Finding the right acne treatment system for your skin can be tricky, especially because there are so many out there. Plenty of websites want to tell you what the best acne systems are, but have you ever wondered if there are systems you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole? There definitely are. Some systems are overpowered, others just use bad ingredients, but what they all have in common is that they will not help you get the clear skin you want. Below are the five acne systems we would never entrust our skin to, along with a brief explanation of why you should stay away as well.
Plenty of websites want to tell you what the best acne systems are, but have you ever wondered if there are systems you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole?
Finding the right acne treatment system for your skin can be tricky, especially because there are so many out there. Plenty of websites want to tell you what the best acne systems are, but have you ever wondered if there are systems you shouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole? There definitely are. Some systems are overpowered, others just use bad ingredients, but what they all have in common is that they will not help you get the clear skin you want. Below are the five acne systems we would never entrust our skin to, along with a brief explanation of why you should stay away as well.
1. Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne System
Neutrogena is one of the tried and true drugstore skincare brands many people feel they can trust, which is why we’re so disappointed in the Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne system. The Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne line offers 3 different products: a cleanser, a leave-on mask, and a spot treatment gel. All three of these products contain something called laureth-4, a somewhat common cosmetic ingredient that is typically used as an emulsifier (an ingredient that helps keep all the other ingredients mixed evenly throughout the product). While there’s nothing wrong with emulsifiers, we definitely aren’t a fan of laureth-4 in particular. It is highly comedogenic, meaning it is very likely to clog pores, and some studies show that it is linked to skin allergies as well. In general, if you’re trying to treat acne, which is often caused by clogged pores and skin sensitivities, laureth-4 is an ingredient you’ll want to avoid.
The other issue is the intense concentration of benzoyl peroxide the Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne line uses. Benzoyl peroxide is great for fighting acne because it kills acne-causing bacteria, but the highest concentration anyone really needs, no matter how oily their skin or severe their acne, is 5%. The Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne cleanser and spot treatment gel, however, use a whopping 10%. This is just too much, and it will almost certainly cause burning, peeling, and irritation which may even lead to increased acne.
Overall, this system is just very overpowered and uses some problematic ingredients. There are definitely better options out there, even within the Neutrogena company.
2. Bioré Don’t Be Dirty System
In general, we recommend staying away from Bioré products, but this is especially true when it comes to their Don’t Be Dirty line of products. First of all, the name itself raises several red flags. Any decent skincare company should be perfectly aware that acne is not caused by dirt or poor hygiene, but rather by genetics, stress, and completely natural bodily processes. Naming a product line “Don’t Be Dirty” only serves to increase the stigma around acne in order to try to make people buy more products out of shame and embarrassment. This is not okay, and even if the products in the Don’t Be Dirty line contained high-quality ingredients, we would still recommend staying far away from any company that utilizes shame as a marketing tool.
Plus, the name is not the only problem. The Don’t Be Dirty line features several products containing problematic ingredients, including their Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser, Blue Agave + Baking Soda Balancing Pore Cleanser, and Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub.
Many of the products in the Don’t Be Dirty line contain laureth-4, the pore-clogging emulsifier we discussed in the Neutrogena Rapid Clear section, but many of them also contain something called sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS. SLS is a surfactant, a popular type of cosmetic ingredient that functions by clinging to unwanted particles and then foaming up to remove them—think of the foam created by toothpaste, which nearly always contains SLS. Some surfactants are relatively gentle, but SLS is not one of them. It is often linked to skin sensitivities and if you have acne, you definitely want to avoid products that utilize SLS because it could cause increased irritation, which could lead to redness, swelling, and more acne.
If you’re looking for an effective acne treatment system, we recommend staying far away from the Bioré Don’t Be Dirty line. It will likely cause more problems than it solves.
3. Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit
Mario Badescu is a popular choice for acne treatment, especially their signature pink Drying Lotion, but can their Acne Repair Kit actually get you the clear skin that you want? Based on the products included in the kit and the ingredients used in those products, we think your chances are pretty slim.
The biggest issue for most people is the amount of alcohol used in the majority of the products. The Acne Repair Kit includes a Drying Lotion, Buffering Lotion, and Drying Cream, and alcohol is the number one ingredient in both the Drying Lotion and the Buffering Lotion. This should never be the case in a good acne treatment product because alcohol dries out the skin. This might sound like a good thing, especially if you have particularly oily skin, but in reality, drying out the skin causes irritation, inflammation, and actually increases acne over time. Some mild drying can be helpful, but if alcohol is listed as the first ingredient, we can assure you that product will not be mild. Even people with the oiliest of skin want to stay away from products that have alcohol as the main ingredient.
Another huge issue with the Mario Badescu Acne Repair Kit is the amount of zinc oxide used in all three products. This may not be a problem for those with fair skin, but people of color are likely to get very frustrated with these products very quickly. This is because zinc oxide typically has a strong white color that can cast a green, purple, or ashy hue on skin of color. Because all three products contain zinc oxide, this is almost definitely not the best kit for people of color.
In general, Mario Badescu isn’t a bad skincare company, but their Acne Repair Kit does not contain the right products to truly clear up your acne.
4. Clean & Clear Essentials Skin Care Routine
If you’re a savvy shopper, odds are you’ve at least looked at Clean & Clear products. They’re a popular, cost-effective drugstore skincare brand that offers lots of different products containing all kinds of fun ingredients. However, if you’re looking for an acne system to treat your acne and get you clear skin, the Clean & Clear Essentials Skin Care Routine is definitely not our top recommendation, especially if you have sensitive skin.
If your skin is particularly resistant or oily, the Essentials Skin Care Routine may not be so bad, but we still believe there are far better options out there. There are three reasons for this. First, every single product in this system contains fragrance, which can be cause sensitivity or irritation in many people. Second, the Deep Cleaning Astringent included in this kit contains nearly 25% alcohol, which is a huge problem. As we discussed in the Mario Badescu section, alcohol dries out the skin and causes irritation, and at 25%, that can cause big problems, even for the oiliest of skin. Third, and finally, the Foaming Facial Cleanser in this kit doesn’t include an acne-fighting active ingredient. The Deep Cleaning Astringent and Dual Action Moisturizer both contain 0.5% salicylic acid to help exfoliate away dead skin cells and excess oil, but the Foaming Facial Cleanser doesn’t contain anything specifically meant to fight acne. To get the most bang for your buck in your acne system, you want to make sure that each and every step is working toward getting you clearer skin, and without an active ingredient, the Clean & Clear Foaming Face Wash simply doesn’t do that.
Although we love the price tag of the Clean & Clear Essentials Skin Care Routine, it isn’t worth it if the products aren’t going to work, and based on the ingredient lists, we aren’t convinced that they will.
5. Made From Earth Control Acne Kit (so. many. essential. oils. Too many unless you have highly resistant skin, plus no benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid to actually fight acne)
All-natural skincare is a big trend right now, and for good reason. There are a lot of unnecessary or chemically irritating ingredients included in most skincare products, and all-natural products are often seen as a safer, gentler alternative. However, this is not always the case. It’s still vital that you do your ingredient research before buying an all-natural acne treatment system, and the Made From Earth Control Acne Kit is one of the top examples.
This kit comes with just two ingredients: a Control Acne Cleanser and a Control Acne Moisturizer. We like the simplicity of this kit, especially because acne is so common among teens, who often struggle to keep up with complicated, 10-step skincare routines. However, the ingredients give us pause, both because of what these products contain and because of what they don’t. Both the cleanser and the moisturizer contain many essential oils, which may sound like a good thing, but they can actually cause a lot of problems for the skin, especially sensitive skin. Essential oils are powerful ingredients, and they are sometimes just as harsh as the lab-made chemicals in other products. The other reason we paused at the ingredient lists for this acne system is because they don’t contain any of the acne-fighting active ingredients typically present in an acne system, like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. The Control Acne Cleanser contains tea tree oil, an essential oil that has been well-researched and proven to help reduce acne, but it’s one of the last ingredients listed, meaning it is likely included in such small amounts that it may not actually make any difference in treating your acne.
Although all-natural acne care can work, we aren’t sure that the Made From Earth Control Acne Kit is the most effective way to do it.
Now that you know which acne systems to avoid, it’s time to find an acne system that really works. We recommend checking out our informative reviews of some of the top acne systems available right now.
