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Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment versus IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum .

Published on January 17, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both vegan, cruelty-free, fungal acne (malassezia) safe, and reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 7 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin, brightening skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, reducing pores, scar healing and dark spots

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 need an update? Let us know.

Facial Treatment American Brand United States
Facial Treatment British Brand United Kingdom

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Facial Treatment

Facial treatments are specially designed to treat a skin concern. Acne treatments and anti-aging products are common examples of facial treatments.

Price

Shop

Buy Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment

Starts at $13.00
Shop

Buy Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum

Starts at $29.00

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

BHA
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (3)
Reduces Irritation
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Dark Spots
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Irritating
Rosacea
Eczema

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA
Niacinamide
Hyaluronic Acid

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin (2)
Redness Reducing (2)
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (3)
Anti-Aging
Dark Spots (2)
Scar Healing (3)
Acne Fighting (3)
Brightening (4)

Concerns

Drying
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (2)
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Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

1
What it does: Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Liked

Salicylic Acid (also known as beta hydroxy acid or BHA) is one of the most well-known ingredients for treating skin that struggles with blackheads and acne. It helps to exfoliate both the skin's surface and pores, and also acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.

This multitasking property makes it a great ingredient for cleaning out pores, controlling oil production, and reducing inflammation.

Unlike AHAs which are water soluble, Salicylic Acid is oil soluble. This means that it's able to exfoliate the inside of pores and reduce blackheads.

Concentrations of 0.5-2% are recognized by the U.S. FDA as an over-the-counter topical acne product.

It can cause irritation and/or dryness if one's skin already has a compromised moisture barrier, so it's best to focus on repairing that before introducing a Salicylic Acid into your routine.

In general, Salicylic Acid is a great ingredient for oily acne-prone skin.

While salicylic acid does not increase sun-sensitivity, we still recommend wearing SPF.

If you are looking for the ingredient called BHA or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, click here.

Learn more about Salicylic Acid

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 1.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 6.

2
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

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. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 2.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 1.

3
What it does: Smoothing
Community Rating: Loved

Niacinamide has emerged as an all-star ingredient due to its many benefits.

It is known to treat acne by reducing inflammation. It also helps fade dark-spots and strengthen the skin by promoting the growth of the ceramide barrier.

Other benefits include smoothing wrinkles and minimizing redness.

The cherry on top? Niacinamide can also help build keratin, a protein that keeps skin firm.

When incorporating niacinamide into your routine, look out for concentration amounts. Typically, 5% niacinamide provides benefits such as fading dark spots. However, if you have sensitive skin, it is better to begin with a smaller concentration.

Niacinamide can be mixed with other ingredients to boost benefits. For instance, it has shown to be effective when used with copper, folic acid, and zinc to treat acne.

Learn more about Niacinamide

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 7.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 3.

4
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Zinc PCA (or "zinc salt") differs slightly from zinc itself. PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid. However, Zinc PCA comes from zinc.

It can help reduce redness, regulate sebum, and promote the general healing process of the skin.

Zinc PCA tends to be especially useful for those with oily, acne-prone skin. It's certainly an ingredient worth trying out!

Learn more about Zinc PCA

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 8.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 7.

5
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Community Rating: Loved

Sodium Hyaluronate is hyaluronic acid's salt form. It is commonly derived from the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid.

Like hyaluronic acid, it is great at holding water and acts as a humectant. This makes it a great skin hydrating ingredient.

Sodium Hyaluronate is naturally occurring in our bodies and is mostly found in eye fluid and joints.

These are some other common types of Hyaluronic Acid:

Learn more about Sodium Hyaluronate

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 10.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 11.

6
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 14.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 2.

7
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment contains this as ingredient number 16.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum contains this as ingredient number 5.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

63% are loved or liked
13% have mixed ratings
13% are disliked or very disliked
13% have no rating yet
56% are loved or liked
19% have mixed ratings
25% are disliked or very disliked
0% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

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Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Bliss Clear Genius Acne Spot Treatment 16 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
Clover's avatar

Clover

11 months ago · Dry Skin
Review

A nice salicylic acid spot treatment
If I’m being honest, benzoyl peroxide is my preferred method of spot treatment, but for a salicylic acid spot...

A nice salicylic acid spot treatment
If I’m being honest, benzoyl peroxide is my preferred method of spot treatment, but for a salicylic acid spot treatment I think this Bliss product is great. Sometimes I want to opt for salicylic acid rather then benzoyl peroxide because it’s a little more gentle for me OR I’m using a different product that should not be mixed with benzoyl peroxide. I enjoy this spot treatment in particular because not only does it have 2% salicylic acid, but also niacinamide and zinc PCA (which can aid in the treatment of acne). It also contains witch hazel water, which I personally don’t find irritating and actually helpful for my acne, but just keep this in mind if you are sensitive. There’s also soothing ingredients like centella and allantoin, as well as hydrating humectants like sodium hyaluronate and glycerin. This is definitely my go to for a salicylic acid spot treatment.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum 16 ingredients

Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum hasn't been rated yet.
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