What They Say:
Results as good as a leading topical prescription in clearing acne. Our daily treatment gel starts clearing blemishes upon application. Helps prevent new ones from making an unwelcome appearance. Make visibly clearer skin a way of life.
RRP: $32 (15ml), $48 (30ml) – Available from Clinique
What I Say:
Sadly, even though I am at the age where anti-ageing products are needed, my skin can still be quite temperamental, and breakout as it I was a teenager. I have long been using products from the Clinique Anti-Blemish range when my skin is having such a fit, so I was excited about trialling the new Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel.
Often anti-blemish treatment products can be very harsh and also very drying to the skin, but according to Clinique, the Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel delivers a highly effective yet gentle approach for treating blemishes, and has been proven to treat blemishes with results, we believe, as good as leading prescribed topical blemish treatments.
Blemishes can be caused by environmental pollutants, bacteria, excess oil and improper cleansing can lead to clogged pores and cause breakouts, as well as they have been linked to stress, hormonal changes and fatigue, which can make blemishes very difficult to predict and control.
I am sure mine fall in the ladder category – my hormones are no doubt changing due to giving birth 11 months ago, and still breastfeeding, and not to mention the stress that I’ve been through and probably still am from selling a house, moving house twice in a month, and now trying to get a new house designed and built sooner rather than later. And don’t get me started on the fatigue, has having a teething baby often means waking countless times every night!
The Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel implements a 4-in-1 Clearing Complex to help treat and prevent future breakouts, combining exfoliating and anti-blemish agents with sebum-controlling and anti-irritant agents. Also, the unique alcohol and water base provides quick absorption while witch hazel water helps minimise excess surface oil and tightens pores.
The Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel works by:
- Anti-Blemish: Salicylic Acid clears away dead surface cells that clog pores to help resolve and prevent breakouts
- Control-oil: Laminaria Saccharina helps normalise the excess production of oil
- Non-irritating: Sea Whip Extract comforts and soothes skin and helps reduce surface redness. Caffeine and Sucrose comfort and soothe skin, helping to reduce surface redness
- Exfoliate: Salicylic Acid promotes healthy cell turnover
The gel can be applied all over the face or used as a spot treatment.
- If used all over the face, apply a thin layer of Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel after cleansing. Do not use with other leave-on Blemish treatment products and be sure to apply an oil-free moisturiser over the gel to ensure skin stays hydrated and comfortable and doesn’t dry out
- If used as a spot treatment, apply a thin layer of Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel to blemishes after Anti-Blemish 3-Step Skin Care System
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is a thin gel product, and as I do not have blemishes all over my face, but currently mainly on my chin (again I believe that this a sign my breakouts are hormonal), I just apply it to the actual blemishes.
Although Clinique recommends applying after the Anti-Blemish 3-Step Skin Care System, which means also after your moisturiser – and although I actually do have and use the Clinique Anti-Blemish moisturiser, - I have always been told to use blemish products prior to the moisturiser for a better result – so this is news to me!!! But as I’ve really wanted to get rid of my breakouts sooner rather than later I’ve continued with applying the gel onto the affected areas immediately after cleaning and prior to any serum and moisturiser.
You only need the tiniest of amounts, and as it is so thin, it spreads quite easily too, so the bottle will last you forever – and considering it is a huge 30ml, and hence a lot bigger than most other blemish treatments, it is actually rather reasonably priced too.
The gel dries quickly on the skin, and without being visible on the skin, and I like that I can apply my makeup on top, and you wouldn’t even know it’s there. The gel doesn’t sting or irritate my skin, but rather it has a cooling effect, which is possibly to help reduce the size of the breakout too!
So how did it perform? Applying it a few times a day directly onto blemishes, I was impressed to discover that it quickly helps get them under control, reducing both the size and redness, even on those nasty hidden ones, that otherwise can take forever to get rid off. And it is helping to speed up the healing too.
After a few uses I do find that my skin is feeling a little dry, but it is in no way irritated of flaky, and it is nothing a good moisturiser cannot fix.
The bottle has a narrow nozzle that makes it easy to get just the amount of gel you need, and it has a slight chemical and alcoholic scent, which is rather normal for blemish products, but it is so faint and quickly fades, so it doesn’t bother me.
What I Like:
- Quickly reduces both size and redness of blemishes
- Doesn’t irritate or dry out the skin
- The thin gel is very concentrated and absorbs quickly into the skin
- Is invisible on the skin once dry
- Bottle has a small opening making it easy to get just the amount you need without wastage
What I Don’t Like:
- Smells a little chemical and alcoholic
Overall, I sadly at one of those that always need to have an emergency blemish treatment in my bathroom cabinet, and I am very impressed with how effective this Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel is when emergency strikes – in fact the most effective blemish treatment that I’ve tried so far and that’s without irritating my skin too! So if you too suffer from breakouts and acne, then I highly recommend that you try it out. I will definitely be purchasing it again in the future.
*This product was kindly provided for consideration, and it has been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.
What do you think of this new anti-blemish treatment from Clinique? Suffer from acne and breakouts? Which products would you recommend for treating breakouts?