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
September 21, 2016
Not a fan of Clinique's acne solutions
I have been a loyal clinique makeup user since I was in high school. I never found the prices to be overwhelming and I liked the coverage. not only that, I think the customer service when you go into a big store, is great compared to some of the other companies (free makeup application etc!). So when I started to break out in my mid-30's, going with Clinique's solution was a no-brainer. Again, I didn't find the prices to be wholly unreasonable but this time, my beloved brand did let me down. The customer service was, as always top notch, but I have come to the conclusion that either they are more of a make-up brand than an acne brand or the customer service people who helped me, didn't know what they were talking about. Since I didn't know anything about acne, I went with what they recommended and boy do I regret it. What I thought was a bad breakout got worse. My entire face got red and blotchy and the pimples started popping up with even more of a vengeance. This is all bad enough but then when it comes to the products themselves, I can't say I loved them. The cleansing foam doesn't come out of the bottle very well and it seems like you need a lot to thoroughly wash your face which makes you need more product in a jiffy. I have come to learn that some of the things that I didn't like about this product weren't about the product itself but were due to the lack of communication from the company to me about what to expect. For example, the redness that I experienced was due to me having a sensitivity to benzoyl peroxide - something the person who sold it to me should have probably mentioned would be a possibility. Or when I called their customer support and asked what was going on. I only learned this because I called Pamela at Ninja Skincare and she walked me through not only what was going on with my skin prior to using Clinique but also why Clinique was having such a weird effect on my skin. I went with Ninja and haven't looked back. Am now enjoying the clearest skin since before my babies were born 3 years ago! I am giving it 2 stars because I still love me some Clinique makeup, but am sticking with makeup only from now on! I would not recommend their acne solutions products.
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July 29, 2016
Cancelling Membership
You cannot cancel the membership online. They send products and charge your credit card without prior notice they are doing so. Yes, I am aware they state they will send the items every 8 weeks but Exposed Acne send an email a week before the item is due to be dispatched and the customer has the opportunity to cancel the shipment if they still have lots of the product remaining. I have had a membership with them for 2 years but thought I would try Proactiv. I found the photo on this website: [link removed] laughable as this was so relevant to how pathetic the ordering system is with ProActiv. Would never recommend this company to anyone. DONT USE THEM UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBITED EVERY MONTH WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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January 27, 2016
too dry
i used this product and it didn't help to clear my acne at all and my face was very dry and feel off
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May 28, 2017
Where did you find the gel am trying to order some
December 14, 2015
;-;
At first there was some minor irritation and dry skin....little did I know 2-3 weeks later I would have some sort of reaction....I don't even know what to do anymore....
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August 14, 2015
Absolutely amazing! MUST TRY
I tried this on a whim while browsing in Target. I've tried many different acne products before, but none of them gave me great results. I used the face wash spot treatment and toner before I went to sleep, and when I woke up all the redness was gone and I already saw huge improvement. After a week of using all 3 products once a day , my face was 95 % clear. I even got comments on how clear my face was . The products itself last pretty long, I would use all 3 products daily at first and then I would just use the spot treatment daily and the toner and face wash every other day, this lasted me about 3-4 months. I know this totally sounds like one of those cheesy commercials but it genuinely worked for me! It's pretty cheap too, I definitely recommend this to my friends and family. Hope this works for you like it did for me !
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May 19, 2016
How oily is your skin? I have pretty oily skin and I hate it so much could this help me?
July 27, 2015
Don't waste your money!
Xout is a waste of time I'm 15yrs old and all Xout did was made my face worst, at one point it burned my face and dried out my skin leaving dark marks, the spot corrector does absolutely nothing as well, this product belongs in the garbage😡😡😡.
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July 31, 2015
It did that to me also, so don't think you are alone. Hopefully it will get better for you. My face is now permanently red where I put it on so it looks like I have a bad sunburn.
July 21, 2015
Pretty good:)
I'm 13, almost 14 year-old and I have secere acne. I've tried brands like AcneFree and Eskinol , and home remedies too, but they either made my skin really dry, made more pimples, and/or did nothing at all. I've been looking for something that would actual work and would be able to show visible results. Then I found this. After using the Clearsil Ultra Rapid Action Acne Face Scrub, I applied a thin layer of the treatment cream onto my trouble spots and left it overnight. Then I woke up and POOF! a few of the pimple have shrunk or vanished! now some of the pimples havent vanished but they have shrunken, which i understand. But the one thing that bothers me is that after the pinple shrinks, it leaves a brown spot (probably an acne scar, which takes a long while for it to completely dissapear). But if you want a pimple to decrease, then this will work.
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February 25, 2015
Product used: The Regimen
Better than my prescriptions
I've waited 2 long depressing years for this moment. I went on 3 different prescription meds and none of them did a thing. My acne got so bad, people were recommending me acne products without me even asking! I even had someone pull me in to their bathroom and start applying their crappy acne product on my face!! Yeah, that actually pissed me the hell off. And to make things worse, their cheap product broke me out all over! Oh well, thank god I had the regimen to clean all that up. It's been four months since I started using the regimen and my face is 100% clear. My hundreds of scars are almost gone too! I've been getting compliments on my complexion lately. I haven't had compliments on my skin since I was in high school. It took about a month before I noticed a decent change. I went from breaking out everyday to every week. After about 3 months, all my blackheads and small bumps went away (those are almost impossible to get rid off!). At four months, my scars are barely noticeable and as of now, I'm acne free. The first month was a nightmare. I've never seen my skin so dry in my life. I had to stop applying it twice a day and switch to just once a night. I only used the cleanser and the moisturizer in the morning and the full regimen at night, but even doing that, my skin was super flakey. I didn't use the recommended ammount of bp and I still don't to this day. I use less than half as much as the recommended ammount and it still keeps my face clear. I absolutely love this product and I'll continue to use it the rest of my life if I have to. I honestly haven't been this happy in years. My acne's finaly gone, along with my depression. I actually like what I see in the mirror now. Think I'll go flirt with some ladies today.
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February 5, 2015
An absolute con
I used the original proactive in high school with mild success but since they changed the formulation it's become in effective garbage at 3 times the old price. And be warned! Not only do they automatically send you a replacement 90 day kit and charge your credit card, but they now break the price of the 90 day kit up into 3 payments "for your convenience" without telling you so you don't realize the useless 90 day kit actually costs $150 not $64 until after their 60 day return is up. I would never purchase anything from them again and as a pharmacist I can tell you all that a bottle of 5% Benzoyl Peroxide from a local pharmacy will work better than proactiv's 2.5% version for much lower cost.
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February 4, 2015
Dangerous, WORSENED HORRIBLY my GF's acne problem
I'm really angry with this product, my girlfriend has acne and used this and the product looks like it burned her face, she has a horrible red spot on her cheeks were she had a couple of pimples. even worse, there's no indications anywhere as of what to do when this happens. I would advice anyone not to take the risk of buying this crap. If anyone knows what to do to revert the damage this thing did please respond to this message, my GF doesn't even want to go outside. She used it for a week
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July 25, 2015
I know it's quite late, but here's what I do when I accidentally burn my face (on account of overnight spot treatments such as garlic *veeery bad idea*, clay masks mixed with essential oils or any other sh*t) Firstly, apply ice on the spot and leave it there for about a minute. Then apply green tea compresses twice daily (or more than twice, if she feels so. just cut a small part of a cotton pad, to fit the spot under discussion, and soak it in freshly brewed green tea, but not too hot, to avoid getting burned once again; wait for it to dry partially and apply again) Secondly, apply a chamomile toner, and, , while the skin is still damp, apply a vitamin c serum (you can buy vitamin c drops for children from the drugstore). Use this treatment twice daily until the burn heals. Also, she can use a mixture of sweet almond oil and one or two drops of lavender essential oil with a cotton pad on the problematic areas. Hope it helps
September 2, 2015
Google PROFESSIONAL SKINCARAE FORMULA FROM PHILIPPINES...
June 5, 2016
I just use this on cystic acne since it's quiet strong, after I wash my face I apply my toner and apply this on top of my zits. They sting horrible, so I wipe them out cottonpads and rose water and then I applied aloevera gel on the zits leave it on overnight, and during the day I use good sunscreen. I did this every day, and on the third day my skin became red and even turned brown yes brown. On the 6th day I can just peel the skin that dried out and viola,beautiful new skin under it. This stuff works on cystic acne, but not as a regular moisturizer for me, but I'm still really happy with this one

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.