Here at EliminateYourAcne.com, we recommend benzoyl peroxide as the top over-the-counter acne treatment for mild-to-moderate acne. It’s super effective at killing the nasty P. acnes bacteria which grows in your hair follicles and causes acne to form.
But there are so many benzoyl peroxide products on the market, how can you know which one to get? Is there even any difference, or is it all the same stuff in different packaging?
You’d better believe there are differences!
To help you decide which benzoyl peroxide to spend your hard earned money on, we’re going to countdown our top 3 benzoyl peroxide treatments available today, and explain why we choose each one.
Before we get into the list, let’s talk for a minute about what makes a good benzoyl peroxide product.
What We Like To See In Benzoyl Peroxide Products
You would be wrong to assume that all benzoyl peroxide is the same. Sure, chemically benzoyl peroxide is benzoyl peroxide, but the actual products containing it can have drastic differences from one to another.
Here are some of the things that we like to see in a topical benzoyl peroxide product.
2.5% Concentration
This one is super important!
Most benzoyl peroxide creams and gels you’ll find in stores are 10%, and while you might think that higher concentration is better, you’d actually be wrong about that. Studies have conclusively shown that 2.5% benzoyl peroxide kills the P. acnes bacteria just as effectively as 10%, but with less irritation to the skin.
Since benzoyl peroxide can be irritating when used in large quantities (like we recommend), it’s very important to avoid irritation as much as possible
You can read more about 2.5% vs. 10% benzoyl peroxide here.
All of the benzoyl peroxide products on our list are 2.5%.
Gel
This isn’t crucial, but gel-based benzoyl peroxide products tend to go on the skin better, and don’t dry up before it’s fully absorbed. This means that it won’t clump up on you, and gel is just better than cream for topical application.
Size / Value
Since we recommend using large quantities of benzoyl peroxide daily, rather than spot treatment, we want large tubes or bottles of product and good value for the money.
Unfortunately, a lot of benzoyl peroxide products come in pathetically small packages.
Nothing Else
Fragrances, colors, and anything else is simply unnecessary.
We can benzoyl peroxide in the most pure form possible, that still applies nicely to the skin and fully absorbs.
#3 – Neutrogena On-The-Spot Treatment
For many years this was the only 2.5% benzoyl peroxide available in stores, and it worked fantastically well for me and a lot of other people.
It’s a cream, which isn’t as nice as a gel but it still goes on well and shouldn’t dry up on you before your skin has had a chance to absorb it.
There is a darker colored version for black / latino skin, however the color really shouldn’t matter since the product should always be rubbed in until it’s fully absorbed and no longer visible.
The major drawback to Neutrogena On-The-Spot is that it’s tiny!
It is only available in small tubes that are a mere 0.75 oz. That’s not nearly enough, and you could find yourself having to buy it once a week.
Overall though, it’s still a great product and better than any 10% benzoyl peroxide on the market.
Product: Neutrogena On-The Spot Treatment
Price: $5.93
Size: 0.75 oz
Price Per Ounce: $7.91
Available: Most drug stores, Amazon.com
Our Rating: 4/5
#2 – Proactiv Repairing Solution
One of the reasons that Proactiv has been so successful is that unlike many other acne treatment systems out there, it works!
The reason it works? 2.5% benzoyl peroxide!
This one is a “lotion” rather than a cream or gel. It’s a bit too thin and watery for my tastes, but it works just fine.
Other than the consistency it’s not really much different from the Neutrogena On-The-Spot treatment. The reason it wins, however, is price. You can get the Proactive Repairing Solution in a much larger 4 oz “luxury size” and it works out to being over $2 cheaper per ounce than Neutrogena On-The-Spot.
How’s that for a good deal?
Product: Proactiv Repairing Solution
Price: $23.25
Size: 4 oz
Price Per Ounce: $5.81
Available: Amazon.com
Our Rating: 4.5/5
#1 – Acne.org Treatment
Ta-da! This is it, by far the best benzoyl peroxide available.
This one has it all, really. It’s 2.5% benzoyl peroxide of the highest quality, in gel form, and best of all it’s huge! This one is available in a whopping 16 oz bottle and that makes it the most economical benzoyl peroxide available. It’s way cheaper per ounce than anything else out there, and we can’t recommend this one more highly.
I have personally used this product for years, and unless it’s taken off the market I can’t imagine why I would ever switch to anything else.
This is the perfect benzoyl peroxide, and you can’t go wrong with it.
Product: Acne.org Treatment
Price: $36.83
Size: 16 oz (!)
Price Per Ounce: $2.30 (!)
Available: Amazon.com
Our Rating: 5/5
