How to Use La Roche-Posay Effaclar: One Step at a Time

On 8 July 2016, the FDA cleared Differin Gel 0.1%, the adapalene gel, for use over the counter. Differin calls it the first new over-the-counter acne ingredient in more than thirty years, and it reached shelves in January 2017. Picture the pharmacy aisle that winter. A retinoid that once needed a prescription sat within reach of anyone with a bump on their chin, and every acne brand in the building had to answer.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar answered in July 2019 with its own adapalene gel. That is the thing I like about the line. La Roche-Posay itself was created in 1975 by a pharmacist, René Levayer, and L'Oréal bought it in 1989. It is organised around four ranges: Lipikar for dry skin, Anthelios for sun protection, Toleriane for sensitive skin and Effaclar for acne. The result is a brand that behaves like a pharmacist. It gives you a wash, a spot treatment, a retinoid and a moisturizer, and it trusts you to pick the one you need. I went deeper on a related idea in La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum: What to Layer With It.

The trick is to choose a single step and not the whole shelf. I would start with La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel Face Cleanser, the unscented wash for oily skin, and see how skin feels after two weeks. The Medicated Gel Cleanser is the acne-labelled version, and the Supramolecular Oil and Pores Jelly Cleanser is the newer texture. For treatment, the Multi-target Acne Treatment with Salicylic Acid, the Effaclar BPO Multi Acne Treatment and the Adapalene each do a different job. The Mat Anti-Shine Moisturizer and the Salicylic Acid Toner round out the range. If you want to keep going, Which La Roche-Posay Cleanser Is Best for Your Skin? is the one I would read next.

Sunscreen is the step acne skin cannot skip if you use a treatment at night. The Drug Facts label for Effaclar Duo, the benzoyl peroxide treatment the BPO one replaced, says the same, and it also warns that dryness and irritation are more likely with another topical acne medication.

That makes the Anthelios line the most useful thing here. The Mineral Ultra-Light Face Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50 and the UVAir Mineral Serum Sunscreen SPF 50 are the two mineral options, and Clear Skin Dry Touch SPF 60 is the one whose name promises a matte finish. I keep the fluid for days I am not wearing makeup and the dry touch for the days I am.

Toleriane is the gentle side of the family. The Purifying Facial Cleanser is what I would wash with on the mornings after a strong night, and the Double Repair Matte Moisturizer is the everyday cream. Cicaplast Balm B5 and Cicaplast Gel B5 are the ones for skin that has been over-treated and is stinging, and I would try the gel first if your skin runs oily. Hyalu B5 Suractivated Cream is the plump, hydrating option.

Effaclar gel wash, Toleriane matte moisturizer, Anthelios in the morning: it is a dull routine, and it works.

What I would skip: a strong treatment on the same night as a fresh sunburn or a wax. Use Cicaplast and wait.

Your face should feel clean but not squeaky after washing, and that rinse test tells you more than any label. If it feels tight in a minute, the cleanser is too strong, and no acne treatment will make up for it.

The Effaclar gel is a good yardstick. Its ingredient list is sulfate-based, and it includes zinc pidolate and thermal spring water, so it sets a fairly firm standard for a foaming wash. Compare it with gentler options. Then I Met You's Pore Purifying Soothing Cleansing Gel with Green Tea, Caudalie's Vinopure Pore Purifying Gel Cleanser and Tatcha's The Matcha Foam are the three I would try if you want a pore-minded gel with a softer finish. Sofie Pavitt Face's Clean Clean Gentle Gel Foaming Cleanser lives up to its name.

LANEIGE's Balance Mode Rice Foaming Gel Cleanser and Dieux's Baptism Hydrating + Pore Clarifying Gentle Foaming Gel Cleanser both pair foam with hydration. The Ordinary's Glucoside Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Oily Skin is the plain, no-fuss pick, and Arencia's Green Tea + LHA Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser is the one for acne-prone skin.

Try this: wash for a full thirty seconds with lukewarm water. It is longer than you think, and it makes a plain cleanser work harder.

What I would skip: switching cleansers every week. Give one a month.

A tiny amount pressed on the back of your hand tells you whether an oily-skin moisturizer will behave. It should disappear within a minute. If it leaves a film, it will slide around under sunscreen.

Sephora Collection's 8HR Oil Control Moisturizer with Prebiotics and Polyglutamic Acid is the straightforward one. Youth To The People's Superfood Air-Whip is light and whipped, and Facile's Barely There Hyaluronic Acid Lightweight Moisturizer is well named. Biodance's Pore Perfecting Collagen Peptide Cream targets pores, and Beauty of Joseon's Red Bean Water Gel Moisturizer is made for oily and sensitive skin, which describes a lot of us.

Torriden's DIVE IN 5D Hyaluronic Acid Jelly Cream is the bouncy, watery texture. Glow Recipe's Watermelon Pink Juice Refillable Oil-Free Face Moisturizer is the fun one, and RANAVAT's Refining Lotus Gel Crème is the quiet luxury of the group.

A pairing I like: one of these gel creams at night, and the Effaclar Mat in the morning under sunscreen. Two textures for two moods of skin.

What I would skip: a rich cream on top of a fresh BPO treatment, if your skin is already dry. Choose a gel.

My favorite thing about Effaclar is how little it asks you to buy. Most of us need a wash, a sunscreen and one treatment, and the line has all three.

So I would begin with the foaming gel and a sunscreen, and add a spot treatment only when skin asks for one. Persistent, painful or scarring acne is a question for a dermatologist. Differin got its shelf space in 2017. Yours is a small corner of a bathroom, and a corner is plenty. Give each step a full month before you judge it, and write down what changed.

If you would rather try benzoyl peroxide in a cream wash, I went through the CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser step by step. If you prefer a leave-on BHA to a wash, here is how to use The Ordinary Salicylic Acid 2% Solution. For the evening, I wrote about using La Roche-Posay Double Repair Moisturizer at night after an Effaclar wash.

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