Clean and Clear Acne Products Review

Rated: 3 out of 10
by AcneTreatment.org
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Clean and Clear is a well-known and readily available brand of treatment for acne. Originally developed by Revlon, Clean and Clear was implemented as a fragrance and dye-free product with no residual residues. In 1991, Clean and Clear was sold to Johnson and Johnson where it was remarketed as a brand focusing on acne treatment.

Acne is caused by the pores in the skin becoming clogged with dirt and oil. Bacteria begins to build up causing light or dark pustules called whiteheads or blackheads to form. Clean and Clear’s products claim to be able to clean out the pores and prevent acne. Some of the Clean and Clear products are:

  • Acne Spot Treatment
  • Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Patches
  • Exfoliating Cleanser
  • Blackhead Eraser
  • Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Control Kit

Clean and Clear Acne Kit

The Clean and Clear Acne Kit is the most used Clean and Clear acne product and works in a 3-step system. Step 1 is the Acne Control Cleanser, Step 2 is Acne Control Moisturizer, and Step 3 is Fast Clearing Spot Treatment.

The Clean and Clear Acne Kit is meant to be used twice daily with claims that the spot treatment is effective in as little as 8 hours. Although we searched, we were unable to find any regular Clean and Clear users who could corroborate these unbelievable 8 hour results.

Clean and Clear Ingredients

The Clean and Clear Acne Kit primarily works on two active ingredients: benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Benzoyl peroxide is highly effective as an acne treatment and this ingredient, above all others, gains our recommendation. The concentration, however, plays an important part in the ingredient’s effectiveness. Benzoyl peroxide is regularly used in concentrations ranging from 2.5% - 10%. When the concentrations are too low, such as in the 2.5% solutions, there’s not enough benzoyl peroxide to be effective. When concentrations are too high, like Clean and Clear’s maximum 10% benzoyl peroxide solution, it causes irritation, itching, burning, and swelling. The perfect concentration of benzoyl peroxide is a 5% solution.

The other main ingredient of Clean and Clear is salicylic acid in concentrations of .5% in the moisturizer and 2% in the spot treatment. Salicylic acid works by causing skin cells to shed more rapidly, preventing pores from clogging and making room for new cell growth. Salicylic acid is not without side effects. This ingredient is linked to irreversible hearing-loss in individuals already deficient in zinc. In addition, some people have a hypersensitivity to salicylic acid and can cause extreme swelling of the extremities and face. It can also cause pain, cough, and memory loss.

Does Clean and Clear Work?

Clean and Clear is a widely sold product for the treatment of acne. Even so, our reviewers found the Clean and Clear Acne Kit completely ineffective and most independent reviews agree with our findings.

Clean and Clear also has a high incidence of side effects. Exceptionally dry skin is the most reported side effect with itchy hives being second. Other reviews stated that Clean and Clear produces an intolerable burning sensation and quite a few also noticed it made their acne worse.

Instead of walking blindly into any acne treatment, continue to read our product reviews and discover the most effective acne product.