Review: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo & A.I.

For the last couple of years, I have been looking for an exfoliator to refine my skin's texture and tone.  The pores on my t-zone are prone to clogging and breakouts.  I've tried many scrubs and other physical exfoliators but never had much luck.  They were usually too coarse or too rough on my sensitive skin. This is the first kind of chemical exfoliator I've tried and so when I had such great results with La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo & A.I., I was thrilled.  Please note I bought these products in France.  I have read somewhere that the American and European Effaclar line have different ingredients and most have had more success with the European Effaclar line.

Let me first review the Effaclar Duo.  This product claims to improve the severity and frequency of breakouts, unclog pores and is paraben free.  When I first applied this product to my face, I noticed the clear gel-like texture did not feel greasy and absorbed very quickly into the skin (I applied it at night, over moisturizer).  It does have a very faint scent that is in no way offensive.  Honestly, I was very skeptical after applying it, because it is so light, it doesn't feel like its even on your face.  Then I woke up the next morning and it was like a miracle had occurred.  My skin has never looked so good, probably since I was 12 years old.  This stuff is amazing.  My pores had shrunk and the sebaceous bumps I normally suffer through seem to have disappeared in most areas.  I think this is because the chemical exfoliator it contains, LHA.  Over the last month and a half, I have noticed that the Effaclar Duo has helped me maintain an even texture and reduce the time it takes for breakouts to go down.  I would highly recommend this to anyone with acne prone skin, but especially those with clogged pores.  I will forever be using this product until they stop making it, which I hope never happens!

The Effaclar A.I. claims to help acne spots go down and reduce scars.  This one has a similar texture to the Duo, except it is opaque white when it first comes out of the tube and goes on transparent.  After applying it to my spots I notice the area does feel "drier" which makes me think it is actually doing something.  That being said, you can still wear makeup over it as long as you don't rub your foundation over the spot too vigorously.  That would probably remove the product from your acne spot.  I have seen improvements in the reduction of scars left over from the occasional hormonal cystic acne spot and notice that when applied to the small surface acne spots, they are gone the next morning.

I couldn't wait to use this one!

I think the Effaclar Duo and A.I. work perfectly as a team and have really impressed me, and I am someone that is hard to impress when it comes to skincare products.  The products better be amazing or I am not repurchasing.  When it comes to the Effaclar Duo and A.I., I am most definitely repurchasing! The only problem is finding a reputable seller outside of Europe...

What are your experiences with chemical exfoliators?  Do you have a product that works miracles?  I would love to know!