Galderma Benzac AC 5 for dry sensitive skin
Benzoyl Peroxide
Glycerin
Acrylates Copolymer
Silicon Dioxide
Propylene Glycol
Caution
- CautionDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ConcerningSafety
A poor match for dry sensitive skin; the serums alongside fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry sensitive skin: flakiness, tightness, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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
- Offers moderate exfoliation for your dry and sensitive skin, as benzoyl peroxide helps reduce acne lesions and blemishes but can also be drying and potentially worsen flakiness.
- The formula lacks sufficient emollient and humectant ingredients like glycerin to counteract the drying effects of benzoyl peroxide, making it unsuitable for your dry skin type.
How to apply
- Use this PM routine for your evening skincare. Start using the serum 3 times a week and increase to daily use if your skin feels comfortable.
- Apply the serum after cleansing and toner, but right before your moisturizer. This step locks in deep hydration for dry skin.
- Gently press 2-3 drops of the serum into your skin using your palms. Let it absorb completely for a minute ⏱ before applying your next product.
- Since your skin is sensitive, apply the serum on completely dry skin for better tolerance and less irritation.
- Avoid the sensitive eye area during application. Always do a patch test before your first use to ensure your skin reacts well.
People Say
★4.5Overall rating based on 200+ reviewsUsers 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
Why does Lovi advise caution with Benzac AC 5 for dry sensitive skin?
Lovi advises caution because benzoyl peroxide can be drying and may worsen flakiness on dry skin, and this formula lacks enough moisturizing and hydrating ingredients to balance those effects. Treatments of this type for dry sensitive skin need soothing, nourishing, and protective components like ceramides and extra moisture to keep the skin comfortable without irritation.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2022
Which ingredients make this cream a poor fit for dry sensitive skin?
Benzoyl Peroxide makes this treatment a poor fit for your dry sensitive skin because it can be drying and potentially worsen flakiness. A treatment for this skin type needs extra moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and ceramides to provide hydration and protect the skin barrier.
What does Benzoyl Peroxide do for dry sensitive skin?
Benzoyl peroxide is a strong acne treatment that is generally too harsh for dry sensitive skin, as it frequently causes dryness, redness, and peeling. When treating acne on delicate skin, this type of product needs gentle, hydrating ingredients like ceramides and soothing cleansers to protect the skin barrier and prevent irritation.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2023
What does Glycerin do for dry sensitive skin?
Glycerin helps dry sensitive skin by drawing moisture into the skin and keeping it there, making the skin soft and smooth. It is very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation while improving how well the skin holds onto water. This type of skin needs ingredients that boost hydration and repair the barrier without causing stinging.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry sensitive skin?
This treatment goes in the evening routine after cleansing and toning, and before your moisturizer. Because benzoyl peroxide can dry out and irritate dry skin, this skin type needs extra soothing and hydrating ingredients like richer oils, ceramides, and plenty of glycerin to keep it soft and comfortable.
Can I use this cream with retinol, and in what order?
Using this treatment with retinol is a poor match for your dry and sensitive skin because both ingredients strongly dry out the skin and worsen flakiness. A product of this type needs plenty of moisturizing and soothing ingredients to keep the skin soft and calm.
How often should I use this cream?
This treatment is a poor match for your dry and sensitive skin because benzoyl peroxide can be very drying and worsen flakiness. A product of this type needs soothing ingredients and extra moisture like glycerin and rich emollients to protect your skin barrier.
Can this cream clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin?
This treatment is unlikely to clog pores, but it can cause dryness and may lead to initial breakouts or purging for dry sensitive skin. A product of this type needs extra soothing, soft, and moisturizing ingredients to protect dry skin from irritation.
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
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, 2020Once-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, 2022Twice 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, 2024Topical 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, 2023Daily 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, 2018A 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, 2017The 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, 2020Ten 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, 2001A 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, 2020Film-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, 2017Topical 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, 2008Treatment 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, 1988A 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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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
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Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
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Victoria Derkova, MS
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Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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