Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.
Acne is something that has plagued everyone at one time or another. Whether you're a pre-teen dealing with unsightly pimples or it's sticking around later into adulthood, usually you want to get rid of acne as soon as possible. Most of us don't like the look of acne, but it can also be quite painful, which is another reason we try to avoid it at all costs.
It's best to aim for clear skin to give you a boost of confidence and keep yourself healthy. But what exactly causes acne? There are a few contributors, like hair follicles that are clogged with oil, skin cells, and bacteria. It's most common in teenagers since fluctuating hormones can do a number on your skin too. Another big factor can actually be food sensitivities, lifestyle habits, and overall diet.
Tuesday, January 21st
Paula's Choice is a standout option for blemish control and other skin issues. They have a big selection of products with a mix of natural and lab-created ingredients that are meant to be safe for your skin, but work effectively. Pricing is competitive and you'll save 15% if you subscribe to recurring deliveries. Shipping is always free here and your order comes with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee. Best of all, customers love Paula's Choice. They're pleased with their customer service, promptness of delivery, effectiveness and quality of products, and many people stick with this brand for years on end. We like what we see from Paula's Choice and we've given them our highest recommendation for acne products.
Curology is a dermatologist-led company that sells prescription products as well as essential over-the-counter face washes and scrubs. Their Custom Formula for acne takes your health history and current skin condition into account via a consultation with a real dermatologist who selects the right ingredients for you in your bottle. It can be a one-time purchase or a subscription and takes about 6-12 weeks to provide true results. You can connect with your doctor and make adjustments to your formula over time if necessary. Curology has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, reasonable pricing, and high customer reviews, so we're on board with both their product and process.
ZENMED makes luxury skincare solutions for a wide range of skin issues. Although their packaging is high-end and their ingredients are clean and effective, they are surprisingly affordable. There are 37 different products related to acne, all with clear descriptions of their uses and ingredients, so this company caters to a lot of different skin types and concerns. ZENMED has many loyal customers who feel like their products work well for them and love how gentle they are. Since there is a 60-day money-back guarantee with your purchase, it's worth seeing if ZENMED has acne products that seem like a good fit for you and they've been awarded one of our top spots.
Dermala has 7 different acne products you can explore to target your problem skin areas. From topical face washes and moisturizers to vitamins, the company has developed formulas with powerful ingredients to target acne-causing issues from the inside out. They have a quiz you can take to help you identify what will work best for you or you can mix and match products on your own. You'll save money with periodic discount codes they provide and by subscribing to recurring orders of their formulas. Dermala is highly rated by customers and has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau, making this a reliable choice for acne products.
AcnEase is an ingestible, tablet-based acne product with plant-based ingredients that are even safe during pregnancy. The dosage varies based on gender, acne severity, and weight. Upfront, you'll take a more aggressive approach with a higher dosage of tablets, but after as little as 4 weeks, you can change to AcnEase's affordable maintenance plan to keep your face and body clear of pimples. Every customer is eligible for the money-back guarantee where you can get a one-time refund for your product if you try it out for 60 days and find that it is ineffective. Reports from customers mostly say that AcnEase works well when taken as directed, so it's a good, low-risk choice for targeting acne issues.
Truly Clear is a simple solution made with 98.42% natural ingredients that are meant to be both safe and effective for all skin types. Their main acne product is a bar of soap that you wash your face with day and night that includes salicylic acid as the main acne-fighting ingredient. They also have hydrocolloid acne patches that you can wear through the night to target specific areas of blemishes. You'll save 20% if you subscribe to any given product and shipping is free when you spend over $40. Truly Clear has good reviews and often compares itself to Proactiv, only they're a much more natural alternative. If you're looking for something gentle on your skin, this is a no-brainer option.
Proactiv may be one of the most widely recognizable acne systems that exists due to their celebrity endorsements and the saturation of commercials that aired in the early 2000s. Their formula uses potent benzoyl peroxide in many of the products and is meant for mild to moderate acne. This is not an acne product with a lot of gentle, natural ingredients, so it is best to read through them before making a purchase. Proactiv pushes subscriptions through discounted pricing and offers free shipping over $24 as well as a 60-day money back guarantee. They have thousands of reviews from customers that will be helpful when making a decision if this is the type of solution you need. There seem to be other more promising products on the market for acne, so Proactiv isn't one of our top choices, but it may be a good option for some.
Mighty Patch is a clear, adhesive sticker that goes over blemishes for 6-8 hours either during the day or night and gently works to heal them over a couple of days. There are 10 versions of the Mighty Patch, all with the same ingredients and instructions, but that come in different sizes and quantities to heal different areas of the face. Mighty Patch is primarily for whiteheads and does not seem ideal for people who have deep, chronic acne or those with blackheads. It's a good product to have on-hand when a pimple emergency arises, but may not be a complete, long-term solution for dealing with stubborn acne.
ClearPores is a Skinception product made by Leading Edge Health. It's a 3-step program that includes a facial cleanser, oral tablets, and a finishing facial cream. It's unclear how often you need to use these products or how many of the tablets you'll be taking daily, which we don't like. They also boast over and over again that they use natural ingredients, but we wouldn't consider their products natural at all. This company makes customers call for pricing and to make a purchase, so you can forget buying anything online here. We're not convinced that this is the best, most effective acne product on the market, so ClearPores hasn't earned one of our highest ratings.
Exposed Skin Care has 3 kits you can choose from, ranging from $59.95 to $99.95, with products like cleansers, acne serums, pore cleaning serums, moisturizers, and more. Their ingredients are transparent and include a mix of common acne-fighting compounds all in one product. Some people complain that this makes the formula harsh for sensitive skin, and there are reports that people's skin gets even worse after using Exposed Skin Care. The company has a 1-year guarantee which seems fantastic, but some customers said that this brand doesn't stand by it. After looking deeper into how buyers feel about their purchases here, we found too many unsatisfactory reports for us to feel comfortable giving Exposed Skin Care a high rating.
Murad has an "A+” rating from the Better Business Bureau and 32 acne control products for customers to choose from. They range from cleansers to serums to oral tablets. We felt a little overwhelmed with how many acne-related formulas there were, all of which claimed to do the same thing. It was hard to decide which products would be best for us and made us feel confused. Prices here are reasonable and you'll get a 60-day money back guarantee with your purchase, but it may not matter if customer service is as bad as people report it to be. Aside from the extremely high customer feedback directly on Murad's site, we found a lot of issues people reported when they shopped here and it really turned us off from the company. Murad is not one of our recommended choices for acne control products.
When you exercise and sweat out excess toxins, it helps clear your skin naturally. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables allows your gut to function properly and often results in clearer skin as well. If you focus on this along with a reputable acne product, you'll likely see drastic changes.
Acne isn't serious or threatening, but can cause lifelong scarring. If you deal with chronic acne and have multiple inflamed cysts and nodules around your face, neck, chest, or back, you'll need to take a careful approach to clearing your skin with a safe, gentle, but aggressive enough product to eliminate acne as soon as possible and restore a healthy microbiome. Your skin is your largest organ and it requires as much nurturing and attention as any other part of your body, so luckily you can find plenty of products online that aim to do just that.
There are many companies that sell acne products online, but which ones will actually work? In a dream world, we want to find something that will get rid of acne overnight, but in reality it could take a few days, weeks or even months. Many companies offer a 60-day money back guarantee, knowing that it takes a period of consistent use to see if a new formula is really effective for you. At this point in your life, you've likely already tried a thing or two and know what ingredients irritate your skin with rashes or drying, which ones seem to do nothing, and which ones kind of work. Pay attention to the ingredients in a product and avoid those that you're either allergic to or that seem to make your acne worse.
Finding a product that will work quickly and that's formulated for your skin type and the level of acne you're dealing with is no easy task. Lucky for you, we've taken a deep look into some popular options and have broken things down. Here are some major things we've taken into account when weighing the options for acne products:
The experts at Top Consumer Reviews have researched the best acne products you can buy online. We hope you are able to unlock clearer skin and find freedom from your acne with one of the formulas that we've evaluated!
Select any 2 Acne Products to compare them head to head