the B. spot

vs        

In this week’s Beauty Battle, we put On-the-Spot Acne Treat with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide up against Advantage Spot Treat that contains 2% salicylic acid.  Both products had pros and cons but at the end of the day, only one reigned supreme…

About the Products:

Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treat uses the maximum level of salicylic acid allowed by the FDA for an acne product (as stated in the OTC monograph for acne published by the FDA); the range is 0.5-2.0%.  What’s great about salicylic acid is that it can penetrate into the pores effectively (it’s oil soluble) and help with healthy exfoliation inside of the pores.  This is important because uneven shedding of skin inside the pores can be a factor in acne breakouts.

Neutrogena On-the-Spot Acne Treatment uses the minimum level of benzoyl peroxide allowable by law, 2.5%; the range is 2.5% to 10%.  Experienced formulators have found ways to get more bang for their buck and can create efficacious bpo (benzoyl peroxide) products using only the minimum level (less irritating and drying to your skin).  BPO introduces oxygen into your pores and creates a hostile living environment for p. acne, the bacteria responsible for acne; these little micromeanies can’t survive in an oxygen rich environment.  When the level of p. acne is reduced so is the number of breakouts.

So now that you have the backgroud scoop, let’s see which product came out on top (determined by my 13 year old, soon to be in high school, almost as tall as me, jonas brother obsessed, smart as a whip daughter, Taylor and me)!  And the winner is…

Ok so both products showed promise after 24 hours but after one week I was using On-the-Spot on both sides of my face.  The downside was that the cream base had too much slip and didn’t absorb as easily as the Clean & Clear Acne Spot Treat; however, I found it to be less irritating than the Clean & Clear Advantage (it was a bit tingly and replaced the blemishes with dark spots, grrrr not a happy camper)