Lately I've been battling a bit of chin acne, and it's been driving me bonkers. The rest of my skin has been great, but my chin has been sporting a robust crop of pimples. Nothing I tried—masks, Differin, exfoliation, glycolic acid lotion, leaving it alone—worked.
Then I remembered a tip I'd picked up from a friend whose roommate uses only high-end skin care—with one exception. "She and I swear by CVS benzoyl peroxide cream," my pimple-free pal said. "I swear, it works better than any of the expensive things we've tried."
Sure enough, she was right. I picked up a tube for less than four dollars and put it on before bed. The next morning, all of the volcanic little pustules had vanished. The only side effect is a bit of dry skin, but a little moisturizer fixed that problem within a day. Now my complexion is smooth as buttah. I'm telling you, this is good stuff.
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Wow, I will have to pick some up. Are the active ingredients different from it's name brand counterpart?
Also... I used Differin for about a week a month ago... has anyone else used it?? If so, did your skin peel like crazy?! I've stopped using it but was wondering if that happened to anyone else.
1Thanks for the tip. It makes sense because I just realized that the prescription I use for my chin acne is called BenzaClin, made up of clindamycin (no clue what that is) and benzoyl peroxide. It works better and faster than anything else I've used. With my insurance, it's easy for me to afford, but this CVS stuff seems like a good substitute for those who can't afford prescription acne medication.
2Hmmm I might have to give this a try! Although, my new stuff is working like a charm for me and it's 100% organic too!
3Oooo...Thanks Bella! I'm always iffy on the store named brands b/c I don't think it would work as well as the brand name. But, I'll try this one out
4just a littly fyi. acne/breakouts around the chin/jaw area are often triggered by hormonal changes bella:). so if the little monsters do come back, think about changes you've made in your life that could be affecting the breakouts. changes in diet, exercise, medication...etc.
5Can anyone tell me if this would be ok -- in moderation -- for sensitive skin?
6CCSugar, it has the same benzoyl peroxide that other creams do, but my friend says the CVS stuff somehow works better. I had good results, so I'm a fan. And yes, my skin peeled when I started Differin. Just keep your skin moisturized and you should see some improvement over the next six to eight weeks.
Good point, besi0004. This stuff doesn't seem to be hormonal, fortunately—it's the clogged-pore, comes-to-a-head-in-a-day stuff. If I have to choose between the two, I'll take that over the hormonal cystic stuff any day.
7Hmm. Benzoyl peroxide is the only reason I've kept with my ProActiv stuff. I've since switched to Cetaphil but haven't quite given up the toner and repairing lotion. I'm totally trying this CVS stuff though! It's much cheaper!
CVS is becoming quite an addiction for me!
8Benzoyl peroxide makes my skin itch and my eyes puff up, so there's no way that I can use it. Boo.
Also, steen, I didn't know that ProActiv used benzoyl peroxide as well. There goes that idea.
9Can you purchase this in other stores (besides CRV since there aren't any in the bay area)? I've been using Neutogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment and it also has an active ingredient of 2.5 benzoyl peroxide . It is a bit more than CRV; I think it runs around $6-$7 but once you pay shipping for CRV, it probably comes to the same price.
10JC, you can pick up benzoyl peroxide creams at Walgreens and Target — the active ingredient will be the same.
11litandweave - yeah, the BP is (I think) what sets it aside from most other "systems." Salicylic acid makes my skin so dry and flaky and itchy, I almost prefer the blemishes! However, if you're okay with it, I've heard a TON of good things about Murad's system.
12Benzoyl peroxide is my nightmare. It bleaches out clothes and fabric, it turns my skin into a red, raw, itching, thin, fragile, dry, peeling, albeit pimple-less mass, my eyes swell up and it exacerbates my hayfever and other allergies. I prefer topical antibiotics like erythromycine and clindamycine.
13i swear by this too. My brother is in med school so i asked him about dry skin and he told me to find a cream with urea in it. Unfortunately I could only find a foot cream that contained urea, but i decided to try it on the dry skin the benzoyl peroxide caused and using both together works great for me
14So true, Bella. I have kept a small bottle of the Walgreens version and it's *MAGIC*! It really is super drying so use it sparingly!
15OR, you can try Clean and Clear "Persagel".
16Same thing, a Benzoyl peroxide cream.
My husband and I both SWEAR by it. Best stuff I ever used.
Thanks for the tip, steen!
17My hunch is that this is animal tested.
18I go the natural direction and use distilled white vinegar and tea tree oil. I'll admit it isn't my favorite smell (tea tree oil is STRONG), but I can still sleep at night knowing no animal was harmed in the smoothing of my skin.
Thanks Bella!
19Interesting... I would like to try this because I'm constantly battling acne. Bah.
20Will this help out on cystic acne? I've been under crazy amounts of stress lately, so I've been breaking out like mad. Unfortunately, for the most part it's cystic acne. My skin usually isn't too bad. I'll get the occasional pimple here and there. I used to have bad acne as teenager, but I eventually grew out of it, I guess. Lately though, I feel like my skin is 15 again and I'm desperate for something that will help me out.
21Benzoyl peroxide makes my skin so red and irritated...I couldn't use this if I wanted to.
22I had cystic acne and I went from Proactiv (which was too harsh on my skin) to a Clinique regime. I used the oily skin face wash and toner which helped with the oil that came with that and then the Clinique daytime shield which was great during the day and then the spot treatment. My face cleared right up...the problem with so many of these acne treatments is that they are so harsh that later on we have to deal with skin damage. I also used for a while the Kiehls Blue Herbal regime, that actually works best for me in the winter when my skin is a little drier. I realize that a lot of my acne was hormonal and changes in weight....but, the harsh treatments I used didn't help the situation and so I just needed to chill out on it..haha
23Thanks, GeriAnne.
24Thanks for the reminder about animal testing, Foxie. I'll have to look into that before buying this.
I use it for so many things.
It makes a great cuticle oil - my nails grow far faster when I massage the TTO in every night.
25And isn't the Tea Tree Oil amazing?
Ooh
Cheap AND effective; thanks Bella.
26Cool, I'ma have to try it.
27I have used differin on and off for a couple of years and it has really worked for me...there was slight peeling, but it wasnt an issue...nothing gentle exfoliant couldnt fix.
I love it when knockoff products can deliver the goods. This one sounds like the shnizzle!
28I'm definitely going to try it out, under $4? That's great! Currently I'm a big believer in Mario Badescu Drying Lotion $17 - it's been a miracle for me! And contrary to the name, dry flaky skin is not a side effect
29I'm going to sound like a Debbie Downer...but do you all know why BP works? P. acnes can only live in an anaerobic environment and benzoyl PEROXIDE inhibits that, thus killing the bacteria. But you're putting oxygen directly in and on your skin, i.e. creating free radicals, i.e. premature aging.
BP definitely works...I used to use it, but I've since found a replacement that doesn't have such damaging effects in the long run.
30Thats nice but after going on b/c my skin is super clear. Would of been nice to try when I had acne though
31Neutrogena on-the-spot is probably the same thing. A little dab 3 or 4 times a day kills in 2 days even the most hideous volcano, 1 for a little guy.
32Thanks for the good info!
33I use the matching acne face wash by cvs, and it works too! Just as well as Neutrogena or any other name brand. I was just in cvs today to buy some "color oops" and saw that they have alot of other skincare products too. The price is just as good as at Walmart, and there is more selection.
34typically brand name products come from the eact same place (sometimes the same factory!) that the off-brand ones do. Read the labels and you will find they aren't that different! The amount of money women spend on beauty is not a requirement.
35Honestly, Benzoyl is Benzoyl. The percentage value from brand to brand is the only difference. The "expensive stuff" was probably adding--as they tend to do--ingredients that weren't doing a bit of good, as they are just washed down the drain. They might have even been inhibiting the effectiveness of the Benzoyl Peroxide. I have nothing against expensive products, trust me, but I do my research to see if the ingredients are just hype.
36I used to use drying agents, but then a facialist told me that my skin was too dry and all the stuff I was putting on it casued me to break out.
For the past two years I have used Neostrata AHA Daily Moisturizer and Paula's Choice BHA (2%) and I hardly ever break out.
37Nice review. I'll look into this. My current acne spot treatment is rubbish!
38brittanyk, sorry that you are struggling with cystic acne. I know how horrible that can be, esp. when you are not a teenager anymore! After experimenting with various combinations of prescription and otc treatments, what worked for me was: minocycline and Differin cream. Minocycline is an oral antibiotic... I discovered what made a difference was taking the antibiotic at precisely the same time everyday. (FYI, any dermatologist will probably start you on BenzaClin, which is a combo of benzoyl peroxide and clindmycin, a topical antibiotic. Didn't work for me, but has worked wonders for other people I know!)
39I have to admit that I own almost the entire CVS acne arsenal and it all actually works wonderfully! It's so cheap, too. I recommend it
40wow...interesting. but ya know wut i've got to deal with? acne scars
any treatment for that?
41On my way to CVS...
42DearMissPriss, do tell - what's the replacement for the BP??
43I find that otc clay masks twice a week and a good moisturizer work wonders!
That's a pretty good tip. I don't have a ton of money lately and so that is awesome news to me!!
44Hey Megzie!
What I use instead of BP is a exfoliant scrub that's safe to use daily and a combo of AHA and BHA every other day (The AHA is a chemical exfoliant and the BHA kills bacteria). The scrub is made with fused corundum crystals and isn't scratchy or sharp. I know that sounds like too much, but it's worked so well after a two years of crappy skin.
Scrub: http://www.greatnewskin.com/pages/products/newepidermxIIjar.html
AHA/BHA: http://ifeelprettyproducts.com/exfoliants.htm
45No doubt it works as well as any other BP product, expensive or cheap. But BP doesn't work for a lot of people, and I'm one of them. I only STARTED getting spots at 27 and have had them pretty badly since then, I used an oral antibiotic and that worked for a while. Nothing else ever did.
Until... Duac cream. Works AMAZINGLY, doesn't cause much dryness. However, bleaches the crap out of my coloured t-shirts and bed linen.
46I LOVE clean and clear persa gel! Best thing that has ever worked for me! I never had any kind of break-out problem....until after college. I mix a little of the persa gel with my lancome night cream and it clears any nasty little spots up in no time. No need to use it every day though since it can be a bit drying. A few nights a week should keep you in lovely skin!
47The crazy thing, is I have a bottle of CVS acne treatment right here, next to my computer!!! (bella, are you reading my mind?)I first heard about it from the website acne.org. The founder of the website swears by a regimen of gentle cleansing, application of 2.5% benzoyl perozide, then a moisturizer. (Don't forget moisturizer with SPF for the day). Mostly I get breakouts right before that time of the month, and I had tried salicylic acid and 10% benzoyl peroxide before, but it didn't really help. I thought I would try the 2.5% applied liberally, and yep it works great. The big difference is that 10% Benzoyl peroxide is too harsh for regular daily application - a lower concentration but more liberal application is key. I'm pretty sure other companies make a similar product (Neutrogena on the spot acne treatment, etc...) but the CVS brand is cheaper!
48Of some of the other comments are true. Some people have very bad reactions to benzoyl peroxide and it does dry skin out. Be sure avoid the eye/lip area and moisturize!!! This was my experience, hope this helps!
I've been using the Clean & Clear Persa-Gel10 brand of benzoyl peroxide for several years. I also use Neutragena's Nighttime Salicylic Acid 2% treatment, Clean & Clear's Medicated Foaming Facial Cleanser, and baking soda as a scrub. My facial skin requires a lot of daily exfoliation to keep it free of acne and blackheads. Oddly enough my skin sheds a lot and flakes become worse and worse if I don't exfoliate daily. The benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid help keep my oily skin in check, too.
Yes, I'm a bit concerned about how much I put my skin through, but I definitely see a difference when I skip one or more of these steps. The best skin regime advice I received came from Paula Begoun's books and website (cosmeticscop dot com).
49Lately I have been breaking out like crazy, I feel like I'm 13 again, I took your advice and this stuff works so well I cant even believe it. I used it before I went to bed and in the morning my skin was so much better I couldnt even believe it. Bottom line, this stuff is amazing.
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