Benzoyl Peroxide for Acne

Putting together a natural and successful skin care routine for acne might seem like an overwhelming task, but based on extensive research, one thing is certain — one of the best and most effective ingredients to use for acne treatment is benzoyl peroxide.

How Does Benzoyl Peroxide Work?

Benzoyl peroxide is a type of organic peroxide that releases oxygen when it is in contact with your skin, killing certain acne-causing agents. Benzoyl peroxide essentially gets to the root of your acne problem by unclogging and cleaning out acne prone skin pores. This not only helps improve and reduce current acne breakouts, it also helps minimises the redness that is symptomatic of acne breakouts as well as prevent future breakouts from happening.

What’s especially exciting is that research has shown that topical application of benzoyl peroxide doesn’t disrupt the skin's microbiome. If anything, it can have a balancing effect as it works to treat and control the proliferation of acne-causing bacteria.

The Best Benzoyl Peroxide Products

At Paula’s Choice Skincare we’ve long known about the amazing results benzoyl peroxide can provide for acne-prone skin, which is why our CLEAR line offers two products containing benzoyl peroxide for acne.

Both are powerful tools in your anti-acne arsenal, for several reasons. First and foremost, of course, is that they are formulated with effective amounts of benzoyl peroxide — 2.5% for mild to moderate acne, and 5% for stubborn, severe acne — to get straight to the source of acne breakouts.

Another important feature is that they also contain soothing ingredients, such as bisabolol and allantoin to calm skin, plus hydrating ingredients to minimise dryness and flaking, which often are side effects from using anti-acne products.

Just as important is what our CLEAR Daily Skin Clearing Treatments do not include: They are free of harsh sensitising ingredients, which is critical when you are trying to get your acne breakout under control. Skin-aggravating ingredients, such as fragrance, menthol, and alcohol, can increase the frequency of breakouts, so gentle is the way to go.

CLEAR Your Acne Fast

If you haven’t considered acne treatments with benzoyl peroxide as an ingredient, or if you’ve previously used products containing the ingredient that have hurt your skin, we invite you to try our CLEAR Daily Skin Clearing Treatments. You might be surprised at what a difference they make in getting you on the path to clearer skin, fast.

Learn more about what causes acne breakouts.

Shop our most effective skincare for acne prone skin here.

References for this information:

Journal of Clinical Medicine, July 2019, ePublication
Clinics in Dermatology, March–April 2017, pages 173–178
Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, June 2016, pages 426–429
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, December 2012, issue 6, pages 357–364