La Roche-Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel for the treatment of acne. Anyone loves skincare as much as us will tell you that La Roche-Posay is fab. This French pharmacy brand has raving fans everywhere and my favourite sunscreen of all time is the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Ultra-Light Fluid.
The Effaclar range has been specifically formulated for acne-prone skin. The company statements around the Effaclar range are:
EFFACLAR is a complete range of anti-imperfection solutions that targets all the stages of the imperfection life cycle with a high efficacy, while ensuring a perfect tolerance.
I have to point out the La Roche-Posay website is scant with info on their website. La Roche if your reading this (and I would be hurt if you weren’t if I’m honest) you may want to up your website game. It pretty and all but rather lacking in solid information.
The website also refers to ‘skin imperfections’ a lot, look let’s just call them what they are, acne. I am not sure calling acne ‘skin imperfections’ makes them any easier to live with. Although the 14-year-old reviewer has taken to calling his acne skin imperfections with gusto. So, I could be wrong.
Claims Made By le Roche-Posay About Effaclar Foaming Gel Cleanser
“ELIMlATES IMPURITIES AND EXCESS SEBUM, PH BALANCED FOAMING GEL CLEANSER”
Ok, I know I am not reviewing ‘La Roche-Posays’ advertising and marketing spiel, and I am aware that this is not specifically targeted at teenagers but does this ‘eliminating of impurities’ just really mean, ‘it washes your face?’
I’m going to stop with the critique of their website and advertising because I am a huge fan of LRP (that’s what all the cool kids call La Roche Posay just, LRP). Well, the cool kids, and the internet bloggers who are worried about being flagged by Google for keyword stuffing. Which, by the way, I am not trying to do! It’s hard to review a product without mentioning ‘it’ 29 times.
WHAT IT IS
La Roche-Posay EFFACLAR PURIFYING FOAMING GEL is a foaming cleanser specially formulated for sensitive, oily, acne-prone skin. This gentle and effective acne face wash eliminates impurities, excess sebum and lifts away dirt.
The EFFACLAR PURIFYING FOAMING GEL cleanser respects the skin’s PH balance. The gentle formula has a pH 5.5 – the average PH value of the skin’s surface, so there is no disruption to the skin’s natural balance.
The two active ingredients in EFFACLAR PURIFYING FOAMING GEL cleanser are ideal for oily, acne-prone skin and work together to reduce sebum, oil, visible redness, and irritation.
▪ THERMAL SPRING WATER – a pure, naturally occurring water rich in mineral trace elements, sourced from the La Roche Posay region in the Vienne countryside in France. This soothing, anti-inflammatory, selenium-rich water relieves irritation and speeds skin repair. Additionally, the high silicates in the thermal water soften, soothes and protect skin.
▪ Zinc PCA is a trace element with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antifungal properties which helps to fight the bacteria that cause acne. Zinc PCA also reduces sebum production which reduces the cause of breakouts, pimples and blackheads without impairing the skin barrier.
HOW TO APPLY:
▪ Wet face first with lukewarm water
▪ Apply a small amount of the gel
▪ Massage gently into the skin to form a lather
▪ Rinse thoroughly with water
▪ Use morning and evening as a daily cleanser
▪ Can also be used 1-3 times a week as a purifying pore cleanser
▪ The 400ml pump bottle is perfect for use in the shower on the face and body.
Follow with the next step in the Effaclar 3 Step Skin Care System – The SEROZINC Face Toning Mist which reduces shine and soothes redness and irritation.
Use EFFACLAR DUO (+) on cleansed and toned skin to help target pimples and reduce recurrence.
TEXTURE
The EFFACLAR PURIFYING FOAMING GEL cleanser has a clear formula with a lightweight gel texture which lathers into a white foam on the skin.
KEY BENEFITS
EFFACLAR PURIFYING FOAMING GEL cleanser gently removes impurities and excess sebum, controlling shine, and reduces the visibility of blackheads.
Results Show*:
25% reduction in blackheads
16% reduction in sebum
Specifically adapted and well-tolerated cleansing for acne-prone skin.
Physiological pH – Alcohol-free*.Non-comedogenic.
*without ethanol
Tested on acne-prone skin. Suitable for sensitive skin.
The above information was taken directly from the La Roche-Posay Australian website.
The Ingredients:
AQUA / WATER • SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE • PEG-8 • COCO-BETAINE • HEXYLENE GLYCOL • SODIUM CHLORIDE • PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE • ZINC PCA • SODIUM HYDROXIDE • CAPRYLYL GLYCOL • CITRIC ACID • SODIUM BENZOATE • PHENOXYETHANOL • PARFUM / FRAGRANCE
According to website INCIDecoder.com La Roche Posay Effaclar, Foaming Gel has Zinc PCA this is great because:
If you have oily, acne-prone skin, Zinc PCA is one of the actives to put on your “TO TRY” list.
It’s a synergistic association of two great things: Zinc and L-PCA. The Zinc part is there to help normalize sebum production and limit the proliferation of evil acne-causing bacteria. L-PCA stands for pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and it’s a key molecule in the skin that helps with processes of hydration and energy (it’s actually an NMF, a natural moisturizing factor).
It does contain one ingredient that gets the ‘icky tick’ which is just listed as perfume. I would always recommend you get products ‘fragrance or perfume-free’, they add nothing to the product (apart from scent obvs) and are usually irritating to the skin.
There is nothing else nasty in this list and so my 14-year-old son/official tester (“Does this make me famous on the gram”, he said. “No, we have at this point 19 followers”) was happy to give this product a thorough 7-day test.
As per instructions he used this cleanser twice a day for 7 days.
The Summary
Pros: The foaming cleanser was ‘really nice and felt foamy like it says on the tin and . . smooth’. He felt that it didn’t leave any residue and his skin felt soft, clean but not dry after use. “It smells great, feels nice and washes off instantly”. Ok, so that is the ‘experience’ of using the product. What about the ‘effectiveness’ of the product in meeting it’s stated claims?
While it’s not too hard to meet the claim of ‘Eliminating impurities and excessive sebum’ that claim means it washes your face. However, our tester felt that it soothed his inflamed acne and appeared to ‘make it softer and smoother’.
This is because of the Zinc and other emulsifying and moisturizing ingredients it contains.
Overall there is a reduction in inflammation and the acne appears clearer. It is hard to conclusively prove that it was the cleanser that made the difference because . .
He also used the Duo Anti Acne Serum for the same 7 day period. However, after using both of these products for 7 days his skin had improved.
Would we recommend and repurchase this product?
Yes. we would its price point is not outrageous, it made a difference when combined with the Duo Serum, the experience of using it was pleasant and it’s easy to have in the shower for teenagers to use.
The fact that my 14-year-old son used it twice a day for 7 days, was slightly miraculous, and he has continued to use it every day since – amazing.
We have to point out that our reviews are based on one to three testers so this is not a vast group. You may react very differently so please still be cautious when introducing new products into your skincare routine.
BUY La Roche-Posay Effaclar Gel Cleanser
