Versus

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+M Versus Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide

General Moisturizer
Facial Treatment
French Brand France
American Brand United States

Updated on October 18, 2024

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any harsh alcohols, common allergens, oils, parabens 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 Side-by-side

found in both products
Effaclar Duo+M

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

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

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
Buffering

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
Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant and emollient, meaning it attracts and preserves moisture.

It is a common ingredient in many products, especially those designed to hydrate skin. The primary benefits are retaining moisture, skin softening, and promoting a healthy skin barrier.

Though Caprylyl Glycol is an alcohol derived from fatty acids, it is not the kind that can dry out skin.

This ingredient is also used as a preservative to extend the life of products. It has slight antimicrobial properties.

Learn more about Caprylyl Glycol

When to use

1,178 Routines
45% use in am
55% use in pm
88% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->
183 Routines
39% use in am
61% use in pm
74% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+M 35 ingredients

2.8 /5
from 17 ratings
Light (6) Absorbs Well (6) Irritating (5)
itspola's avatar

Pola 🐛

12 months ago
Review

Doesn't do magic but definitely works well if you have some smaller pimples or you're dealing with some marks

#great value
#light
#works well
leeyoung's avatar

Lee Young

11 months ago
Review

Did a decent job of reducing irritation during A-B testing on half of my face as a spot treatment, but not as effective in speeding up the healing process. May clash with benzoyl peroxide treatments.

#expensive
#hydrating
#light
#absorbs well

Paula's Choice Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide 14 ingredients

4.8 /5
from 4 ratings
Absorbs Well (2) No Scent (2) Works Well (2)
joji_blossom_tree's avatar

joji_blossom_tree

5 months ago
Review

genuinely stabilized my acne, don’t get much too any breakouts anymore and i have oily acne prone skin (only con would be that it has lightened my skin over time)

#great value
#absorbs well
#no scent
#works well