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Acne Free Oil-Free Acne Cleanser Versus Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Face Treatment

Face Cleanser
Facial Treatment
American Brand United States
American Brand United States

Updated on July 03, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both fungal acne (malassezia) safe and reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain benzoyl peroxide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils, parabens, silicones or sulfates

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

What's inside (and what isn't)

What's inside (and what isn't)

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Benzoyl Peroxide is famous for fighting acne. This is because it does a variety of tasks on the skin: it helps reduce excess oil, kill bacteria, and clear out dead skin cells. In other words, it is effective at unclogging pores.

These properties make it great at fighting different types of acne, including cystic and inflammatory types of acne.

When targeting the bacteria in your pores, Benzoyl Peroxide has been shown to kill the bacteria without causing sensitivity. It also helps keep your skin's natural bacteria and biome balanced. Having a healthy biome protects your skin from external harmful factors.

Once Benzoyl Peroxide is absorbed into the skin, our bodies turn it into benzoic acid and quickly exits in urine.

When using Benzoyl Peroxide, it may be irritating for some people due to a variety of reasons, such as a broken skin barrier or just an allergic reaction. We recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient if you have concerns.

Learn more about Benzoyl Peroxide
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water
Emulsion Stabilising, Gel Forming

Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create a gel consistency.

A high amount of carbomer can cause pilling or balling up of products. Don't worry, most products contain 1% or less of carbomer.

When to use

78 Routines
42% use in am
58% use in pm
94% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
176 Routines
66% use in am
34% use in pm
85% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Acne Free Oil-Free Acne Cleanser 18 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Drying (1) Great Value (1) Light (1)
Comma0517's avatar

B

8 months ago
Review

I use this on days when I'm not applying adapalene to my face. It's a bit watery, but stays once lathered a bit. It's pretty cheap and does a good job at keeping my purging from adapalene under control. Has a few goodies like glycolic acid and ceramides. Not super drying since it's a low concentration of bp. At 2.5% you probably need to keep this on for 30s before rinsing to remove 93% of acne Show more

#great value
#drying
#light
#works well

Neutrogena Stubborn Acne AM Face Treatment 9 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 2 ratings
Great Value (1) No Scent (1) Works Well (1)
Clover's avatar

Clover

1 year ago
Review

MICRONIZED benzoyl peroxide is a miracle worker!
This product was a dermatologist recommendation to me, and I’m so so so grateful because it has done wonders for my skin. Micro BPO is able to penetrate the skin deeper while also being more gentle than regular BPO. This is a leave on product with a creamy consistency, and since it is Neutrogena it is very affordable and accessible (which are both Show more

#great value
#no scent
#works well
Ericj89's avatar

Ericj89

1 year ago
Review

Texture: Gel cream texture.
Scent: No scent
Performance: Benzoyl peroxide, my staple ingredient to treat acne.
Pros: Effective for acne/blind pimple
Cons: None
WRP/WNRP: WRP