The original La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo has been critically acclaimed as the blogger’s and model’s favourite skincare product. Perfect for anyone between 16 and 35 with oily, blemish and spot prone skin. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Plus contains a whole host of active ingredients designed to treat these concerns whilst hydrating and balancing the skin.

As a note, before chosing treatment skincare products, please read the acne, spot and blemish guide first to arm yourself with information and a better understanding of its cause.

Niacinamide – powerful anti-inflammatory

Piroctone Olamine – bactericides kills off the spot-causing p.Acne bacteria

LHA /Salicylic Acid – gently and chemically exfoliate the skin reducing blocked pores

Linoleic Acid – anti-inflammatory that hydrates and aids the healing process

After using this for almost a week and dealing with a massive breakout that I can only pin down to a week of horrid London Thames water and sweaty underground public transport; this has certainly been making a difference – and quickly too.

The breakout hasn’t been particularly pustulous but more red, painful marks due to surface dehydration and lack of exfoliation (I hold my hands up). La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Plus has definitely speeded up the healing process as normally I’m left with red marks for weeks at a time, however they’ve almost cleared up and the skin on and around the blemishes feels strengthened and pretty normal (whereas it can usually be delicate and flakey).

I would suggest however that if, like me, you’re more of a normal/combination rather than oily/combination skin, put something underneath it first such as a hydration booster otherwise La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Plus might not be enough for you (Plus is more hydrating than the original however). This is perfectly suitable for skin that’s sensitive, in fact it’s been designed with sensitivity in mind.

PROCEAD™

Tested on over 7,500 subjects of all skin tones, this new and unique ceramide actually helps to rebuild the skin after blemish and spot damage. It firstly targets the blemish itself aiding in reduction; secondly it helps to prevent the pigmentation response (naturally occurs during skin damage, as when you tan) and finally it helps to prevent darks marks on the surface by breaking up existing surface pigmentation. Procead™ claims to return the skin to it’s original integrity in just one day.

I’m not normally one for mindlessly printing statistics but these are backed up by extensive and what I believe to be trustworthy clinical trials:

98% of users found skin texture was more comfortable on application

95% found their skin well-moisturised on application

97% noted their tolerance as very good (didn’t react)

24 Hours – severe imperfections are significantly less red

8 days – sever imperfections have disappeared

4 weeks – pores unclogged; texture refined; oily areas appear regulated

Sounds pretty impressive, right? I’ve definitely been loving this over the last week and have been adding it into my existing skincare regime after my serum so – Dramatically Different > Repairwear Serum > La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Plus. I’m a little in love and I’m certain this will be even more successful than its predecessor.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] Plus is available for £15.50 here from Escentual or for £11.62 here from Boots.com.