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Galderma Benzac AC 5 for oily acne-prone skin

High

  • HighOily Skin Fit
  • HighEffectiveness
  • HighSafety

A great choice for oily acne-prone skin; a few serums fit it even better.

This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with oily acne-prone skin: shine, breakouts, blemishes, and enlarged pores. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.

Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works

Lovi Assistant explains

  • Highly suitable for your oily, acne-prone skin as benzoyl peroxide effectively reduces acne lesions and blemishes by fighting bacteria and inflammation, while glycerin provides essential hydration.
  • The formulation's antimicrobial and keratolytic actions are well-suited for managing oiliness and breakouts.
  • The product is safe for your skin, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients.

How to apply

  • Could be used as part of your PM routine. Start 3 times a week and build up to daily use if your skin tolerates it well.
  • Apply your serum after cleansing and toning, but before putting on your moisturizer.
  • Gently press 2 to 3 drops of the serum into your skin and let it absorb for a minute.
  • Apply the serum on clean, dry skin to help manage your blemishes safely.
  • Do a patch test before your first use and avoid the delicate eye area.

People Say

★4.5Overall rating based on 200+ reviews

Users report this gel is highly effective at drying out active acne and reducing inflammation, often showing results within a few days. It is frequently noted to be drying and can cause peeling or irritation, making it best suited for oily or tolerant skin types rather than sensitive skin.

Highlights

  • Causes dryness Mostly Mentioned
    • “skin peeling off”
    • “left my skin dry”
    • “cheeks felt sandy/dry”
  • Clears acne fast Often Mentioned
    • “cleared completely in 1 week”
    • “drastically improves blemish overnight”
    • “pimple free within a week”
  • Bleaches fabrics Often Mentioned
    • “bleached my towel”
    • “ruined my pillowcases”
    • “orange stains on clothes”
  • Prevents breakouts Sometimes Noted
    • “stopped all my acne”
    • “keeps face feeling smooth”
    • “rarely get pimples now”
  • Reduces redness Sometimes Noted
    • “angry redness tones down”
    • “reduces size and swelling”
    • “flattened angry pimples”
  • Causes stinging Sometimes Noted
    • “burning redness and pain”
    • “face felt tight/stripped”
    • “itchy and burning”
  • Effective on body Rarely Noted
    • “excellent for back/chest”
    • “cleared acne on back”
    • “works on thicker skin”
  • Initial purging Rarely Noted
    • “worse before it got better”
    • “breaking out first 4 weeks”
    • “purging phase”

Sources: lovi.care, clicks.co.za, 1mg.com, chemistwarehouse.co.nz, acne.org, skinsort.com, and more

Questions and answers

What makes Benzac AC 5 a great fit for oily acne-prone skin?

Benzac AC 5 is a great fit for your oily, acne-prone skin because benzoyl peroxide fights acne-causing bacteria and inflammation to clear up breakouts, while glycerin adds essential moisture. Its antimicrobial and surface-smoothing actions help keep excess oiliness and blemishes under control safely.

American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022

Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for oily acne-prone skin?

Benzoyl peroxide and glycerin make this cream a great fit for oily, acne-prone skin because benzoyl peroxide fights bacteria and inflammation to clear breakouts, while glycerin provides essential hydration.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022

What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for oily acne-prone skin?

Benzoyl peroxide helps improve oily, acne-prone skin by reducing both inflamed and noninflamed breakouts. It works effectively to clear pimples, though it may occasionally cause skin dryness or irritation for some users.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022

What does Glycerin do for oily acne-prone skin?

Glycerin helps keep oily acne-prone skin hydrated without feeling heavy. It draws moisture into the skin while supporting the skin barrier so it stays soft and balanced.

The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017

Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for oily acne-prone skin?

This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the PM helps manage breakouts safely while keeping skin calm and hydrated overnight.

Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?

You can use this treatment with retinol by applying them on alternating nights or by using retinol in your evening routine and this treatment as advised to lower the chance of irritation. Combining them helps target breakouts effectively, but using them too closely together may dry out your skin.

American Family Physician, 2012The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020

How often should I use this cream?

This treatment fits your oily, acne-prone skin well because it fights bacteria and inflammation while providing hydration, and it is safe to use in your evening routine.

Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for oily acne-prone skin?

It is unlikely to clog pores, but you may experience some initial purging and dryness when you start using it. Benzoyl peroxide helps fight acne-causing bacteria and breakouts, while glycerin provides hydration to keep your skin balanced.

Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020

Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?

Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.

What the research says

  • A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.

    Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
  • Once-daily fixed-dose clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1%/adapalene 0.15% gel achieved superior treatment success (52.5%) and greater reductions in inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to vehicle (8.1%) and dyad component gels in participants with moderate-to-severe acne over 12 weeks.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
  • Topical benzoyl peroxide may improve acne more effectively than placebo or no treatment, while showing little to no difference compared with adapalene or clindamycin, but with an increased risk of treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects compared to placebo.

    The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020
  • Formulating octyl methoxycinnamate into hybrid solid lipid-silica nanoparticles produced stable particles with high encapsulation efficiency and a non-irritation profile suitable for topical UV protection.

    Heliyon, 2020
  • Twice daily application of a multitargeted dermocosmetic cream provided comparable efficacy to benzoyl peroxide 5% gel in reducing inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesions in 150 Caucasian subjects with mild-to-moderate acne over 56 days, while demonstrating superior skin tolerability.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
  • Topical clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel achieved significantly greater treatment success and lesion reductions compared to vehicle in participants with moderate-to-severe acne.

    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2023
  • Daily application of adapalene 0.3%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5% gel reduced and prevented atrophic acne scar formation, achieving a total scar count change of -15.5% versus +14.4% for vehicle over 24 weeks in 67 subjects with moderate or severe facial acne.

    American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2018
  • The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.

    Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020
  • Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.

    International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001
  • Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.

    Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
  • A functional cosmetic cream containing bioactive materials from Streptomyces sp. T65 embedded in SBA-15 decreased skin roughness by 4.670% and increased skin brightness by 0.472% after 4 weeks of application, while demonstrating antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-aging, and whitening activities.

    Antioxidants, 2020
  • Film-forming formulations containing porous silica achieved skin permeation rates comparable to immediate release formulations while confirming prolonged drug availability and causing no skin irritation in healthy volunteers.

    European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2017
  • Topical treatment with silica mud and microalgae extracts from the Blue Lagoon improved skin barrier function by inducing epidermal gene expression and reducing transepidermal water loss in healthy humans, while preventing skin aging markers in vitro.

    Experimental Dermatology, 2008
  • Treatment with a combination of propylene glycol, ethanol, water, and shampoo was found effective, easy to use, and cosmetically attractive with no observed side effects in patients with dandruff.

    Cutis, 1988
  • A moisturizer containing glycerol and propylene glycol reduced transepidermal water loss, decreased epidermal thickness, increased stratum corneum thickness, and reduced dermal inflammatory infiltrate compared to untreated disrupted skin in six healthy beagle dogs.

    Veterinary Dermatology, 2020

Ingredients

Benzoyl Peroxide 50 Mg G, Docusate Sodium, Disodium Edetate, Poloxamer 182, Carbomer 940, Propylene Glycol, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Water

Behind this fit score

Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

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