Kelly Driscoll has reviewed a lot of acne-focused skincare, and her Guru Score of 78% across 32 products shows she approves most of what she tests. But she does not hold back when something misses. Her three skips each come with a clear reason, which makes them just as useful as her approvals.
What does Kelly Driscoll recommend for acne-prone skin?
Kelly tends to praise products that do more than one job at once. She loves azelaic acid for that reason: it calms redness, fades dark marks, and helps with breakouts all in one step. She also rates exfoliants that work without being harsh. Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant earned her approval for cutting through congestion and texture reliably. She picked out Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating Solution as her one recorded category winner, calling it a value no-brainer at $23 for 226 ml. She also reaches for Hero Cosmetics Rescue Balm when skin is raw or open after a breakout, saying it speeds up healing and helps stop dark marks from forming.
In her words
"You absolutely could use this cream for cuts, maybe some accidents with the razor if you're shaving right on your face or anywhere really, bug bites. I think it can be particularly helpful for anywhere that you need skin healing. The peptides in this formula and the overall formulation really do support that. I particularly use this one [...] whenever there's that area on my face where the skin is raw, it's open, it's vulnerable. I am putting this on the area and it really does work. It really speeds up the healing like two times faster. If I [...] just did normal skincare, I think that it's a lot slower to mend up on its own. Using this cream, it closes it up so much faster. But it doesn't just promote the healing by closing the wound; it really does promote the healthy healing of that wound, that smooth skin. I think it helps to cut down on the hyperpigmentation if you suffer from that."
"The CurrentBody LED mask uses red light to help stimulate collagen, improve tone and texture on the skin, and promote healing. For me personally, I found the design of the CurrentBody mask to be very very comfortable. It does deliver some really nice results. I've noticed some great benefits as far as skin texture and tone. It helps with dark marks and it particularly helps with healing, especially if you do suffer with breakouts. It really actually promotes healing. I think it's also a great preventative type of product to add into your routine if you have the funds and you know you're going to commit to it, preventative for that collagen stimulation and just overall the good preventative well-aging measures that we can take in skincare."
"Multi-Acid Milk Peel retails for $23 for 226 ml of product, so there's a lot of value price-wise and the size difference compared to Drunk Elephant can't be ignored. It has a 15% AHA blend of glycolic, phytic, malic, mandelic and lactic acids, and instead of a BHA it uses an enzyme blend of lipase and protease that helps decongest the pores without adding extra irritation. It's a leave-on essence rather than a wash-off mask, so with my sensitive skin I use it once a week and still get smoother, brighter, more radiant skin, plus the enzymes help decongest. I've actually been using this for about a year now and I really love the results. Because it's a bigger, more affordable bottle, I also use it on my body, my back and even as a big part of my foot care routine. Value-wise it's kind of a no-brainer."
"Paula's Choice is really kind of the OG 2% salicylic acid liquid exfoliant product for sure. [...] It actually does work so well for reducing texture and congestion and really getting that good amount of salicylic acid into the skin. This product has earned its reputation."
"It has anti-inflammatory benefits and helps with rosacea prone skin. It also has a brightening effect for hyperpigmentation. So it's really hitting a lot of the things that we're talking about in this video in one ingredient. I really think that's how you build smart skincare routines."
"Paula's Choice has a really good one"
How many products has Kelly Driscoll reviewed for acne-prone skin?
Kelly Driscoll has reviewed 32 products for acne-prone skin, for a Guru Score of 78%. 25 approved, 4 mixed, and 3 skipped.
What has Kelly Driscoll skipped for acne-prone skin?
Kelly skipped the Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil because the fragrance irritated her skin and left her with breakouts in unusual spots. She passed on The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution too, calling 30% AHA a very high amount that has burned her own skin even when she was careful. She also worries it gets misused by people who do not need it. The Dr. Althea 345 Relief Cream she set aside over a packaging issue: the delivery system is a cream mist, and she felt that actually stops the product working the way you would want it to.
"The worst Anua product at Ulta has got to be the Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing Oil. It kind of just like misses the mark for me personally on a couple different levels. Number one, it smells weird. It has this very medicinal smell. The heartleaf extract [...] does have a medicinal, earthy, planty, green kind of smell, [...] but I think there's some artificial stuff happening in here as well. This is a fragrance product, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't strike me as pleasant. It just strikes me as kind of medicine-y in a non-appealing way. And I like earthy plant-like smells, but for whatever reason, this is not it. When I used this product, it actually irritated my skin. It kind of warms up and felt like it burned. [...] It just felt kind of fiery on my skin. Now, I do have sensitive skin. I don't generally use products with fragrance on my facial skin, but [...] it did create some warmth and some irritation that just felt very uncomfortable for my skin. And then the few times that I did use this I ended up with a pimple in not a normal spot."
"It's a very potent product. 30% is a lot. I have absolutely used this and I have absolutely irritated and burned my skin when using this, even with caution. [...] It's a very potent AHA product. [...] There was a lot of misinformation about what it can do and who it's suitable for, and I do still feel like there is a lot of that going around. [...] It's a very, very potent amount of AHA that can definitely address texture and dull skin, but it needs to be approached with caution and with respect. I just don't think that it's going to suit a lot of folks. [...] It's not my favorite, and it really is just because I've seen so many people get burned by it. I've seen so many people misunderstand how to use it, thinking that they need it when they probably really don't."
"Because of this packaging and how it's being delivered to the skin, I think it actually pulls the product back from being effective in any way that you might want to use it. It's really not my favorite. If you're very oily and acne-prone, you might like how light this feels on your skin, but then you don't really need a cream mist. You just need a hydrating mist. I'm not a fan of this one. Dr. Althea is a very, very popular brand, and a lot of folks are tuned into what they're doing with new releases. And this for me just doesn't hit."
What should you take from Kelly Driscoll's picks?
Kelly's record shows she is broadly positive about acne-focused skincare, but she rewards simple, multi-tasking ingredients over anything that asks a lot of the skin. Her one flagged winner is Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating Solution, and her skips give a clear warning about anything high-strength or fragranced.
Watch Kelly Driscoll say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel AHA Exfoliating SolutionNamed a winnerWatch at 7:18
- Anua Heartleaf Pore Control Cleansing OilSkipped itWatch at 2:53
- The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling SolutionSkipped itWatch at 2:37
- Dr. Althea 345 Relief CreamSkipped itWatch at 15:03
- Hero Cosmetics Rescue BalmRated itWatch at 5:49
- CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy MaskRated itWatch at 24:28
- Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid ExfoliantRated itWatch at 14:33
- The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Emulsion 10%Rated itWatch at 4:33
- Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid BoosterRated itWatch at 4:36
- Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial SprayRated itWatch at 13:30
- Numbuzin No.1 Clear Filter Sun Essence SPF 50Rated itWatch at 4:21
- Agency Future Formula with TretinoinRated itWatch at 2:21
- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1%Rated itWatch at 5:54
- e.l.f. Pure Skin TonerRated itWatch at 2:53
- COSRX Propolis Light CreamRated itWatch at 15:29
- By Wishtrend Propolis Energy Boosting EssenceRated itWatch at 4:20
- Peach Slices Snail Rescue Blemish Busting TonerRated itWatch at 18:17
- Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating Salicylic Acid CleanserRated itWatch at 2:27
- Dr. Idriss Major Fade Flash MaskRated itWatch at 12:24
- Beauty of Joseon Calming SerumRated itWatch at 10:20
- I'm From Mugwort EssenceRated itWatch at 6:05
- Anua Heartleaf 77% Soothing TonerRated itWatch at 7:58
- Dr.G R.E.D Blemish Kombucha Tea EssenceRated itWatch at 2:20
- Isntree Chestnut BHA 2% Clear LiquidRated itWatch at 14:43
About this expert
See everything Kelly Driscoll has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Kelly Driscoll said across their videos about 32 products for acne-prone skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.