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Clean & Clear
Advantage
Review
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Clean & Clear is
another brand that has built its reputation through offering
affordable topical products that are sold at popular retail
outlets such as Walmart. A departure from their usual
stand-alone products, the Advantage system is a 3-step
regimen with some familiar approaches and ingredients.
The Clean &
Clear Advantage acne control system includes (1) a fairly
strong cleanser that uses 10% benzoyl peroxide, (2) a
moisturizer that also aims to dissolve skin oil and promote
exfoliation via salicylic acid, and (3) a spot treatment
with a strong dose of SA and alcohol for burning away that
top layer of skin and unclogging pores.
With their
"100% of people see improvement after 1 use" tagline,
you should know that this is not a gentle or irritation-free
solution, so don't be fooled if you're used to other
cleansers by C&C that are known to be easy on your skin. The
Advantage regimen falls solidly into the "nuke your face"
category of acne products. |
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Clean & Clear
Advantage at a
glance
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Strong enough to give fast (sometimes
next-day) results for many people. |
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Priced affordably and widely available at
retail stores. |
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Can combat several types of acne if your
skin can handle the burn. |
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Harsh ingredients mean that most will
experience redness and peeling. |
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Inconsistent results for many users, with
results dropping off after initial
improvement. |
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Even the moisturizer can be drying. Do not
use before spending time in the sun. |
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The cleanser will bleach any fabric it
touches, so be careful. |
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Key
Ingredients
Cleanser:
10% Benzoyl Peroxide
Moisturizer:
0.5%
Salicylic Acid
Spot
Treatment:
2%
Salicylic Acid
Alcohol
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Who should try
Clean & Clear Advantage
As far as low
prices go, this is one of the cheapest regimens out there,
so that alone may make Clean & Clear Advantage an attractive
solution. If your skin is used to harsh chemicals and isn't
easily irritated, then this may work out for you. The 10% BP
is overly harsh, but it can do the job of zapping underlying
bacteria, and the salicylic acid should help dislodge milder
surface acne.
Despite the
quick results promised in the ads, I would go into this
expecting to commit a few weeks if you want your skin to
adjust to the blast of chemicals. Some users also
recommending using the products less often than intended
(and skipping the spot treatment altogether) - only applying
them every other day, etc. - and this may be a good practice
if you aren't a fan of cracked and damaged skin.
Who should
not
try Clean & Clear Advantage
Simply put,
quick-fix products like this are not a smart long-term acne
solution, not if you care about the health of your skin. If
your skin is sensitive at all, steer clear of anything with
10% BP. Even using the moisturizer if hard to recommend when
it is designed to dry up skin oil and leave you without any
protective layer of defense against the sun and other
elements.
Moreover, if
you've already used other products with these same active
ingredients, I wouldn't expect any improvement here, as the
side ingredients are generally lower in quality than the
competition (so as to keep that price down). Clean & Clear
Advantage can jolt your skin into temporary improvement, but
it isn't the answer for lasting acne relief. The burn will
cause more harm than good, and with nothing to balance the
harsh chemicals, results will diminish as your skin builds
up a resistance.
Average Price
$10 to $20 at
most retail outlets
Alternatives
Clearasil Ultra,
AcneFree, Klear Action
Have you tried
Clean & Clear Advantage?
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