Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment Versus La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Dual Action Acne Treatment
Updated on August 20, 2024
Overview
What they are
These products are both reef safe facial treatments. They have a total of 5 ingredients in common
Cool Features
They both contain exfoliants and Vitamin E
Suited For
They're both likely to be good for fighting acne, dry skin and brightening skin
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
Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment 36 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Dual Action Acne Treatment 13 ingredients
Free from
Safety & Ethics
American Brand
Free from
Safety & Ethics
French Brand
At a glance
Click on any of the items below to learn more
Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment 36 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Dual Action Acne Treatment 13 ingredients
Ingredients, at a glance
What's in this product, and how it might affect your skin.
Notable Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients, at a glance
What's in this product, and how it might affect your skin.
Notable Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
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.
Preservative5 Benefits4 Concerns
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.
Propanediol helps absorb ingredients into your skin, boosting their benefits. It can act as an emollient, making your skin softer. Propanediol can help products last longer by boosting the properties of preservatives within the formulation.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
Dicaprylyl Carbonate comes from carbonic acid and caprylyl alcohol, a fatty alcohol. It is an emollient and gives skin a velvet feel. The sources of Dicaprylyl Carbonate may be synthetic or from animals.
A type of fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as traditional alcohols.
Dimethyl Isosorbide is a solvent and helps deliver actives into your skin. It is created from sorbitol.
Albatrellus Confluens Extract is from a mushroom from Finland, known as the Nothern Truffle. (This mushroom is edible!) This ingredient helps soothe skin and provides antioxidants.
Urea is also called carbamide and is the diamide of carbonic acid. In cosmetics, urea is used to hydrate the skin. It also provides exfoliation in higher concentrations.
Trehalose is a disaccharide made of two glucose molecules (glucose is sugar!). Trehalose is used to help moisturize skin. It also has antioxidant properties.
Inositol is a sugar alcohol naturally found in the human body. Our bodies use this ingredient in the process of growing new cells.
Betaine is a common humectant (a substance that promotes retention of moisture). It's known to be gentle on the skin and can help balance hydration.
Allantoin plays a role in soothing and moisturizing the skin. Because of this, it is often added to products with strong active ingredients.
Tocopherol (also known as Vitamin E) is a common antioxidant used to help protect the skin from free-radicals and strengthen the skin barrier. It's also fat soluble - this means our skin is great at absorbing it.
Antioxidant4 BenefitsMay cause irritation
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is an emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping the skin prevent moisture loss.
Lecithin is a term for a group of substances found in plants, animals, and humans. They are made up of mixture of fatty acids. These fatty acids usually are a mixture of phosphoric acid's choline ester connected to stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids. Most lecithins are created from plant ingredients scuh as sunflower.
Cetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Stearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients.
Glyceryl Stearate is a mix of glycerin and stearic acid.
Xanthan gum is used as a stabilizer and thickener within cosmetic products. It helps give products a sticky, thick feeling - preventing them from being too runny.
Sclerotium Gum is a polysaccharide gum made by the fungus, Sclerotium rolfssii. It is similar to xanthan gum.
Hydrogenated Lecithin is created from the hydrogenation of lecithin. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecule hydrogen and another element.
Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate is a natural preservative. It comes from fermenting radish roots with a bacteria called leuconostoc. Leuconostoc comes from lactic acid. This bacteria is used to make the traditional Korean side-dish, kimchi. It is also used to make sourdough bread (both incredibly yummy foods).
Silica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
2 Concerns
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
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.
Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).
4 Benefits2 Concerns
Salicylic Acid 2%, Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Behenyl Alcohol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Physalis Pubescens Fruit Juice, Albatrellus Confluens Extract, Urea, Yeast Amino Acids, Trehalose, Taurine, Inositol, Betaine, Allantoin, Polylysine, Tocopherol, Pullulan, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Lecithin, Phytosterols, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Myristate, Menthyl Lactate, Xanthan Gum, Sclerotium Gum, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Silica, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid
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.
Helps fight Acne4 Concerns
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.
A type of fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product. They are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as traditional alcohols.
Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.
Pentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
Silica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
2 Concerns
Carbomer is a polymer of acrylic acid. Its main role is to create gel consistency within products.
Capryloyl Salicylic Acid comes from salicylic acid, the famous acne-fighting BHA.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Tocopheryl Acetate is AKA Vitamin E. It is an antioxidant and protects your skin from free radicals. Free radicals damage the skin by breaking down collagen.
AntioxidantHelps brighten skin
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer is a synthetic polymer. It is used to thicken and improve the texture of products.
Disodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
We don't have a description for Epilobium Angustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract yet.
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
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 WaterGlycerin 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 GlycerinPentylene glycol is typically used within a product to thicken it. It also adds a smooth, soft, and moisturizing feel to the product. It is naturally found in plants such as sugar beets.
The hydrophilic trait of Pentylene Glycol makes it a humectant. As a humectant, Pentylene Glycol helps draw moisture from the air to your skin. This can help keep your skin hydrated.
This property also makes Pentylene Glycol a great texture enhancer. It can help thicken or emulsify a product. Emulsifiers help stabilize a product. It does this by preventing certain ingredients from separating.
Pentylene Glycol also acts as a mild preservative and helps to keep a product microbe-free.
Some people may experience mild eye and skin irritation from Pentylene Glycol. We always recommend speaking with a professional about using this ingredient in your routine.
Pentylene Glycol has a low molecular weight and is part of the 1,2-glycol family.
Learn more about Pentylene GlycolSilica is a mineral naturally found in our skin. It helps to thicken and smooth the texture of a product. It also acts as an agent for other ingredients by increasing the absorption of other ingredients into the skin.
Silica is often used for absorption and can help reduce shine when products are applied. Silica occurs in naturally in materials like clay and sandstone, and it can also be produced synthetically.
Silica is present naturally within the skin during collagen production and when reducing inflammation.
Learn more about SilicaDisodium EDTA plays a role in making products more stable by aiding other preservatives.
It is a chelating agent, meaning it neutralizes metal ions that may be found in a product.
Disodium EDTA is a salt of edetic acid and is found to be safe in cosmetic ingredients.
Learn more about Disodium EDTAIngredient Ratings
Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these products.
When to use
Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment 36 ingredients
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Dual Action Acne Treatment 13 ingredients
Reviews
Here's what our community thinks
Murad Deep Relief Acne Treatment 36 ingredients
Alyssa Klein
Truly magic in a bottle! I like the cooling sensation when I put it on. It really reduces redness and I can use it for deep hormonal acne when it’s...
Truly magic in a bottle! I like the cooling sensation when I put it on. It really reduces redness and I can use it for deep hormonal acne when it’s too early for the zit stickers. I’d recommend it to anyone struggling with acne.
jillybean17
Absolutely love! Most Murad products are my HG. I used their Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment for hormonal acne but I find this works just as fast,...
Absolutely love! Most Murad products are my HG. I used their Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment for hormonal acne but I find this works just as fast, deeper & more gentle.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo (+) Dual Action Acne Treatment 13 ingredients
Alllisda_idiot
I don't really have a lot of cystic acne or large noticeable skin issues so honestly, I didn't see very obvious results or large differences. But,...
I don't really have a lot of cystic acne or large noticeable skin issues so honestly, I didn't see very obvious results or large differences. But, however, I have noticed my skin feeling smoother, the skin tone feeling more even, and a lack of newly developed acne after using this every day for 3 weeks. This product is a good preventative measure and overall well formulated however you have to keep using it for a good while to start seeing long-term skin benefits.
