*compare to the active ingredient in clean & clear persa-gel 10^^*non-comedogenic*goes to work fast to get deep into poresthis acne medication contains maximum strength benzoyl peroxide. The micronized benzoyl peroxide formula goes to work immediately, releasing the medicine deep into the pore where pimples begin.Dermatologist tested. Paraben free & phthalate free.Walgreens pharmacist recommended^
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Ingredients overview
Active Ingredients: Benzoyl Peroxide (Acne Medication)
Inactive Ingredients: Bentonite, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Isopropyl Myristate, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Hydroxide, Propylene Glycol, Water
Read more on how to read an ingredient list >>
Highlights
#alcohol-free #fragrance & essentialoil-free
Alcohol Free
Fragrance and Essential Oil Free
Key Ingredients
Anti-acne: Benzoyl Peroxide (Acne Medication)
Other Ingredients
Buffering: Potassium Hydroxide
Emollient: Glyceryl Stearate, Isopropyl Myristate
Emulsifying: Glyceryl Stearate
Moisturizer/humectant: Propylene Glycol
Perfuming: Isopropyl Myristate
Preservative: Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol
Solvent: Propylene Glycol, Water
Viscosity controlling: Bentonite, Carbomer
Skim through
| Ingredient name | what-it-does | irr., com. | ID-Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benzoyl Peroxide (Acne Medication) | anti-acne | ||
| Bentonite | viscosity controlling | 0, 0 | goodie |
| Carbomer | viscosity controlling | 0, 1 | |
| Ethylhexylglycerin | preservative | ||
| Glyceryl Stearate | emollient, emulsifying | 0, 1-2 | |
| Isopropyl Myristate | emollient, perfuming | 3, 3-5 | |
| PEG-12 Dimethicone | |||
| Phenoxyethanol | preservative | ||
| Potassium Hydroxide | buffering | ||
| Propylene Glycol | moisturizer/humectant, solvent | 0, 0 | |
| Water | solvent |
Walgreens Maximum Strength Acne Treatment Gel
Ingredients explainedBenzoyl Peroxide (Acne Medication)
What-it-does: anti-acne
The gold standard topical ingredient in treating acne. There is no miracle cure for acne (we do really wish for one,*sigh*), butBenzoyl Peroxide (BP) is probably the closest thing we have. But, as usual, big effects comewith big side effects, so we think BP is best used as a last resort (at least, in the topical treatment field).
The good thing about BP is that it is amazingly effective against inflammatory-type acne. Not so much against blackheads or whiteheads, but against acne that is caused by the evil bacteria called Propionibacterium acnes (and that is most types of acne). Apart from being antibacterial, it is also anti-inflammatory, keratolytic and wound-healing, all of which are properties that make it so darn effective against spots.
Another big pro of BP is that there is no bacterial resistance to it, meaning if it works onceit will continue to work. Antibiotics are also acommonway to treat acne, butantibiotic-resistant P. acnes are increasing worldwide. BP will probably help you even if antibiotics have stopped working, and the two are also often combined for a more complex acne therapy. Btw, BP plays nice not onlywith antibiotics but also with retinoids.
The side-effects part? BP works its antibacterial magic by being a powerful oxidizing agent,meaning it is a pro-oxidant. As in the opposite of anantioxidant. BPliterally generates evil ROS (reactive oxygen species)in the skin that killsP. acnes but also harms the surrounding skin cells. Ongoing BP-use ages your skin, whichis why, we say, use it as a last resort. If you do use BP, please also use a good sunscreen and a good antioxidant serumto apologise to your skin (btw, these things are useful in any case). Use the BP treatment at night and the antioxidant serum in the morning so that they do not canceleach other out.
Another side effect of BP is that it can be very skin drying. BP is an example where more is not better. In fact, it is equally effective at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0 and 10%, but the higher the concentration the more irritating and drying side effects occur. So using BP at 2.5% percent is the ideal amount. Another side effect which is good to know is that BP can bleach bedsheets and clothes.Be careful with your expensive satin bedsheets.
Overall, Benzoyl Peroxide is a uniquely effective topical acne treatment, but it comes at a price. Use it as a last resort and for good measure (and with plenty of moisturizers, sunscreen, and antioxidant serum).
Bentonite - goodie
Also-called: Type of clay | What-it-does: viscosity controlling, absorbent/mattifier, emulsion stabilising | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
When it comes to oil-absorbing clay masks, bentonite will probably be one of the first ingredients on the INCI list. Technically bentonite clay is mostlymontmorillonite + something else, and thanks to the something else bit,bentonite comes in different types and colors.
The color depends on the mineral content of the clay: white bentonite is rich inboron and fluoride, yellow is rich inmanganese and zinc, green is rich incopper, zinc, and manganese and the pink clay is rich in boron.
No matter the color, bentonite is excellent at absorbing things: it can suck up the sebum and gunk from the skin and make it instantly smooth and matte. Not only that, but bentonite has a negative ionic charge and thus can attract things with a positive charge. Things with a positive charge include bad bacteria and toxins and bentonite clay masks can help to clear those out of the skin and pores (btw, bentonite is edible and has the same detoxifying effect internally).
Thanks to bentonite's effect against bad bacteria and pathogens, there is also someresearch showing that bentonite can help tocalm skin infections, soothe skin allergies and might work for skin conditions likepsoriasis and eczema.
On the other hand, the downside of bentonite being such a good absorbent is that it can suck up more than the excess sebum and used too often, it can easily dry out the skin. So use it for good measure, and never forget to moisturize afterwards.
Carbomer
What-it-does: viscosity controlling, emulsion stabilising | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1
A big molecule created from repeated subunits (a polymer of acrylic acid) that magically converts a liquidinto a nice gel formula. It usually has to be neutralized with a base (such as sodium hydroxide) for the thickening to occur and it creates viscous, clear gels that also feel nice and non-tacky on the skin. No wonder, it is a very popular and common ingredient. Typically used at 1% or less in most formulations.
Ethylhexylglycerin
What-it-does: preservative, deodorant
If you have spottedethylhexylglycerinon the ingredient list, most probably you will see there also the current IT-preservative,phenoxyethanol. They are good friends becauseethylhexylglycerincan boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too.
Also,it's an effective deodorant and a medium spreadingemollient.
Glyceryl Stearate
What-it-does: emollient, emulsifying | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 1-2
A super common, waxy, white, solid stuff that helps water and oil to mix together, gives body to creams and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth.
Chemically speaking, it is the attachment of a glycerin molecule to the fatty acid calledstearic acid. It can be produced from most vegetable oils (in oils three fattyacidmolecules are attached to glycerin instead of just one like here) in a pretty simple, "green" process that is similar to soap making. It's readily biodegradable.
It also occurs naturally in our body and is used as a food additive. As cosmetic chemistColins writes it, "its safety really is beyond any doubt".
Isopropyl Myristate
What-it-does: emollient, perfuming | Irritancy: 3 | Comedogenicity: 3-5
A clear, colorless oil-like liquid that makes the skin feel smooth and nice (aka emollient) and it does so without it being greasy.
What's more, it can evenreduce the heavy, greasy feel in products with high oil content.It's also fast-spreading meaning that it gives the formulaa good, nice slip. Itabsorbs quickly into the skin and helps other ingredients to penetrate quicker and deeper.
Thanks to all this, it's one of the most commonly used emollients out there. There is just one little drawback:it has ahigh comedogenicindex (5 out of 5...), so it might clog poresif you're prone to it.
PEG-12 Dimethicone
A fluidsilicone that reduces surface tension. It can improve oil (or silicone) in water emulsions withfaster absorption, better spreading, and a lighter feel.
Phenoxyethanol
What-it-does: preservative
It’s pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben.
It’s not something new: it was introduced around 1950 and today it can be used up to 1% worldwide. It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic.
Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too. It can be used in many types of formulations as it has great thermal stability (can be heated up to 85°C) and works on a wide range of pH levels (ph 3-10).
It’s often used together with ethylhexylglycerin as it nicely improves the preservative activity of phenoxyethanol.
Potassium Hydroxide
What-it-does: buffering
It's a very alkaline stuff that helps to set the pH of the cosmetic formula to be just right. It's similar to the more often used sodium hydroxideand pretty much the same of what we wrote there applies here too.
Propylene Glycol
What-it-does: moisturizer/humectant, solvent | Irritancy: 0 | Comedogenicity: 0
- It's a helper ingredient that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products
- It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer
- It has a bad reputation among natural cosmetics advocates but cosmetic scientists and toxicology experts do not agree (read more in the geeky details section)
Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >>
Water
Also-called: Aqua | What-it-does: solvent
Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. You can usually find it right in the very first spot of the ingredient list, meaning it’s the biggest thing out of all the stuff that makes up the product.
It’s mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water.
Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) is drying.
One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed). Like this, the products can stay more stable over time.
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The gold standard topical ingredient in treating acne today. It is uniquely effective in treating inflammatory type acne, but it comes at a price (pro-oxidant and skin drying). [more] A highly absorbent clay that comes in different colors depending on its mineral content. It's excellent at absorbing things including sebum and gunk in the pores and it also has some skin soothing and "detoxifying" effect. [more] A handy white powder that magically converts a liquid into a nice gel formula. [more] It can boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too. [more] Waxy, white, solid stuff that helps water and oil to mix together and leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth. [more] A clear, colorless oil-like liquid that's used as a fast-spreading, non-greasy emollient. [more] A fluidsilicone that reduces surface tension. It can improve oil (or silicone) in water emulsions withfaster absorption, better spreading, and a lighter feel. Pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, and can be used up to 1% worldwide. [more] It's a very alkaline stuff that helps to set the pH of the cosmetic formula to be just right. [more] A common glycol that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products. It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer. [more] Normal (well kind of - it's purified and deionized) water. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. [more] what‑it‑does anti-acne what‑it‑does viscosity controlling irritancy,com. 0, 0 what‑it‑does viscosity controlling irritancy,com. 0, 1 what‑it‑does preservative what‑it‑does emollient | emulsifying irritancy,com. 0, 1-2 what‑it‑does emollient | perfuming irritancy,com. 3, 3-5 what‑it‑does preservative what‑it‑does buffering what‑it‑does moisturizer/humectant | solvent irritancy,com. 0, 0 what‑it‑does solvent
