Topical Antibacterial
Reviews
3.5
20781 Reviews
Topical Antibacterial
Efficacy
54%
Based on All Available Studies
Strength of Evidence
1
2
3
4
5
Note: Benzoyl peroxide clears the skin completely when applied correctly.
Topical Antibacterial
Side Effects
Low-Medium
Topical Antibacterial
Acne.org’s Real World Take
It’s been a staple of acne treatment for decades for a reason. When used properly it can completely clear the skin. It is widely available and affordable. Comes with side effects for the first few weeks and can bleach fabric.
Topical Antibacterial
How to Get It
This is an over-the-counter treatment. Here are some places you can find it online.
Read All About Benzoyl Peroxide
Compare To Other Treatments
5
31.3%
4
25%
3
17.2%
2
12.5%
1
14%

Used Benzoyl Peroxide? Rate It:

Choose from 1 to 5 stars
December 21, 2014
Absolutely awful !
This product is terrible. I've spent the whole summer using it because my dermatologist told me it was THE solution to my acne issues. It simply destroyed my skin and I went from a bad case of cystic acne to scars and disgusting whiteheads all over my cheeks and jawline. I was so disfigured I couldn't even face a mirror or sleep because it hurt. Now that I've stopped using it, my skin looks terrible  '"hypermygmentation all over the face'" + it is oversensitive and I can't put anything on it.
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September 2, 2015
have u heard the Professional skincare formula products from philippines? It really works.
September 17, 2015
I am like u :( it make white heads :(
December 4, 2017
I had the same experience. This is the acne product from hell. My face is all scarred and I don't know what to do because my face burns terribly. I refuse to look in the mirror now. Its Awful just aweful!
October 30, 2014
Product used: The Regimen
Products that Work
I've always been pretty lazy about taking care of my skin. I would wash my face in the shower, and that's about it. As I entered my mid-thirties, my face began breaking out like I was a teenager. It was also dull and I was noticing age spots and gaping pores on my nose and chin. I had tried the BP treatment from acne.org years ago, and I remember it working well. So I bought another bottle and started using it religiously. (I paired it with Neutrogena Natural face wash and Cetaphil and Cerave moisturizers.) One day, I received an unexpected package in the mail: a full sample-sized Regimen kit. I was surprised! I can't think of another company that has sent me such a generous gift for trying their product. The kit also came with coupons, which I used to purchase cleanser and the AHA product. The Regimen works great. After about a month, my skin was pretty clear. I only suffer the occasional pimple- I do not break out like I used to. Here's a review of each of the separate products: Cleanser: Happy with the cleanser. It is very gentle, doesn't have a heavy fragrance, and removes a lot of my makeup. I do use jojoba oil (from Trader Joe's) to get rid of all my mascara and eyeliner, and I follow the cleanser with a gentle toner (from Simple) to get the guck the cleanser didn't. I don't know if the cleanser is 'better' than, say, Cetaphil, but I appreciate the size, the pumping mechanism, and the overall cost. It lasts a long time, and I trust this brand. Benzoyl Peroxide: Most of the over 'the- counter treatments contain 10% BP, which is okay for spot treatment, but not for spreading over your entire face. The BP will clear your skin and will then work to prevent further breakouts. I've never seen a similar product like it out there. The generous size makes it a great bargain. This stuff changed my life! Any amount of BP will dry out the skin, so using a moisturizer is crucial. However, my skin is now used to the BP, and if I skip the moisturizer, I'm okay. Give it a good six weeks to clear up your skin. If it doesn't work, time to see the dermatologist' Moisturizer: I've used the sample moisturizer, and I had no problem with it. However, I like my Cetaphil morning moisturizer because it has sunscreen. I'm also trepidatious because of acne.org moisturizer's negative reviews: I have fair skin and do not want to stain my face yellow! (Though, I have heard the licorice root is also supposed to fade dark spots.) Because I am approaching 40, I am interested in an anti-aging nighttime moisturizer. Right now, I am using Cerave nighttime moisturizer, but will probably try something new when it is gone. AHA: Love this stuff. Great price for such a large bottle. I started slowly, mixing some with my moisturizer. Then I tested an inconspicuous spot on my neck. Now I put it straight on my entire face two to three times a week in place of moisturizer. I always wake up with more glowy skin, and it definitely helps with breakouts. Suggestions: I would love to see a moisturizer with SPF' or even a separate SPF that won't cause blemishes. BP and AHA increase sensitivity to the sun, and so it's important to incorporate SPF into a daily routine. I would also love to see more information about mixing skincare products on the site. For instance, I didn't realize retinol and BP used together can actually cancel out the other's effectiveness. Vitamin C, a popular collagen-boosting ingredient in serums, shouldn't be used with AHAs. I am interested in using other anti-aging products that work with acne-fighting products. Finally, I still have large pores on my nose and chin, and some blackheads. I would love to see a blackhead treatment in the acne.org arsenal. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the products, the customer service, and the value of the products. Strongly recommend to anyone battling acne.
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October 10, 2014
Very effective for acne oily skin
This is my first review ever!!!!! This 2.5 b.p is much better than the regiment b.p. I have both of them, 3 weeks a go when I decided to do the regiment cuz I had no other options, since I tried literally everything and waisted 1000s of $ I had nothing to lose. When I ordered 2.5 the regiment bp, I thought while I'm waiting for the shipping I would go to local pharmacy and get neutrogena BP, cetophil cleanse and lotion. And tried this right the way, I notice that after applying lotion my face would be very red so I was doing this with out lotion since my skin was so oily, after few days of using bp neutrogena my acne stopped and my oily skin decrease significantly, when I finally got the regiment bp I tried for 2 days and I was breaking out, and my skin became oily again, so I went back to neautrogena bp, and it does 90% of its job, if u have acne oily skin, try this!!!
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July 30, 2014
First time ever my skin is clear!
I have dealt with acne most of my life. I got to the point antibiotics weren't helping anymore, so they tried Accutane. Accutane helped for a little bit but after a couple years, my acne came back just as bad. I had days where I would wake up crying by how bad my face was. Unblemish was the first thing that worked for me! You have to be adamant about the daily regiment and give it a try. Its 60 day guarantee so you can't really go wrong. It is expensive, but for me after a lifetime of acne, its worth the result. I did have a little bit of drying out on specific parts of my face, but after a week or so of making sure to use moisturizer and backing off to once a day with the wash, my skin adjusted. My husband comments now how smooth my skin is and how much my face glows! A plus is my pores on my forehead seem to be getting smaller and my hopes that my nose pores will eventually too!
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May 26, 2015
Do you still use this product? And are the results still the same? I have a similar story and am looking into trying it!
May 5, 2016
2 years later and still going strong and clear! Even with crazy prego hormones!
December 28, 2013
Saved my horrible skin like nothing I've ever used before!!

Pros:

Clears skin fast!
Lightens dark spots
Makes face feel fresh

Cons:

Dries skin, use moisturizer!
Burns at first

I never had a skin problem up until a few months ago when I started birth control. Although some say it makes your skin better than ever , that wasn't the case for me. I broke out horribly all over my face, around mouth, cheeks nose forehead you name it! It was horrible I was so embarrassed tried everything from proactive to several prescriptions from my dermatologist. None were working at all until I recently started using tho product about three weeks ago an. It truely is a life saver! I put a thin layer on my problem areas at night and the next morning I already started seeing a difference! It's amazing I also started using oxy maximum face wash in the black and red bottle, they seem to counter act with eachpther which I love! I now only suffer from some dark marks due to the acne and a few occasional pimples other than thy my skin is back I normal and couldn't be better! Super happy about this product!!!
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September 5, 2013
Controls acne, but doesn't get rid of it completely

Pros:

gets acne in control
somewhat reduces new pimples from forming

Cons:

doesn't get rid of acne completely
dries face

When I was in Russia for two months, I did not take any acne treatments with me from the US, thinking that I will just buy something in Russia. I used proactive for like a year, and didn't take it with me to Russia. When I got to Russia, I literally could not find any benzoyl peroxide treatments in stores! All they had were washes and creams with salicylic acid. BUT, I went to a pharmacy, and they did have benzac ac 5%! It was the only benzoyl peroxide treatment I could find anywhere in Russia, so I had no choice but to buy it, because by that time, I had really bad breakouts and my acne was out of control after I stopped using all acne treatments (which were mostly proactiv, but I'm not saying proactiv is bad. I'm just saying I stopped using every acne treatment for a couple weeks). I bought benzac ac 5%, and finally my acne was back in control! I got rid of acne on my cheeks, and it significantly reduced acne on my forehead, but didn't get rid of it completely. It didn't get rid of my whiteheads on my chin though. And it REALLY dried out the skin and made it flaky. I had to use moisturizer like twice a day, and had to put on a couple of layers each time. I used it with clearasil ultra face wash (which has 2% salicylic acid, but it was fine on my skin combining these two products), and a non-comedogenic moisturizer with spf 15 (it was a Russian moisturizer, but I looked up all the ingredients that were in it, and it was non-comedogenic for the most part but it had tocopherol). The acne on my cheeks went away after a week or so of using it (and it was just a few pimples), but the acne on my forehead just reduced, but didn't go away. After a month of using it, the results are the same, acne doesn't go away completely, but it is in control. Doesn't get rid of whiteheads though.
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July 27, 2013
it helps!

Pros:

pimple dry easily
easy to apply

Cons:

dry and flaky in first time use
makes my face red on the 1st month. but that's how it works!

i was on my 3rd year highschool when pimples bursts out on my face. i tried ProActiv, Defensil, Clean&Clear but nothing works. Most of all, I regret using The Body Shop tea tree line coz it makes my face so horrible, pimples all over. ughh. And now i'm on my 3rd year college, wow! Im still have pimples. So sad :( I'm actually a girl who's so shy in many people, i'm always on our house. but when I discovered this benzac gel I purchased it and after 2 months i know my face is getting better than before. I'm only on my 2nd month so i have to wait until 6 months maybe if my face improves already. For people who suffers from acne, cheer up! There is more than on our skin, acne will fade in time. Just be patient :)
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May 5, 2013
i have been using this product for about a month and it has totally cleared up my acne and my acne marks. I did experience some dryness for the first few days but after that my skin felt really smooth. I recommend this product to young skin like mind because it really works and it doesnt harm your skin at all it just makes you look better
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March 15, 2013

Pros:

BEST PRODUCT FOR ACNE

I LOVE BREVOXYL ITS SO EFFECTIVE !!! I got rid of all my pimples!! now I got my confidence back! My face is sooooo flawless!!! LOVE IT!!!
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March 7, 2013

Pros:

Kept my face clear and smooth all through high school
Not too harsh

Cons:

Dries out skin, use moisturizer
Stops working after a while

I used this on my face every night during my high school years, and it kept my skin beautiful and spotless. However after years of using it, it just kinda stopped working. I guess my skin got used to it. But it helped a ton in high school so I give it 5/5 hands down.
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Finding a Doctor

The right dermatologist can make a big difference to your patient experience and the success of your acne treatment plan. Here are the steps to find a dermatologist who is a good fit:

  1. Use the search feature on the American Academy of Dermatology website to look for board-certified dermatologists in your area, and filter the search results for doctors with a special interest in treating acne.
  2. Read online patient reviews of any dermatologists you are considering and ask people you know whether they have any experience with these dermatologists.
  3. Do your research and go to your first appointment with questions prepared.
  4. Listen to what your gut feeling tells you once you see a dermatologist in person. If you are not completely comfortable, try a different dermatologist.

Finding a Doctor

Only a select few plastic surgeons specialize in acne scar revision surgery. Be certain to find a provider who specializes in acne scar repair and who is passionate and experienced in this area.

Be sure to:

  • Look at before and after photos, the more the better, especially patients with similar scarring to your own.
  • Be realistic about results. Look for improvement, not a cure.

Questions to ask a potential scar revision specialist:

  • Are you board certified? Be certain that they are board certified.
  • How long have you been performing these procedures? Normally, the more experience the better, however, some younger surgeons may be more on top of the latest procedures.
  • Can I speak to some of your other patients? Ask for references for several patients who had similar scarring and speak to them about the process and their satisfaction with results.

Red flags:

  • Their story changes: As you discuss different treatment options, if they tend to change their mind easily, or agree with whatever you say, consider this a red flag. A confident, experienced surgeon will possess strong, unwavering opinions.
  • Your gut tells you "no": Trust your gut. If you just don't feel that the doctor is the right fit, trust that and move on. On the other hand, if you feel they are the perfect specialist for you, trust that feeling.