Paula's Choice CLEAR Daily Skin Clearing Benzoyl Peroxide Cream

This product has helped immensely, but before my personal review, I want to address a lot of the issues people who have rated this product lower. 1: Benzoyl peroxide will bleach clothes/ towels/ eyebrows etc. I used Proactiv (which is 2.5%) and it bleached everything, I personally have had less of a problem with this one, but it still happens. 2. Benzoyl is one of the strongest acne treatments you can use. It will cause drying and redness. Start slow and build up. 3. Never start using benzoyl by just slapping it on your face, especially for sensitive skin. Benzoyl can be harsh so swatch it on a small portion of your skin and see how it reacts. That will save you a lot of time and pain. 4. You can't treat acne and expect it to work overnight. It takes 30-90 days to start seeing a real change overall in your skin. 5. Just want to say it again: BENZOYL PEROXIDE WILL DRY YOUR SKIN! Period, the end. It's battling excess sebum and so it will make your skin dryer. You may want to consider a heavier moisturizer and always drink plenty of water. I've been using this product for 2 months now and it has helped immensely. When I started I had already been using benzoyl 2.5% (which had always worked before, but not anymore) so, desperate as I was I disregarded all I know about skin care and went immediately into applying it twice a day. I did have a lot of redness as a result so I dialed it back to once a day for a week (I suggest to use it at night). To combat dryness I kicked up my moisturizer up a notch (I actually use two moisturizers, but I am using a 10% benzoyl cleanser as well) and my skin is balancing out nicely. One thing that I LOVE about this product is that there is no smell! Proactiv smells TERRIBLE and I expected this to be the same, but there is no scent and I am incredibly thankful for it. It is lightweight and soaks into the skin very quickly. 2 months ago I was crying every day because of the huge, painful, cysts that were constantly growing on my face and now I am not. This isn't some miracle product that will just get rid of acne, I have an entire regimen that this is a part of. But before I got all of the other figured out, this was already helping to decrease the size of the cysts and their frequency within the first 15 days or so. For the price, that can't be beaten. (Some products that can help even more can run you $70 + for a month's supply- this is a drop in the bucket). I think if 2.5% isn't doing it for you and 10% is killing your skin, try this out. Just start slow and be patient. Know that, for really bad stubborn acne, this won't be a one and done either. I know that a lot of people using this are used to oily skin and are worried about too much moisturizer. If your skin is over dried you can still get acne. Pay attention to your skin and if it is staying dry maybe find a creamier moisturizer. I, personally, use a vitamin E cream as well. I also suggest products with Hyaluronic acid as it is love. Also, to make sure your skin stays HYDRATED, drink water. Water. Water. Water. I would recommend this product to add to your routine.

Great product, works instantly. Have had clear skin for a good number of months after using this. Very easy to apply and doesn’t take too long to dry. Can dry out skin, so use a moisturizer on top. Can irritate sensitive skin, tho. Not very sticky, too. Smooth texture.

LRP discontinued my holy grail effaclar duo spot treatment which was also benzoyl peroxide, and I was heartbroken. I started using a general benzoyl peroxide cream and my skin was soooo broken out and terrible. I felt so sad and back to my 16 year old self trying to find any product to help clear up my skin. So I researched a bunch of “best benzoyl peroxide cream” products and eventually after reading tons of reviews found other people saying this was an LRP dupe. So after ONE NIGHT trying it, my skin has already cleared up so much. The relief I felt looking at my skin this morning was just unlike any other. The consistency is definitely thinner than LRP, but I like it honestly. It kinda dries out my skin the same way LRP did but I have a great moisturizer that works for my skin from using LRP effaclar duo for so many years. I don’t have cystic acne but a ton of tiny bumps all over my face. And I’ve never really known the cause. But LRP was the only thing that got rid of them. Now this. Thank God I found this. PLEASE DONT DISCONTINUE IT. or replace it with some retinol and claim it’s a good replacement. This works SOOO well.

I owe most of my recent skin improvements to this very item! It is pretty good at preventing and healing blemishes and even helps fade them over time, unlike most benzoyl peroxide products. This product is drying, but I have noticed 2.5% is not enough for me so I have to stick with the 5 to get better results. I let this product soak into my skin for about 10 minutes before applying a rich yet lightweight moisturizer (I use cerave p.m.). I really love the thin consistency, which makes it easier to spread on the skin and use less. I have also switched to a more gentle facewash, cerave foaming wash, to help keep my skin hydrated. I follow with a salicylic acid toner (clean&clear clear pore) which is drying but helps clean my skin of more impurities and allows the BP to work deeper into my skin. I still get some pimples but the cystic acne is in my past now! my skin keeps getting better as I continue this regime and stick to it!

This stuff? Magic in a bottle— IF you know how to use it! benzoyl peroxide is the only thing that even remotely helps with my hormonal acne. The key is starting low and slow, upping your dose as time passes, and layering this product on top of other moisturizing ones (not before!). I apply a thin layer across anywhere I’m acne prone, as well as use as a spot treatment for active pimples. It’s effective! Be careful when applying near eyebrows and hairline as it can bleach dark hair. I have not experienced a change in skin tone in the years I’ve been using this product. There is a light chemical-y scent that will go away after application. It does not feel sticky on the skin after it dries down either. The largest bottle lasts me months and months of daily use before having to replace. This stuff is concentrated, and you only need a little! The value for how much product is in the bottle is definitely worth it as a consistent user.

Im legitimately so sad this is discontinued . This has been the only thing to work on my acne.

It was fine, but maybe I was hoping for something a bit more potent.I found it to be pretty slow, so it was hard to tell if it was actually doing anything or not. It’s lightweight and easy to apply, but the results weren’t very noticeable, especially compared to other acne products I’ve tried. It also wasn’t nearly as effective as a targeted spot treatment, which was a bit disappointing. On top of that, you can’t really use it while on tretinoin, which makes it even less practical if you’re already on a stronger skincare routine. Overall, I’d give it 3 stars—it’s not terrible, but definitely not a must-have.

This stuff is incredible. I'd been dealing with annoying adult acne for years, and no product I tried did more than help a tiny bit for a week or so. The acne was largely hormonal, so I was beginning to think I couldn't do anything but go to a dermatologist, which is expensive! At 31, I was about ready to give up. I bought this after a friend told me of her experiences with a similar product, and I saw results within days. I've been using it daily for several weeks now, and the results are nothing short of astonishing. I've had three very small pimples in that time - three in a month, when I usually have five or six at once! It's also reduced the amount of redness from past breakouts. My skin hasn't been this good since my teens. I also started using it on my chest and shoulders, with noticeable improvement, so it works for body acne as well. Despite the package warning of dry skin, I always have very dry skin, and it hasn't dried my face out more than it usually is. Be sure to wear sunscreen if you're using this, though. Sunscreen is good regardless, so I didn't have to change my routine, but if you're not already using it be aware that you will burn if you don't. One thing I thought I'd avoided was the bleached fabrics. I use this at night before bed, and make sure my chest is completely dry before putting on pajamas. After a week, my burgundy shirt hadn't changed color at all, so it looked like I was safe... but then I washed the shirt. The chest and shoulder areas on the shirt bleached to a lighter red in the wash! So even if you're careful and don't let the wet product touch your clothes, it looks like it still has the bleaching effect. I wouldn't recommend wearing this in the morning or with clothes you really like, to be safe.

Please do a patch test, as I did not do patch test and applied on a larger area of my body. It gave me very bad rashes with extremely itchy skin. I was not able to sleep for so many nights and I couldn't bear anything touching my skin even clothes. I had to see a dermatologist & take medication.

Used this product for the first time and it felt really nice on the face. Unfortunately when I went to dry my face after I rinsed it off it bleached my brand new grey towel. I was not happy! I ended up throwing it as I thought if it can do that to a towel do I really want that on my face. No thank you!!! So if you do choose to use it make sure to use a white towel to dry your face afterwards