Versus

Cantabria Labs Biretix Tri-Active Gel Versus Starface Hydro-Star + Salicylic Acid Pimple Patches

Facial Treatment
Facial Treatment
Spanish Brand Spain
American Brand United States

Updated on August 25, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 1 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain BHA

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any 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

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

Masking, Preservative, Skin Conditioning

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

When to use

26 Routines
35% use in am
65% use in pm
85% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
30 Routines
33% use in am
67% use in pm
57% use every as_needed
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Cantabria Labs Biretix Tri-Active Gel 26 ingredients

1.5 /5
from 2 ratings
Strong Scent (2) Irritating (2) Sticky (2)
matt4's avatar

matt

3 months ago
Review

Broke me out and irritated my skin, very strong as my skin turns red as soon as I apply it. Was recommended it through my dermatologist

#broke me out
#irritating
#heavy
#sticky
ktmgiu's avatar

Giulia Cafagna

1 month ago
Review

my dermatologist told me to use it and i have never hated a product so much in my life!! the smell makes me nauseous and my skin started to break out and get dry and irritated; maybe this is part of the skin healing process but now that i dont use it anymore and i’ve done my own thing my skin feels great!

#drying
#broke me out
#irritating
#sticky

Starface Hydro-Star + Salicylic Acid Pimple Patches 2 ingredients

4.6 /5
from 5 ratings
Works Well (3) Great Value (1)
Lapaki's avatar

Lapaki

1 year ago
Review

For smaller pimples, standard pimple patches usually do the trick for me. However, during my last prolonged hormonal acne outbreak under the chin, I needed something more potent. Containing 1% salicylic acid, they are notably more effective. The only downside is that these patches don't adhere as strongly as others, so it's best to apply them directly after cleansing, without any prior skincare Show more

#works well
ClaireEstelle's avatar

Claire L.

10 months ago
Review

First, the negative - I wish they were just a little smaller, that they had two sizes, as these are on the big side for the most common places I still get pimples, like my nose. They could be a smidge stickier too. This are minor complaints because these little stars GET IT DONE. They shrink down pimples faster than any other patches I've tried. The blue box they came in is cute and stores them Show more

#works well