La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo Review

Okay first, I have to talk about how bad my skin was.

I think it started when i accidentally used a brush that I have neglect far too long to apply some contour on to my face. Then like a gazillion skin coloured bumps (comedones) started invading my face. These bumps are not inflammatory and just sits on my skin making it look gross. Then stress rolled by and with other combining factors, they turned into all sorts of different acne (but hey, at least they went away after they turned into angry acne) and my face looked like a battle field.

This is when I decided I need more help other than my trusty old tea tree oil treatment.

So I went in search of what can help with not only plain old acne (whiteheads/cystic) but also get rid of the comedones.

And I found Effaclar Duo

I have heard a lot of good stuff about it before, but only thought of it as regular spot treatment gel that works by drying out the spots. A lot of brads do a spot treatment gel (e.g. Clinique, Shiseido) but most of them just smell strongly of alcohol and dry the spot to death.

Effaclar duo is different.

This is the description from the La Roche-Posay US website:

Breakthrough Technology

Patent-pending combination of Micronized Benzoyl Peroxide [5.5%] to reduce acne and Micro-exfoliating LHA [0.4%] to exfoliate and even texture.

As seen in the published clinical study of the June dermatology journal issue of Cutis

Description

Results in only 3 days. Dual action treatment reduces the number and severity of breakouts, improves pore size. Minimal irritation. Apply all over face one to three times daily.

Effaclar DUO has won the following Awards:

• 2012 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner: Acne Treatment
• 2012 All You Best Beauty Buys: Acne Treatment
• 2011 Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner: Acne Treatment
• 2011 Real Beauty Gold Star Awards: Best Face Products

Recommended For

Mild to moderate acne-prone skin.

Benefits

• As effective as the leading acne prescription²
• Visibly reduces inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne in only 3 days
• Fragrance-free, oil-free, paraben-free, non-comedogenic
• Dermatologist tested on sensitive and multi-ethnic skin types

Effaclar duo has a milky gel like consistency and feels actually feels like a moisturizer or a serum. It is NOT drying at all, some nights I just put that on and go to bed without following with a moisturizer, skin feels fine the next morning.

I am not going to scare you all with a freaky before and after photo because my skin gives even me the goosebumps. But I have to say that thought it is not an overnight miracle (nothing really ever is), it does slowly clear my skin up, although now I'm left with a bit of post-acne pigmentation, my skin is really starting to feel mush smoother (the bumpy-ness has reduced phenomenally) after the 10+ days of using effaclar duo twice a day.

I'll most probably purchase it again. It retails in Hong Kong for HKD$260 for 40ml, which is like about 100hkd more expensive than getting it from the uk (13 pounds for 30ml). But the HK price is actually more or less the same with the US pricing (USD$36.95 for 40ml). It is also very interesting to note that the US effaclar duo is made in USA and the HK one is made in France. When I repurchase I will most likely ask my friend in the UK to get it for me.

Overall I really like this product although I am a little cross that they price it so much more expensive in HK and the US. But I think its performance still worth the heftier price tag in HK, and I am willing to try more of La Roche-Posay's products.