8 Major Acne-Fighting Products That Guarantee Clear Skin for the Holidays
It’s the time of year for checking off holiday gift lists, attending office parties and planning yuletide gatherings, all of which make your stress levels soar. Of course, you’re feeling it, and to boot, those heightened cortisol hormones aren’t doing your face (or body) any favors — your oil glands are heading into overdrive, and with that comes a smattering of pimples ruining your pretty skin for parties. While we can’t help make you less busy right now, we can give you this: new clear skin products that range from therapeutic treatments to everyday preventative formulas. Use one or more this season and celebrate clear skin well into 2017. Scroll down to get your complexion holiday-ready.
1. Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask ($35): Dermatologists have touted light therapy as a clear-skin game-changer. The combo of blue and red lights zaps away acne-causing bacteria and reduces inflammation, so your skin stays blemish-free without drugs. Now, thanks to this light therapy mask, the ante has officially been upped. Put it on after cleansing, then sit back and relax — the blue and red lights work similar to an in-office treatment (though the doctor’s machine is way more powerful) and shut off automatically after 10 minutes. Use it daily to clear your skin and your mind (thanks to the do-nothing-for-10-minutes break).
2. e.l.f. Acne Fighting Foundation ($6): An acne-fighting makeup like this one, which keeps pimples from spreading, is non-negotiable for blemish-prone skin. Pumped full of antibacterial ingredients like salicylic acid, witch hazel, camphor and tea tree oil, this base brilliantly covers acne and inflammation and leaves the red to your ugly sweater — not your face.
3. Dr. Jart+ Dermaclear Micro Milk Peel ($42): Milk peels are big in Asia, and thanks to their gentle ingredients, they’re appearing stateside as another option for clear, healthy skin. This one, packed with lactic and salicylic acids, sloughs away dead skin cells and acne-causing bacteria. Let it sit on your skin for a minute while the moisturizing panthenol and coconut milk calm and hydrate your skin for a soft and smooth finish.
4. Karuna Spot+ Melting Boost ($18): These tiny “treatment dots” work in synergy with a sheet mask. The concentrated film on each dot intensifies the formula and targets trouble areas directly. Apply a spot to your pimple or acne before the sheet mask (sold separately), then layer the mask over it — the spot activates and disappears into the deeper layers of the skin, delivering a high dose of glycolic and lactic acids to clear up acne and oil. It sounds complicated, but trust us — it’s amazing.
5. My Skin Mentor Dr. G A-Clear Sensi-AC Sun SPF 43 ($27): We all know the drill — sunscreen must be worn 365 days of the year, and gray winter days are no exception. But all that layering of sunscreen and moisturizer can clog your pores. This clinically proven formula is just what the doctor ordered for sensitive, acne-prone complexions. The anti-bacterial complex is gentle, working to control oil and sebum without overdrying or irritating skin.
6. Osmosis Skin Perfection Harmonized H2O ($40): If your everyday topical routine is proving ineffective, it might be time to move on to an internal treatment. Drinking 10 pumps of this water per day promises to keep the dermatologist away; a recent study found that participants reported a 60 percent decrease in acne and blemishes after drinking this specialized H20 (which employs wave vibrations to reboot your cells and organs so they function better, and in turn, clear up skin) for a month.
7. Erno Laszlo Detoxifying Cleansing Oil ($58): An oil to clear up acne? Yes, it’s a thing, especially when it’s got pore-clearing ingredients like the active charcoal in this cleanser. The dark liquid turns to a white foam that draws out dirt and sebum, while grapeseed oil moisturizes and keeps skin from looking and feeling tight.
8. Yes to Tomatoes Acne Fighting Body Wash ($10): If you’ve got pimples on your face, then it’s likely you’ve seen them somewhere on your body too (usually brought on by breaking a sweat), killing any chance of rocking that off-the-shoulder number you’ve been eyeing. Nip those blemishes in the bud by sudsing up with a wash like this one. This gentle creamy cleanser is powered with 2 percent salicylic acid and has natural extracts of tomato and dandelion that work together to unclog pores, clear up spots and prevent new ones from forming.
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