Almost half of Brits struggle with adult acne – I tested three skincare products and the winner was an over-the-counter bargain

ALMOST half of Brits have had adult acne, and I’m one of them.

So there aren’t many over-the-counter solutions that I haven’t tried. Now there is a new generation of treatments that target much more than just blemishes. So I put three to the test.

Budget

The Ordinary Balancing and Clarifying Serum, £20.20 for 30ml, theoretical.com:

Designed to reduce congestion, minimize shine, and improve the appearance of pores for clear-looking skin, this new launch from The Ordinary marks a step toward the brand’s single-ingredient roots.

The sophisticated formula feels more luxurious than most I’ve tried from this brand, and I love that you don’t have to layer multiple products to get effective results.

It’s water-based, but it left a slightly oily residue that I didn’t love and I haven’t noticed an improvement in my blemishes yet. But it definitely made my skin smoother.

The jury is still out on this matter.

Mid range

4

Kiehl’s Truly Targeted Spot Clearing Solution, £26 for 15ml, lookfantastic.com:

Kiehl’s was the first luxury skincare brand I tried, and over the decades, it has never disappointed me.

This product was no exception and is my favorite of the three I tried.

It creates a barrier over blemishes so you can apply makeup over it throughout the day and also all over your face if you have large areas of breakouts.

It reduced the redness and inflammation on my skin after the first use. I’ve also noticed that this really helps blemishes under the skin come to the surface faster, which is a godsend.

Alongside unclogging salicylic acid, there’s niacinamide, which helps soothe and reduce the appearance of pores, and licorice root, which boosts shine.

I can definitely tell the difference when I use this.

Luxury

4

Emma Lewisham Supernatural Blemish Face Serum, £68 for 30ml, spacenk.com:

This smart double serum is basically a two-in-one product and doesn’t feel like any spot treatment I’ve ever used.

Instead of relying on exfoliating actives, it puts probiotics to work to kill acne-causing bacteria on the skin’s surface, meaning there’s less chance of irritation or dryness. If you want dramatic results quickly, this is not the product for you.

The results are gradual but as soon as I stopped using this serum I noticed a difference, which is always a good sign. It left my skin feeling much calmer and softer and I noticed that my blemishes don’t scar as much when I use it.

Pick of the week

4

TRADING Alert! The new LOOKFANTASTIC x Lorna Luxe Beauty Edit, £60 (but worth over £185) launched this week and is one of the best value beauty bundles I’ve seen.

It contains eight cult products from the likes of ELEMIS, Elizabeth Arden and Philip Kingsley, six of which are full-size and the other two are generous travel sizes so will last you weeks, if not months. Buy now and be quick, at lookfantastic.com.