-the-counter at your HMO pharmacy. From Dan: "I used to be a member of Kaiser Permanente and they sold 2.5% benzoyl peroxide at their pharmacy."

If buying on store shelves:

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

When choosing a 10% glycolic acid (alpha hydroxy acid - AHA)

Be diligent when checking labels.