Benzoyl peroxide products are the most popular treatments for acne, recommended as a first step by doctors and dermatologists alike. Let’s look at all of the best anti-acne benzoyl peroxide products on the market – products that will help fight acne without irritating your skin or drying it out. Please note that sometimes in this article, I’ll refer to benzoyl peroxide by its acronym, BP.
1. Kate Somerville Anti Bac Clearing Lotion
The downfall of many benzoyl peroxide products is that they are too drying for the skin. However, this 5% benzoyl peroxide acne treatment lotion comes in a nourishing formula with liposomes and natural extracts to keep the skin strong. You can buy it from Sephora.
2. Paula’s Choice Clear Extra Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment
This is another one of the best benzoyl peroxide products, which manages to be quite gentle despite the 5% concentration of BP. It comes in the form of a light lotion that won’t dry the skin. It contains a touch of allantoin to calm the inflammation and redness of pimples. It is available at Nordstrom.
3. PCA Skin BPO 5 Percent Cleanser
Benzoyl peroxide can also work in the form of a cleanser, although a touch more slowly despite the 5% quantity of it. This is a gentle cleanser that cleanses the skin lightly without irritating or drying it out. For getting the full effect of the BP, it is best to leave it on the skin for a minute or two before rinsing. Order it online through Dermstore.
4. Jan Marini Benzoyl Peroxide 10 Percent
If you have particularly stubborn acne, you might find yourself needing to resort to a 10% solution. This lotion is a great option, because it contains both propylene glycol and glycerin to keep the skin soft and hydrated, and there are no irritants. It is sold online via Dermstore.
5. Clinique Acne Solutions Emergency Gel-Lotion
We prefer our benzoyl peroxide acne treatments to come in the form of a lotion, like this one, because they tend to be less drying to the skin. To keep redness at bay, this acne treatment also contains ultra soothing green tea extract and caffeine, which has the ability to instantly shrink inflammation. Pick it up at Sephora!
6. Obagi CLENZIderm M.D. Therapeutic Lotion
This is another gentle yet effective choice for clearing acne with benzoyl peroxide. This white cream contains 5% benzoyl peroxide that sits in an emollient formula that delivers the anti-bacterial agent into the skin gently. Find it at Dermstore!
7. Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator
This is the first step in the Proactive line – a creamy and luxurious cleanser with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide. It is perfectly fine to use it along with other brands’ products, though, since it works well on its own to cleanse the skin and kill the acne bacteria (as long as you let it sit on your skin for a while). You can purchase it from Ulta.
8. Clearogen Acne Lotion – Benzoyl Peroxide
If you’re seriously concerned with avoiding severe dryness, this is one of the best benzoyl peroxide products to try. In addition to having 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, it also contains skin-healing linoleic acid along with a ton of other beneficial ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and mallow extract. This light lotion is available through Dermstore.
9. Dermalogica MediBac Clearing Special Clearing Booster
This is a take on benzoyl peroxide products that also include a lot of natural skin-soothing ingredients like calendula and chamomile extracts. It comes in the form of a light cream, and has 5% BP to zap pimples quickly. Find it online at Dermstore.
10. DDF Benzoyl Peroxide Gel 5% Acne Treatment
This gel fights acne with the combined power of 5% benzoyl peroxide and tea tree oil, making it super effective even for more resistant breakouts. The gel itself is light yet hydrating, so the skin absorbs it quickly. It is sold at Ulta.
11. B. Kamins Blemish Gel 10 Percent
This is another hardcore take on benzoyl peroxide products, with the maximum amount of 10% used. It works quickly to kill bacteria and resurface the skin, so it is a solid choice if weaker percentages don’t work. You can order it in gel form from Dermstore.
12. Glytone Acne 3P Treatment Gel
If you find most benzoyl peroxide acne treatments, including the gentler ones, still seem to dry out your skin, you might want to turn to this one. Despite having 5% BP in it, it has a thicker formula that penetrates into the skin slowly and helps keep it moisturized. Pick up a tube through Dermstore!
13. Vivant Skin Care BP 3% Exfoliating Cleanser Acne Treatment
This gentle foaming cleanser and exfoliating benzoyl peroxide product will keep your skin clean while helping to ward away the acne bacteria. It is a sulfate-free cleanser with some light beads to remove dead skin build-up, and 3% benzoyl peroxide to help prevent acne breakouts from forming. It’s great for all skin types, but is best used for acne prevention, since exfoliants can break inflamed acne and cause issues. Buy it from Dermstore!
14. SkinMedica Acne Treatment Lotion
This benzoyl peroxide acne lotion is one of the gentlest options, and it’s a great choice for those with a lot of redness or inflammation in their acne. In addition to 2.5% BP for clearing the acne bacteria, it also contains the excellent anti-inflammatories witch hazel and willow bark extract. Order it from Dermstore!
15. UltraLuxe Clarifying Treatment
Formerly known as Acne Fighter, many will testify that this lotion lived up to its old name. It contains 5% benzoyl peroxide, along with pimple-minimizing willow bark extract as well as nourishing squalane. The acne will disappear, but you won’t have to worry about dryness. It is available at Dermstore.
Photos via Sephora, Nordstrom