Benzoyl Peroxide Review – The Prescription Strength Over The Counter Acne Treatment You Need

by Mia M.

** If you have stubborn, hard-to-treat acne, here’s a prescription-strength product, recommended by dermatologists and skin doctors, that you can buy over the counter – which works.**

Hello, my beautiful people, how’s life treating you?

Today, your girl’s coming at you with something potentially helpful to some of my readers – and if not you guys, then people on Pinterest or Google . . . or the aliens. Just, you know, someone out there. I need something to tell God when I get to the pearly gates and I’m not quite sure “being able to down 3 tequila shots in a row” is the sort of thing he’s looking for.

Long story short, this post is sharing one of – if not the – best products I have ever used for acne. It’s effective, it works quickly and, best of all, it’s recommended by science and medicine. (Ie: it’s not a random DIY beauty hack off of Pinterest; your dermatologist won’t disapprove.)

Now, the keener-eyed of you may have spotted that these are, in fact, two products – and you’re not wrong. But we aren’t actually talking (merely) about the products; no, I want to introduce you to the ingredient of Benzoyl Peroxide.

Benzoyl Peroxide

When it comes to acne and spot-treatment, there are some well-known miracle ingredients. Tea tree oil, witch hazel, salicylic acid . . . these are just a few of the heavy hitters. And, as much as I love all of these and the fact that you can get them in so many products, none are quite as harsh or effective as Benzoyl Peroxide.

I was first introduced to Benzoyl P back when I was 15 or so by my doctor. I would only get a few whiteheads and spots, but they’d be insanely hard to get rid of – so I was prescribed a gel called Duac Once Daily Gel. Duac is a prescription gel containing Benzoyl Peroxide and Clindamycin (a type of topical antibiotic). It was by leaps and bounds the most effective thing I’d ever used; spots that had refused to shift for months were dried out and gone almost overnight.

As it does contain a topical antibiotic, Duac was prescription only, so I did up being taken off it – but no other spot treatment worked as well in the years after, so it always stayed in the back of my head. After a few years, I did give it a Google to see what it was that made it so special . . . and that’s when I found out that you can buy Benzoyl Peroxide products, minus the antibiotic, over the counter. (However, only in drugstores.)

Well, my friends, that was what we call a game changer.

Since then, I’ve depended on Benzoyl Peroxide as my hail-mary – my holy-grail product. It cleans up the most stubborn of breakouts and by far and large the most consistently and quickly effective skincare product I’ve ever used. I will say that it is also pretty harsh, though, so your skin texture will be smooth and your spots will be gone . . . but your skin will also be red and a little sensitive.

How Does Benzoyl Peroxide Work?

“Propionibacteria acnes, or P. acnes, are the bacteria responsible for acne breakouts. They cannot live in an aerobic (oxygen-rich) environment. Benzoyl peroxide works by introducing oxygen into the pore, thereby killing P. acnes. When the bacteria population is reduced, the number of breakouts on the skin is reduced as well.

Another factor that makes this treatment so effective is its ability to help rid the follicle of excess dead skin cells. Clearing the pore of cellular debris will lessen the chance of pore blockages or comedones. So, benzoyl peroxide helps prevent breakouts before they start.” – Source: VeryWellHealth.com

Not only a great spot treatment, BP (look I feel like I’ve said the full name so many times that it’s starting to feel like it’s not a real word – give me a break) is great at stopping acne before it develops. It’s actually recommended that you use it consistently instead of just a one off spot treatment.

The only issue with this, in my mind at least, is that the gel is very harsh. As in, it leaves your skin visibly red the day after using it harsh. It stains your pillowcases harsh. This is why I recommend using the wash daily (you rub it onto wet skin, leave it for 30 seconds and then rinse it off) to keep your acne under control even if you don’t have an active breakout, but the gel as a treatment on active breakouts.

I’m not sure about international links, but I bought these two products from a normal pharmacy in Australia, so I’m sure you’d be able to pick up some of these from your local drug store. If you’re in the UK, you can order them online via Boots.

Acnecide Benzoyl Peroxide Gel – Boots UK – £10.49

Acnecide Wash – £10.49

Okay, my friends, that is this post done! If you enjoy beauty and skincare tips, make sure you’re following my board on Pinterest . . . and that you’ve shared this post over on there.

Honestly, since moving over to Australia, the heat and the resulting oil has really been triggering my skin and these products have been an absolute life saver. If you struggle with acne, I cannot recommend these products enough. Have you ever heard of Benzoyl Peroxide before? Would you give it a go? Let me know your thoughts down below!

Peace,