Versus

Oxy 3-in-1 Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Pads Versus Stridex Medicated Acne Pads - Sensitive

Facial Treatment
Facial Treatment
South African Brand South Africa
American Brand United States

Updated on November 09, 2023

Overview

What they are

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

Cool Features

They both contain AHA and BHA

Suited For

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

Free From

They both do not contain any oils or parabens

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances

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 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
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum
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

When to use

3 Routines
33% use in am
67% use in pm
33% use every on_specific_days
45 Routines
36% use in am
64% use in pm
67% use every day
When to use See routines that use it ->

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Oxy 3-in-1 Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Pads 11 ingredients

3-in-1 Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Pads hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Stridex Medicated Acne Pads - Sensitive 14 ingredients

5.0 /5
from 1 rating
Absorbs Well (1) Expensive (1) Great Value (1)
mnii's avatar

mnii

6 months ago
Review

Calms my inflamed acne (redish, painful, hormonal) on my cheeks and forehead, loveee leaving it 2-5 min on my problem areas, works really well if you can't use the 2% one and have a sensitive skin but still need fo unclog your pores. Sadly it is too expensive in my country and lots of fakes online 😞 still trying to find a dupe for this product.

#great value
#expensive
#hydrating
#light