I bought this product a long time ago and didn't really use it because i didn't like the way it burned my face. though when i ran out of another spot treatment i was using, i went back to this one and used it more sparingly and the results were much better. please please please unless you have really non sensitive skin use this in very little amounts directly on top of pimples. unless you can handle harsher products dont use it as a moisturizer, if i put too much on i woke up with burns on my face. but i find if i use it in small enough amounts, the pimple will be gone the next day! i would not buy this again because i would rather find a product that works as efficiently but without the risk of my face burning.

I just recently bought this product because I heard the hype about it on YourTube and honestly thought that it wasn't going to live up to the hype, but for me it has. I find that this stuff works better than what I had been prescribed by a dermatologist because it doesn't dry out my skin or pimples to the point where my skin is covered in flakes (wherever the treatment was applied). This product gently dries out the pimples so that it takes away the redness and size of the pimple down dramatically without sucking every ounce of moisture away from the area on or surrounding the pimple. Even after one use I noticed a huge difference in my skin.

Note: I have only used this for a few days.

So I only have a sample of this and used it for the first time last night, but I am SO IMPRESSED. I had a bunch of spots on my cheek due to clogged pores from forgetting to wash my face one night and i decided to try this out since my regular spot treatment ran out. I kid you not, three of the pimples already disappeared. The best part is that it didnt make my face go crazy, in other words my face wasnt all flaky and nasty in the morning- just clear. It didn't clear up all the pimples I put it on but I'm sure after a couple more applications I'll be all set. I will definitely purchase a full size when i run out of the sample.

after reading so many good reviews on this,i tried this product.. and now using this product for 2 weeks.. have not seen any result yet.. did nothing for my skin and i am getting more acne ... would not buy again... a big NO for this one

This is a miracle product! A miracle I tell you. I broke out badly due to a reaction with Avene's extremely gentle cleanser (note: extremely gentle!) which left me with congested pores, tiny bumps under my skin and not to mention the puss filled pustules that were popping out from everywhere - even around the eye area! I then thought I'd try their Cleanance soapless gel cleanser which dried my skin badly (and I felt like it kind of burnt the under layer!) but didnt really do much for getting rid of spots. I returned to using my LRP micellar water which calmed my skin down but the spots were still there and appearing. Finally, my Effaclar K arrived in the post and I tried it on to a small spot first just in case I get another reaction to it. It did tingle a little bit but no stinging at all. At night I braved it and applied to my whole face. The gel like texture was easy to apply and although I would probably have preferred a pump like the Toleriane Fluid I think that the tube is the best option just in case you want to put it on small localised spots only. It tingled a little bit but didnt sting. It left a film with a slight sheen on my skin. The best part is that when I woke up in the night and started feeling the large spot that has been growing on my cheek... I could not find it. In the morning I stared at my complexion and my skin was visually clear. I didnt even have a good night sleep which usually means horrible skin in the morning. This stuff is amazing. I dont wear foundation but I often take time to conceal any blemishes. Today I didnt even have to. The rough dry areas were almost all gone too. My cream blush applied wonderfully and my skin looked radiant again, not flaky, blemished or irritated from that Cleanance gel.

Effaclar duo wasn't very moisturising so I see myself not using this every night but perhaps every other night or as and when needed. It retails for around £13 which I think is not bad at all for a product that works this well. I would highly recommend it to anyone but obviously all skin types react differently and some of you may have even more sensitive skin than I have or your skin may not react well with salicylic acid. I would suggest trying to get a sample if you could, then do a spot test but it is so worth trying out. With this I will never be caught with a blemish again and so shouldn't you!

Update: I've taken a lippie off this as I started having little bumps all over my face. Not sure if this is the culprit but I will find out.

I'm 29 and have been plagued by acne for a couple of years now (hormonal and allergies). Effaclar Duo is the most effective and quickest acting product I've tried, and I have tried a LOT.

It has not totally cleared up my skin, but it does unblock pores almost overnight. My spots cleared up a lot in just a week of use.

Note: I do not use it like it says in the tube (2x a day) because I find it to be very drying on my combination skin. I think a lot of previous reviewers have been putting too much of it and too frequently. I use it every other night, after cleansing with a very gentle cleanser, leave it to dry and follow up with a light moisturizer.
I find that if I irritate and dry my skin too much I get big red pimples in the morning.

I have been suffering from severely clogged skin for many years. The white heads would develop into acne and I have to be extremely cautious of the skin care and makeup I use, making sure that there are no ingredients that could potentially make the clogging worse.

I have been using this product for a month now. I bought it after I saw Tanya Burr's review on YouTube. And I'm very happy that I did cos it has pretty much cleared up my skin at this point in time. I would apply a generous layer after moisturizer (sometimes without), day and night. I would also apply more layers to those specific inflamed spots to help them dry up faster. It might burn a little if you have broken skin though. But no major issues for me cos it gets my skin heal quicker than any other acne products I've used before.

However, I did go through a purging phase of around 2 weeks where the white heads would come up to the surface of the skin.

It also works pretty decent as a makeup primer. I would think that the bottle would only last me 2 months tops, which is the only downside cos its quite pricey for a drugstore product.
But if you suffer from clogged and congested skin, I would highly recommend you to try this cos I'll continue to repurchase until the day it no longer works for my skin.

Oh man. After weeks of hearing about how great this was from friends and beauty bloggers I bought this at home in Sydney before I went to Paris over Christmas. I used it before I left and put up with a burning sensation which I thought was how the product maybe worked. I bought another tube in Paris and used it once I got home and after two weeks I have discovered this product is seriously bad for my skin.
I have oily/combo skin that isn't particularly sensitive. In my teens I used whatever cleanser came my way and then Dermalogica (until they changed the formula and my reaction was exactly the same as it was to this!). I've been using Clinique beauty bars for years also and began to question whether these were making me break out randomly.
I didn't use the product as a moisturiser; I applied it to relevant areas. I now have a pretty big burn mark on my cheek that absolutely nothing is settling down and around my mouth is terribly dry. I made sure I purchased the French formula - can't imagine what the other one is like!
I'll hold on to the tube just in case I decide the 'bright red clawed by a merecat' look comes in but would be seriously cautious before using. None of my friends have had reactions and they all have seriously sensitive skin unlike me.

Wow! This is absolutely amazing! It had cleared up my skin within a week. A lot of the bad reviews are the version that is not the all over face product (only sold in Europe). You can order it online though from Boots. I definitely recommend this to anybody wild mild - severe acne. Works wonders! The version available out of Europe is a SPOT TREATMENT not a moisturiser. It will dry out your skin. Definitely try the moisturiser version from Europe, it's amazing! I hope this works as well for you as it did for me. I still use and and it has kept my skin exceptionally clear and shine free! It really does work, I only get a couple of small spots when it's "that time". None the less a a WONDERFUL product, I highly reccomend it!

as with many of these reviews I heard of it from youtube, and really wanted it to work. I've struggled with acne since I was about 15, quite seriously between 16-17 and now I'm 18 and after various antibiotics it is pretty manageable, although my skin is still shitter than most of my friends :( so I thought i'd give this a go at a time when I had a few more spots than usual. I started off applying it both morning and night after cleansing, and everyday I would wake up with more and more painful bumps under the skin, as well as more of the little yellow heads I was used to. I carried on for a week or so, because I thought it might be 'purging' my skin but it looked worse now than before I started using it, so I just stopped and went back to my normal routine. because I thought if it was causing me these painful spots I wasn't used to, it probably wasn't worth carrying on! I would say be very careful with this product, especially if you are very acne prone like me