Clear
For active breakouts, clogged pores, and the marks they leave behind. We clear and calm without stripping, since stripping only triggers more oil and more breakouts.
Why this routine
Breakouts come from a mix of clogged pores, excess oil, and inflammation. The fix is to keep pores clear with a BHA, calm and balance with niacinamide, and add a targeted treatment, all without over-drying, since stripped skin just makes more oil.
Morning
Gentle cleanser · don't over-scrub
A mild, non-stripping cleanser. Scrubbing harder doesn't clear breakouts, it inflames them.
Niacinamide serum · balance + calm
Helps regulate oil and calm the redness around breakouts, lightweight and well-tolerated.
Oil-free moisturizer · hydrate, don't clog
A gel or lightweight, non-comedogenic lotion. Even breakout-prone skin needs hydration.
SPF 30+ · non-negotiable
Acne treatments make skin more sun-sensitive, and SPF helps fade post-breakout marks faster.
Evening
Cleanse · remove the day
Double cleanse if you wore makeup or SPF, so your treatments can actually work.
BHA (salicylic acid) · 2 to 3 nights/week
Oil-soluble, so it gets inside pores to clear and prevent congestion.
Targeted treatment · the OTHER nights, start slow
Benzoyl peroxide (kills breakout-causing bacteria) or an adapalene retinoid (clears and prevents). Begin 2 nights a week, never the same night as your BHA.
Oil-free moisturizer · every night
Buffers the actives and keeps your barrier comfortable so breakouts heal faster.
While you sleep
Support your beauty sleep · repair happens at night
Your skin rebuilds collagen and repairs its barrier during deep sleep, and poor sleep spikes cortisol, which breaks both down (good sleepers recover their barrier about 30% faster). Deeper rest gets you more from every step above.
Three rules so this actually works
- Don't over-wash or scrub. Stripping breakout-prone skin makes it produce more oil, not less.
- One active at a time, never stacked. Add the BHA first; bring in benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid later, on alternate nights.
- Give it 8 to 12 weeks. Real change is gradual. Deep, painful, or cystic breakouts are worth seeing a dermatologist about.