Good Looks
A moisturizer meant for adult acne
Choosing a moisturizer if you have adult acne might be the most confusing shopping trip ever. Not only are you dealing with a skin-care concern that may be increasingly common to women in their 20s and 30s but feels annoyingly adolescent, everything looks like a potential pore-clogger or an invitation to further eruptions. (Or is made for the Stridex-using teenager.) It can make you not want to deal with moisturizers altogether.
That’s probably why REN, a natural brand based in the UK, calls its new product a “fluid” and not a moisturizer, which evokes fewer oil slicks, at least to my mind.
It’s not just marketing. ClearCalm 3 Anti-Blemish Day Fluid uses hyaluronic acid, a super light hydrator that draws moisture rather than heaping it on, plus a handful of helpful (yet non-toxic) ingredients that keep grown-ups’ pimple-prone skin composed.
The most important one is salix nigra or black willow bark, which is a source of pore-penetrating salicin. It can dissolve proteins over time, loosening the debris that makes whiteheads and blackheads.
Willow bark is also an anti-inflammatory—and those angry red pustules are indeed inflamed—so it’s a two-birds, one-stone ingredient.
Playing backup is zinc gluconate, a common nutritional supplement used to fight acne, which when used on your skin minimizes surface sheen (immediately) and works as a calming agent. Why is this crucial for adults? Most signs of aging, from redness and wrinkles to lack of firmness, start with inflammation.
REN really seems to get what’s often a missing tenet of acne products: Calming skin down is just as crucial as clearing it up. In fact, it’s part of the process. —Melisse Gelula
REN ClearCalm 3 Anti-Blemish Day Fluid costs $40 and is part of a four-piece skin-care line, which includes a cleanser, night fluid, and sulfur treatment mask. Right now, it’s sold only at Sephora.com
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I’m excited to give this a try. My skin is really sensitive and is acne prone. I was using Benzaclin to fight my breakouts but it’s so drying. When I use it (though it works) I feel like I’m forcing my skin to change instead of working with it to give it what it needs to not react. I used to use the Oil Cleansing Method to care for my skin but lately I’ve been using Tata Harper’s products to cleanse and moisturize. Now I am curious to see if this product will fit into my regimen to fight the acne. Sorry for the long comment but I was excited about reading this. Thanks for sharing!
I also really like Skyn Iceland’s Antidote moisturizer for acne. It has white willow bark, I wonder what the difference is between it and black willow bark?
I think I’ll give this a try!
I went through this like a month ago. I was so embarassed because I’m 26 and never had acne and then I found myself with acne. I really like the REN products, especially the cleansing milk. It is so gentle and perfect. I didn’t care much for the moisturizer though, I got Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil and it has been amazing for my acne and has kept me from getting any scares. So REN cleansing milk and Amal Oils worked great for me!
I tried the REN line and unfortunately, it did not work for my acne-prone skin. I’ve been using Josie Maran’s Argan Oil and Tata Harper’s Exfoliating Cleanser recently, though, and I’m starting to see some improvement.