Acne.org Products
Topical Retinoid
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
Note: Prescription and over-the-counter adapalene share the same efficacy percentage due to non-specific research, but prescription strength likely performs better.
Topical Retinoid
Acne.org’s Real World Take
This topical retinoid medication provides partial relief at higher prescription dosages, but don’t look for complete clearing, especially at over-the-counter strength. Relatively affordable and comes with less side effects than tretinoin, the other affordable topical retinoid. As a bonus, it improves the look of skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles a bit too.
Topical Retinoid
How to Get It
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Used Adapalene (Non-prescription)? Rate It:
Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 18, 2010
Cons:
dries out skin
I love this stuff. My derm gave it to me about a week ago and i use it along with prascion(facewash), and duac (in the morning), and a pill called dioxycylcine. My friends and family are commenting on how great my skin looks (which is awsome cause i used to have RLY BAD acne). all in all I love my regimen and highly recommend it to others. The drying out can be annoying but if u bring miosturizer with u its not a problem at all (i recommend CeraVe)
March 4, 2010
Pros:
none
Cons:
makes skin more red
irritating
expensive
I would never recommend this. I'm using the 0.3 gel and it's irritating my skin so badly. Especially the area around my lips. I can't even put chapstick on them because it stings so bad. My dermatologist said I could use moisturizer underneath it to make it less drying, but it hasn't helped at all. My skin has gotten worse and my parents payed way to much. I've had acne for five years and I just want it to go away already. I've only been on this for a couple of weeks so I'm not sure if I should keep it up or give it up. It's causing more stress than it seems to be worth.
Oh and one super huge CON: it gave me the worst rash on my chest and arms. Seriously I looked like I had some sort of strange, dry, red birth mark. It took DAYS to go away and there's still some on my arms. I'm pissed and I want my parent's money back.
December 4, 2009
Pros:
I don't really have acne but whenever i get pimples it DOES go away right away. My sister did have severe acne and this product was the only thing that worked on her as well.
Cons:
none.
USE A LITTLE BIT! If you put a blob thinking its gonna work faster, it does the complete opposite. It doesnt work that way. Just use a little bit where needed.
July 2, 2017
Works
I use this if my skin is really bad and leave it on overnight and it has really helped with reducing the oil in my skin. However, I'd recommend every couple of nights, swap the gel for a moisturiser, this is how I've seen best results, and my skin has been a lot better because of it :)
February 10, 2017
Not bad
I have tried a lot of different stuff for my skin and had a pretty good regiment going on but then i decided to add AHA to take care of the whiteheads on my jaw. Unfortunately, it ended up making my skin purge. At least I eventually that's what was happening. At the time I was just upset that I was breaking out more. So then I saw that Differin was on available without a prescription I decided to try it. I figured since I was already purging that it really wouldn't be that different than what I had going on. I'm on week 4 of using Differin and honestly it really isn't any worse than what I was going through before. Actually, the zits popping up now seem to come to a head and heal faster. My skin is a bit more sensitive and some of my moisturizers are making my skin burn a bit, but it's not too bad tbh. My routine in the evening with the differin is a mild cleanser, then the differin, then some benzoyl peroxide, a serum and a moisturizer. Sometimes I'll use a bit of bha liquid from Paula's Choice on my more problem areas that aren't generally dry and flakey. If you're using this product and getting really bad dry skin, try getting some sheet masks off of amazon. I use them at the end of my routine after the differin is already on.
July 20, 2017
i'd say that you're using too many products on your skin. i was recommended differin by a dermatologist but my skin care routine and how i use the differin gel is much different than how you use it. i use a mild cleanser twice a day (neutrogena hydro boost). i have hated all neautrogena products before this one. this cleanser is super gentle, actually cleans your skin/removes makeup and somehow leaves the skin feeling hydrated. after i cleanse, i go in with the cerave daily moisturizer. this is an amazing moisturizer because it has ceramides in it and promotes healthy skin barrier function. i cleanse and moisturize twice a day and use the differin gel every other night over moisturizer. i use a TINY PEA SIZE amount all over my face. according to the dermatologist, that's all you should be using. it's easy to go over-board with acne medication and i fear thats what you're doing. you're most likely stripping your skin of it's natural barrier and leaving it vulnerable to bacteria that cause infection. be kind to your skin. restore it to it's healthy form.
May 15, 2016
no
Was not satisfied at all. it is too irritating to me and no improvement
June 9, 2017
Why the two stars then?
April 6, 2016
Whitehead & acne
Im 25 years old.. I dont have big problem on acne..only whitehead around forehead, cheek and chin.. Already use differin gel 0.1% about a month..But now I got big acne between my eyebrow, on forehead, nose, chin, some on cheek.. Whitehead still on my face..my skin still oily, when I clean my skin using cleanser my skin got burn.. I hope my skin get better because now my skin worse than before..
June 8, 2016
After 3months
My skin super great now. I use differing 0.1% gel. My whitehead gone. I dont remember how its gonez.lol. First 2-3months, breakout no breakout no breakout no. But now im satisfied with my skin even I still got 1-2 tiny acne or whitehead. My skin great I use combination of vitamin C + wild yam from Artistry (my friend suggest it) then put differin and my skin super glow nice.. Sorry my broken english.
June 8, 2016
Differin*
June 8, 2016
Differin*
August 19, 2014
Drastically Worsened Acne
I have suffered on and off with acne for my whole life. I had previously cured my (relatively mild) acne with gentle skincare regime and benzoyl peroxide. Eventually I stopped using the benzoyl peroxide treatment and in 5-6 months my acne started to return in the form of bumps under my skin which I initially thought was a reaction to a product. This progressed to a few active spots and breakouts; seeing that my acne may be returning I went to my GP. He was concerned that either my acne was returning or I had a bacterial infection and so prescribed my a Tetracycline antibiotic and Differin. I used Differin for around 6 weeks before I couldn't take it any more. I know this product is a retinoid and can cause skin "purging" but this was way beyond that. I would wake up to increasingly inflamed, reactive skin and cystic acne and whitehead breakouts in area's I had never previously broken out in my life. Eventually the amount of scarring and hyper-pigmentation this stress on my skin was causing became too much and I quit the treatment. After a gap of around 2 weeks I have since begun treatment with Duac 5% Benzoyl Peroxide cream. It has been 3 weeks and already my skin is starting to show some improvement. Please be careful with Differin, it ruined my skin.
September 24, 2013
Lifechanging
Pros:
Clears acne
Clears dark spots
Works fast
Cons:
Drying
My acne at first was all over my forehead but mostly on my cheeks.. My dermatologist prescribed me this and I love this stuff!!! It's drying but at night I put coco butter around my mouth and around my eyes so there isn't dryness when I wake up.. This stuff is literally amazing and I love it so much! My face improves everyday and my dark spots are fading away! I know it's hard but just be patient an remember that although you have acne it will eventually go away and you are still beautiful/handsomeâ¤
June 10, 2013
Be patient with this
Pros:
faded scars
controls acne
Cons:
drying
a little pricy
I used this in a 0.3 version as prescribed by my dermatologist. My use time was 6 weeks and I must say that you have to be patient with this product because I started seeing results at around the 4 weeks mark. The results are amazing. My redness calmed down so much. The scars faded A LOT! But the cons are only the drying part. I am an oily skin type and this dried me out quite a bit. It was a little harder to apply makeup because it feels like a sun burn on my face, but it was bearable. It probably took 2-3 weeks for my skin to get used to it. I'm starting to see the glowing in my skin again! Besides the drying, everything is fine for me. I would definitely recommend this.
Pros:
better skin in a week
the lotion goes on clear
smooth skin
all pimples come to the surface
decreases size of pimples overnight