e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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✓Yay

"This I ended up really really liking quite a bit. But I think it's a bit underrated, like flies under the radar because it's their acne calming water cream. If you don't have acne and you're not in the know, you're going to dance on right by this. But what this is is a 1% salicylic acid facial moisturizer, fragrance-free. So that's helpful for smoothing dry rough skin texture if you got keratosis pilaris. And if you do have acne, that's obviously going to be helpful as well because salicylic acid localizes down within the pore, exfoliates the pore to reduce pore clogging, come formation. Also, salicylic acid can be helpful for hyperpigmentation. Plus, this has a more reasonable percentage strength of niacinamide. It's got 4%. Okay, so great for dark spots, redness, moisture barrier, anti-aging, skin yellowing, and it also has an acetyl glucosamine, which is very hydrating. This feels wonderful. No dryness, no irritation with this."

All 4 takes from Dr Dray

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"I originally discovered this in Walmart like several months ago and it looked promising because it's a salicylic acid lemon cream, which is great for acne and seborrheic dermatitis, especially if your acne is comedonal. Salicylic acid is really good, but salicylic acid is also great for hyperpigmentation. The thing I liked about this is it also has niacinamide, which if you tolerate it is a good ingredient for acne, hyperpigmentation, and redness. This is a promising product. It has tranexamic acid, which applied to the skin may be helpful for redness, though questionable how effective it is for hyperpigmentation. When we're talking about melasma, oral tranexamic acid that you take by mouth definitely is effective for melasma, but applying it to the skin remains TBD."

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"This I ended up really really liking quite a bit. But I think it's a bit underrated, like flies under the radar because it's their acne calming water cream. If you don't have acne and you're not in the know, you're going to dance on right by this. But what this is is a 1% salicylic acid facial moisturizer, fragrance-free. So that's helpful for smoothing dry rough skin texture if you got keratosis pilaris. And if you do have acne, that's obviously going to be helpful as well because salicylic acid localizes down within the pore, exfoliates the pore to reduce pore clogging, come formation. Also, salicylic acid can be helpful for hyperpigmentation. Plus, this has a more reasonable percentage strength of niacinamide. It's got 4%. Okay, so great for dark spots, redness, moisture barrier, anti-aging, skin yellowing, and it also has an acetyl glucosamine, which is very hydrating. This feels wonderful. No dryness, no irritation with this."

E.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Is Cheap & Effective

"This cream has 1% salicylic acid and 4% niacinamide, more reasonable percentage strength in my opinion. Evidence-based but not so high that it just increases the likelihood of irritation without offering any sort of additional benefit. It also has acetal glucosamine, which is a moisturizing ingredient, and tranexamic acid. This is a very lightweight cream with a green tint, fragrance-free. The green tint is great because it offers a little bit of color correction for redness, so if you've got a lot of acne breakouts going on and a lot of facial redness, this is a great formulation because it's not heavy, it's not greasy, and you get that color correction from the green tint plus you get those actives left on the skin. It's $12. I've been using this for several weeks and my experience has been pretty good. These products don't conflict with different sunscreen formulas, you don't get peeling, and they're not so oily that you end up having a problem with the film forming agents on your skin."

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"I really really like this and the price point is so good. Skincare has gotten really expensive, like a lot of the drugstore brands are honestly not cheap by any means, but elf has managed to stay strong with keeping their price points affordable and competitive. This is a 2024 discovery right here that I will continue to recommend."

Doctor Anne

56k subs

✓Yay

"The Blemish Calming Water Cream claims to both prevent and treat blemishes, calm the skin, and help control oil production while being lightweight. The cream is actually green, presumably to counteract redness, but it is barely noticeable once spread out. It has a very lightweight texture that immediately sinks into the skin like water, with no scent, and a surprisingly matte finish. It can be used morning and night, but once a day is recommended since it contains Salicylic Acid and overuse could lead to irritation. Even on skin that gets very oily in summer it is lightweight enough to use in the mornings underneath sunscreen, though those on the dry or dehydrated side would need something heavier to pair with it and could use this as a serum step instead. Ingredients include 1% Salicylic Acid to calm inflammation and target congestion, Niacinamide and Tranexamic Acid for hyperpigmentation, Glycerin for hydration, Acetyl Glucosamine which helps against hyperpigmentation alongside the Niacinamide, and Silica to absorb excess oil. This is the surprise favorite of the three products, as it is really lightweight, doesn't add any shine, and is particularly enjoyed around the time of the month when congestion and breakouts show up on the cheeks. It feels like nothing, keeps the skin matte, and works well underneath sunscreen in the mornings."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Tranexamic acid

Tranexamic acid has a growing body of clinical evidence for melasma and the stubborn patches of pigment that other ingredients struggle with.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream?

A lightweight, fragrance-free moisturizer containing 1% salicylic acid and 4% niacinamide, designed to treat and prevent blemishes while calming redness and controlling oil production.

Is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream worth it?

Yes. All 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream's Guru Score?

e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.