My oily acne prone skin drives me crazy. I won’t complain too much, as oily skin tends to age slower and my mother’s smooth lovely skin is proof of that. At any rate, I still don’t like breakouts. Taking cod liver oil capsules has made a huge difference (thanks to Beauty Editor’s amazing post ) but a bit of topical help is still good. A lot of acne creams make my skin dry & flakey which is a drag. When I have a zit that need healing, or dry flakey skin, La Roche Posay Cicaplast has proven miraculous. Makes sense that another La Roche Posay product would help those little zit buggers before they become a wound. 

I saw La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo at my local pharmacy, being sold with the Effaclar cleanser as a bonus. I decided to give it a try, based on my love of the Cicaplast. From the website: Effaclar Duo is a complete skincare product that combines 4 active ingredients to act on the two main symptoms of skin with imperfections: Severe localised imperfections: Niacinamide and Piroctone Olamine to fight against bacterial proliferation and eliminate imperfections. Pores clogged with sebum: the combination of LHA and Linoleic Acid unclogs pores while eliminating the accumulated dead cells responsible for blockage. These active ingredients are combined with soothing, anti-irritant La Roche-Posay thermal spring water to reduce redness.

The first thing I notice is the texture. It is creamy and milky and quite thin, a light liquid that just melts into the skin. Not thick at all but nor is it drying.  It has a fresh clean scent that I quite like, it feels fresh going on. It doesn’t build up or ball off (like some salicylic acid gels) but seems to sink right into the skin. I feel my skin is clearer and brighter since using it. The main thing I really like about Effaclar and La Roche Posay is that they recognize that acne prone and oily skin are also sensitive skin. It took me a long time to realize that by using harsh nasty stuff on my face, it would often freak out and break out even worse. I’ve found the gentler I am, the better my skin is. Basic gentle cleansing, no violent scrubbing and no harsh creams.  Effaclar Duo is very gentle- trust me.

The Effaclar Gel cleanser that came with the lotion as a bonus is also terrific. I am just as happy with my usual cleanser but this one came in a smallish tube that will be perfect for travel. 

I got my La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo at Shopper’s Drug Mart for $25.00, with the cleanser as a free bonus. US buyers can get La Roche Posay online here.