Treating adult acne can be tricky, but adults want clear skin quickly just like everyone else with acne – safely and without breaking the bank. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind:
- When treating adult acne, you need to be more gentle in your approach as our skin takes longer to heal than it did when we were 16.
- Ingredients become much more important, both the active (there’s only a handful of active ingredients to consider in over-the-counter acne treatments) but also the secondary ingredients that will make the solution more effective and often control how it affects your skin – for better or worse.
Surprisingly, no drugstore brand made our list but we took a deep dive into many of the better quality lines…
& Skin Repairing
Ingredients
Proven to Heal
Skin
Clear Control
Basic Kit
CLEAR Regular Strength
Unblemish
Clear Control
Basic Kit
CLEAR Regular Strength
Unblemish
Finding the best adult acne treatment can be a daunting task but if you really look into the details, the real reviews and ingredients it becomes clearer what acne skincare system works best for our skin and really can deliver clear, acne-free skin as we move on from our young adult years. Read the in-depth review of Exposed or if you want more general information on finding the best acne treatment for adults acne, check out this article that discusses 8 important facts when dealing with acne beyond your teens and 20’s.
Acne Kit Descriptions with Plus and Minus
Murad Clear Control
Mild Acne Treatment – (Runner Up) 3.5/5
This kit is designed to treat and prevent mild acne and works best with normal to oily skin. It contains salicylic acid, which helps exfoliate the skin to remove blackheads and whiteheads, and sulfur, which helps dry out excess oil. It also contains a few natural ingredients, like passionflower and sage extract, which can both help reduce inflammation associated with blackheads and whiteheads.
Plus: This acne treatment kit is the most affordable option in this list, making it a great place to start if you are hesitant to invest too much money into your skincare right away.
Minus: Though good for whiteheads, the products in the Murad kit do not contain ingredients that effectively help prevent or treat pimples, so if that is your main acne issue, we recommend trying a different product first.
Exposed Basic Kit
Best overall Acne Treatment 4.7/5
The Adult (and sensitive skin) winner by far. Exposed offers premium skincare + an effective acne treatment ideal for sensitive skin of any kind. This kit utilizes scientific and natural ingredients to effectively treat and prevent all kinds of acne, from blackheads to pimples. It contains micro-benzoyl peroxide to help treat pimples, salicylic acid, and glycolic acid to treat blackheads and whiteheads, and it also contains green tea, aloe vera, and passionflower extract to reduce inflammation and redness.
Plus: Shown to clear acne fast but also be gentile and beneficial for the skin, users saw improved skin-tone and healing. This kit has the highest customer ratings on both Amazon and Google Shopping, comes with a full one-year money-back guarantee, and uses highest quality ingredients. Ideal for adults who suffer from breakouts.
Minus: Generally very affordable, this kit is slightly more expensive than some of the other kits in this list but is by far the most effective option for cleaning adult acne.
Paula’s Choice CLEAR Regular Strength
3.0/5
This is a classic acne treatment kit, containing the two most popular ingredients on the market: salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. By combining these ingredients, this kit can effectively treat blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. It is relatively gentle, meaning it’s a great option for dry to normal skin types.
Plus: This kit contains only three products and involves a very simple routine, so it’s a great option for those who struggle to stick to new habits.
Minus: Because it does not contain any anti-inflammatory ingredients, users can have issues with redness and irritation. Lacks the strength to rally keep breakouts away, but useful for those who only have very mild breakouts.
Rodan & Fields Unblemish
Best overall Acne Treatment (Runner Up) 4.0/5
This kit is a great option for those who have both oily and sensitive skin. The benzoyl peroxide effectively treats pimples, while the sulfur helps dry out excess oil that can contribute to blackheads and whiteheads. It also includes sage and green tea extract, to help prevent sensitive skin from having an inflammatory reaction to the benzoyl peroxide or sulfur.
Plus: This kit is the best one in this list for skin that is both oily and sensitive.
Minus: Unfortunately, this particular kit is far more expensive than the other options by nearly $150.
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