8 of the Best Acne Treatments you can Buy Without a Prescription

8 of the Best Acne Treatments you can Buy Without a Prescription

Acne care is a very personal thing. The right treatment for you depends on the type of acne you have, your skin type, the other skin treatments you're using and more. Don't be surprised if you need to try multiple treatments to find the right one for you. Just because all the products we have listed here are great, doesn't mean they will be perfect for you.

These are some of the best products you can currently buy to treat acne without needing a prescription. There are plenty of other potential treatments you can try but these are ones you definitely want to try.

PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash | Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Maximum Strength

Benzoyl Peroxide is a great ingredient for dealing with acne and it’s something everyone should consider. It's included n many products including daily washes and in products targeting various body areas. The maximum dosage you can buy without a prescription is 10% and PanOxyl acne foaming wash is currently the only brand selling this. The PanOxyl 10% Benzoyl Peroxide is powerful and is designed so it can be used as a daily wash for your face and other body areas too.

We have a longer article about this product here if you're interested in learning more.

Noxzema Ultimate Clear Face Pads

These face pads from Noxzema contain salicylic acid which is known to help fight acne outbreaks and other blemishes. Salicylic acid works by helping your skin to shed dead skin cells that could trigger acne and it also reduces any redness or skin irritations.

Noxzema Ultimate Clear Face Pads also contain eucalyptus oil and menthol to help moisturise your skin and keep it fresh after the treatment. They are 60% alcohol which supports the salicylic acid in removing excess oil and cleaning your skin of potential acne-causing irritants.

De La Cruz Sulfur Ointment | Maximum Strength

Sulfur is something we all have in our tissues already but science also tells us that sulfur is great for acne and skin redness too. It has antibacterial effects against the bacteria that cause acne and some evidence suggests it can help your body shed dead skin easier.

The De La Cruz Sulfur Ointment helps to dry out acne to remove different types of acne including pimples and blackheads. Products are usually only good for one type of acne but this product will work well for most.

Oxy Maximum Action 3-in-1 Pads

The Oxy 3-in-1 pads are a salicylic acid treatment option containing the maximum dosage of this acid. It contains 2% salicylic acid and is designed to unclog your pores and control acid to help prevent acne outbreaks while also clearing your pores for a smoother complexion. Formulated to be gentle on your skin, it also helps to reduce irritation which can sometimes be a problem with acne medication.

Oxy Maximum Action pads can be used daily or multiple times a day to cover the affected area with medication. The medication is infused into the pads allowing them to both treat your acne and clean your face.

Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar 

Neutrogena products have reduced packaging to help lower their carbon emissions. They might not be zero waste but they're a great alternative to many other brands. The transparent facial soap bar is fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and is extremely gentle for your skin. The product cleanses your skin of excess oil and dirt without leaving any kind of residue after using it.

Residue from skin cleaning products can be a problem for acne treatments and prescribed medications too. Using a product that doesn't leave any residue behind such as the Neutrogena transparent facial bar will be a huge benefit. This one has also been clinically tested and proven to not clog your pores.

CeraVe Acne Foaming Cream | Face Cleanser 

CeraVe makes great skin products and their acne foaming cream is also fantastic. This cream contains benzoyl peroxide, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide too. Hyaluronic acid has been proven to help with dry skin and to reduce the appearance of wrinkling and speed up the wound healing process. At the same time, niacinamide hydrates the skin, decreases redness, treats hyperpigmentation, promotes skin elasticity and acts as an antioxidant too.

It doesn't contain particularly high doses of most of those major ingredients but this is a winning combination. The CeraVe foaming cream does contain 4% benzoyl peroxide making it ideal for anyone using a lower dosage.

Oxy Maximum Cleaning Acne Treatment Pads

This is a different product from the 3-in-1 pads listed above but, it works great too. This product features salicylic acid and is designed to not over dry your skin. At the same time, it's fragrance-free and is designed to reduce redness by calming irritated skin.

Dermatologist tested, it contains less alcohol at 46% and it only contains 2% salicylic acid. If you only need a low dosage of salicylic acid then these stridex pads are a good idea and will be a better option than the higher dosage pads.

Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel | Maximum Strength

The rapid clear spot gel from Neutrogena is a maximum strength benzoyl peroxide product. It's one of the few skin products that contain 10% benzoyl peroxide and one of the few maximum strength spot gels around. Spot gels are useful since you can target a smaller area with them which is great if you have a small outbreak.

Neutrogena maximum strength spot gel works extremely fast to reduce swelling and redness in just 2 hours. This is a great emergency product to reduce flareups on the day of a big event and it's sold in travel-friendly sizes too.