Review: AcneFree Terminator Spot Control Gel (Benzoyl Peroxide)

So after using Clean Advantage Acne Spot Treatment for the past five years I didn't think that I'd ever find anything that works better. Well, I did. I'd recently run out and, when I was at Ocean State Job Lot I spotted Acne Free's Terminator Spot Control Gel for $4. Now, I'd never tried anything from Acne Free so I was a bit curious. And this a benzoyl peroxide treatment, not salacylic acid, like I'm used to and I wanted to see how well this would compare. I have to say that it blew Clean and Clear Advantage out of the park! It's that good!


The gel is 2% benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide works by killing the bacteria that causes acne. As it is an oxidizing agent, it infuses the inflamed area with oxygen. This kills the bacteria as it likes an oxygen free environment.


One major reason that I really like this gel over Clean and Clears is the packaging. This one is in a squeeze tube with a flip top. Clean and Clears has a tiny little screw off cap. I don't like it cause I tend to lose the cap every now and then and have to hunt around for it, which is annoying beyond belief especially when I'm in a a hurry or just really tired. The flip top is definitely more convenient.

Here's the actual product:

It's a bit of a chunkier/thicker gel. I am in love with this product. While the gel is a bit thick (thicker than the C & C one) it dries very quickly and perfectly clear. The C & C one takes longer to dry and it feels odd. It has this odd texture and if you touch it it tends to rub off in these weird crumbles. The Acne Free one I can easily wear under makeup--it doesn't have any odd texture to it when it dries. Also, this gel works overnight. If I put it on before I go to sleep I see dramatic results the next morning. With the C & C gel I don't see results for at least two days. Also, unlike the C & C one, this one doesn't irritate or dry out my skin. When I put the C & C gel on I feel this strong tingle, an almost burning sensation. I used to be like, "Oh, well that's ok. At least I know it's working." I subscribed to the notion that harsh skincare was the only kind that worked, which is soooo wrong. Anyway, after using the C & C gel my skin would be sooo dry in that area. I would always hate to put concealer on as it would look so obvious over the dry, flaky, scaly skin. I have no such problem with the Acne Free gel. My skin doesn't dry out and it doesn't tingle/burn. It's very gentle but also effective at the same time, which I love!!! I'd tried Neutrogena's On The Spot acne cream which I was told was a gentle formula. It didn't work at all, so after that I would look for harsher products thinking that if I could feel them working they'd be more effective. Anyway, I was wrong and I've been treating my skin a lot more gently. Anyway, this gel is really good and I highly recommend it to everyone!!!

Oh, and if you're interested in Acne Free products, check out Ocean State Job Lot if you live near one. They had three step sets for $10, a 50% savings from the retail price!

Info:

Price: $5.99 (that's retail--I got it for $4 at Ocean State Job Lot)

Ingredients: Benzoyl Peroxide (2%), Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Methylpropanediol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra Extract (Licorice), Triethanolamine, Carbomer, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil (Tea Tree), Bisabolol, Allyl Methacrylates Crosspolymer, Algae (Seaweed) Extract (Seaweed), Disodium Lauriminodipropionate Tocopheryl Phosphates (Vitamin E), Artemisia Vulgaris Oil (Mugwort/Armoise), Triclosan, Willow Bark Extract, Iodopropynyl Butlycarbamate, Diazolidinyl Carbamide

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Review: Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatement

Ok, so while I was in NYC I stopped by a few (ahem, 5) Sephora stores. I know, excessive, but I couldn't help myself. Plus, the Sephora in my area doesn't stock many of the brands that I was fortunate enough to be able to test in Ny. One of those brands was the Kate Somerville skincare brand. For those of you who don't know, Kate Somerville began a skin care clinic in LA and is fairly well known for giving many celebs their great skin. In addition to this, she has her own line of skincare which has been said to be good. The product that I got is the EradiKate acne treatment.

Here's a pic:

The sales assistant at Sephora was kind enough to give me a little booklet which outlines all of the products in the line as well as the skin pyramids which I will share with you later. Now, EradiKate is an acne spot treatment. While I have tried many from high end and drugstore brands, I've never tried a sulfur treatment, only salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide treatments, so I was curious to see how it would compare.



The product is a light pink sediment in a clear solution packaged in a very nice, expensive looking glass bottle. Here's a closer pic:



To apply this, you are supposed to use a cotton swab, dip it into the pink sediment, and then dab on any zits. It dries within a few minutes and is sorta crumbly/powdery/chalky in consistency.





I think it works quite well, but I wouldn't say that this is a product that you really need, simply because there are plenty drugstore products that will give you the same result, but for a lot less $. Off the top of my head, Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel retails for around $8 and will give you the same result. Plus, the Neutrogena gel is clear and absorbs quickly. With the EradiKate, it sits on your skin for hours and actually starts to crumble off of your skin after a while, which is kind of gross, especially since it doesn't work any faster.

Another downside to this product is the amount of product that you end up using with each application-or should I say, not using. I don't know if you can see it well, but the entire head of the cotton swab is covered in sediment, but in reality, I only used maybe a fifth of that amount. If the bottle was clear, it would be a lot easier to moderate the amount that you use. however, as it is not, I see myself going through this product fairly quickly, as every time you dip the cotton swab into the sediment, a HOLE is left in it!!! And it comes in a glass jar, which, while it makes it feel high-end, isn't very practical because dropping it even once on the right floor can shatter it. Overall, for a product that doesn't have any significant advantages over drugstore brands, I would say that the price isn't worth it.

Info:

Price:$22 (for 1oz)

Ingredients: Sulphur, Isopropyl Alcohol, Zinc Oxide, Camphor, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Salicylic Acid, Iron Oxides.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.