Product Reviews Rated 4.27 out of 5 stars
684 Reviews
Most Helpful Positive Review Already repurchased! Alittle background. I have had trouble with breakouts since I was 13, I am now 25. My acne was worse as a teenager, but now experience breakouts here and there. I tried what feels like everything. Proactive, perscription pills, perscription creams. I found a combination of benxoyal peroxide wash and adaplene gel (OTC concentrate, not perscription), and moisturizer helped keep my skin decent, but not perfect.
Clear Start was recommended to me after I did a facial at the salon. The esthetician told me the adaplene gel I was using was dehydrating my skin, along with the peroxide wash, and was causing more damage than helping. Yes it helped with breakouts, but dehydrated my skin, causing my skin to become extremely oily during the day. She recommended Clear Start as a gentler replacement with salcylic acid. She also said it would help with my pores. I know she was promoting the line, but I still bought it anyway and decided to give it a shot. One month later, my skin is nice and clear, and a lot softer. The product is a bit runny, not thick; I want to say it's like a serum consistancy. It takes a few mintues to completly absorb, but it is very lightweight.
If your skin is sensitive to new products, give it time to work. Only change one product at a time, before you try another. Anytime I make changes to my routine, I break out, but I have learned to be patient. Patience paid off with this product, it really worked for me. I already am on my second bottle.
Most Helpful Critical Review Weird packaging Dermalogica Clear Start Breakout Clearing Booster
*I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review through Influenster. I have not let this affect my opinion or result in a bias.*
The packaging of this product is confusing, at best. The lid screws on and off, under the cap is a small nozzle. To dispense the product you tip the bottle and then apply pressure onto the bottom, which causes it to leak out. It's near impossible to control the amount that dispenses, so it can quickly get out of hand if you're not careful. I'd prefer a different type of packaging, as this was just needlessly frustrating.
The scent is very strong, like a combination of sterile alcohol and menthol. It does stick around on the skin, which might bother people who are sensitive to fragrance, but I was able to mostly ignore it after a few minutes.
I originally applied the product directly onto my skin, but it caused major stinging where I had any breakouts occuring so I tried mixing it into my facial moisturizer and this seemed to help reduce the pain. It feels like a very intensive astringent, which may not appeal to everyone.
I felt a breakout coming and tried to prevent it by using this product as a spot treatment, but I didn't find it worked. I still got a really bad case of acne and I also I didn't find this to help reduce the severity of the pimples. However it did help reduce the duration of my acne spots by a day or two.
Reviewed by 684 customers This is my go to for breakout for few years now! 5
Sammy from Exton PA
I use this product for a long time, it's amazing clears breakouts faster!
Best Spot Treatment 5
Caitie from Pittsburgh
Highly recommend for break outs!
I love this stuff - It works on hormonal acne like Magic! 5
Wild Flower from Brighton, Michigan
I have been struggling with hormonal acne since I was 50; a giant new kind of acne has now affected my chin. One of these was SO huge, I thought it would give birth to an alien. ONE dose of this stuff and it killed it. I swear I heard it scream.
Convenient 5
Burke16 from Colorado
I love this stuff. It works so well. I notice a blemish one day, apply, and by the next day it's already smaller! I also love the added benefit of being able to use it night and day without it drying my skin out. I put it on even under makeup and it still works great!
Made my maskne worse!!! 1
Er10 from San jose
Started using this product with the clearing skin wash and didnt really help with my breakout/maskne. In fact, it caused some red tiny, painful pimples on my left cheek and I'm suffering!! Super disappointed! Be careful trying this out
Ehhh… 2
MT from Napa, CA
I feel like this made me breakout more. I've used it for a few weeks now with the aqua jelly moisturizer and pore toner. I thought maybe my skin was purging at first but it may be from some of the strange ingredients they've thrown in here with the Salicylic Acid
Helps with HRT/hormonal breakouts 5
Foxx from Austin, TX
I've been on HRT for over 2 years and it's caused the WORST breakouts along my jawline (even worse than my first puberty!)
I'd gotten to a point where i just sort of accepted that I'll have to deal with this longterm but would try new things every once in a while out of curiosity. I got a small bottle of this stuff in a Dermatologica trial kit and applied it every morning after washing my face. After two weeks I saw a DRAMATIC change! So much so that, when i finally ran out of the trial bottle and didn't have a backup ready, my acne started coming back. For me, this stuff makes a VERY NOTICEABLE difference!
Skin irritation 3
BettyGrable from Undisclosed
This is a great treatment for some but, I had significant skin sensitivity to to this product. It left my skin red, inflamed, and burning.
Faulty Bottle 1
Jen from Undisclosed
My review was deleted, so I'll write it again. Bottom of bottle fell off and spilled product everywhere, what a mess! And Dermalogica won't replace it, BEWARE!
Faulty Bottle 1
Jen from Ohio
You have to press the bottom of the bottle to get the product out. The bottom fell off my bottle and spilled product everywhere! Dermalogica refuses to replace it. BEWARE!
breakout clearing! 4
skye from Undisclosed
my skin looks so much better than if i were to not use it! helps get rid of breakouts! after a few days of using.
helps get rid of 4
mittens from Undisclosed
helps get rid of breakouts! after a few days of using, my skin looks so much better than if i were to not use it!
Faulty Bottle 1
Jen from Undisclosed
You have to press the bottom of the bottle for the product to be released. The bottom of my bottle fell off, spilling product everywhere. What a mess! AND DERMALOGICA WON'T REPLACE. BEWARE.
Would buy again 4
Alishia from Undisclosed
Not as good as the original clearing booster. Had some breakouts upon initial use, which I hadn't had in years. Nice clean smell and makes my face feel fresh.
Worth a shot 4
Sarah from Maryland
I was given a sample of this from my esthetician and I applied it in the morning & night over the course of 3 days and my breakouts significantly decreased in size and are just about gone! I have normal/oily combo skin and this did not dry my out or give me any complications.
Bye bye breakouts! 5
Elizabeth from Undisclosed
My 49 year old skin started breaking out and I tried everything- then I found this product and bye bye breakouts! Love this stuff!!!!
Have tried Everything 5
estef from Los Angeles
I've tried so many things. Kate Sommerville offered some relief for a good while then during the pandemic nothing would work. Peter Thomos toner pads, toner sprays and pads from my esthetician, pacifica acne gel, masks, scrubs, clay masks I even made myself, oh and that charcoal mask from glam glow. Some made no difference, some helped a little. Pacifica helped bring the cystic ance down and once I used the dermalogica exfoliant, I saw a subtle difference. I bought their clay face mask and SPF moisturizer. Skin got better. but this baby right here helped with one application. I still get breakouts but my face isn't red, there aren't many cystic acne. now I can focus on the acne scars. my poor skin.
Love it! 5
Joann. from Undisclosed
I love this stuff my face was clearing out and feeling clean and I ran out of my small one so I went ahead and got a bigger one. I love it and my face is feeling and looking better.
A little goes a long 5
Julia from Undisclosed
A little goes a long way. I put it on a beginning pimple and it usually dries it out in a day or two. I combo this witht the acne face wash for breakouts.
Don't know if I still like 3
Emely from Undisclosed
I have used this for the past year and it was helping my skin clear up so much and was even getting rid of the dark spots and scaring on my cheeks. Recently purchased again at ulta and I don't know it any of the ingredients were changed or not but this time around using it my skin has started to break out. I haven't changed anything in my routine from the other times of using it
Really works! Great for sensitive 5
Emily from Undisclosed
Really works! Great for sensitive or oily skin.
finally some relief 5
Merc from Pleasanton,CA
I was skeptical since I've tried so many products for my cystic hormonal acne but I read the reviews and went for it. got it about 2 weeks ago and my face has drastically improved. I still have some acne but with how much it's improved I feel like in another 2 weeks my acne should be very minimal. I'm very happy I tried this and will be using it going forward!
Liquid gold 5
Jlu from Louisiana
Wow...this product is amazing. I'm always skeptical of those products with the " overnight miracle" reviews but not any more. This has also been great for my teenage daughter! Will definitely re
Commend and buy again!
Works amazing! 5
Kaelin from California
I've been using this product for about 2 years now and it really works. I put this on before any serums both in the morning and night and it really helps. For reference I have acne-prone and sensitive skin. This product is very gentle on the skin
Might as well use nothing on my zits 1
Ninexspoiled from Houston
This clearing booster didn't do anything for me. I might as well have splashed water on my skin in hopes that it would clear a breakout. I have combination skin and I bought this to combat mascne (I work from home, so I was only wearing a mask when I went to the grocery store once a week) and it did nothing to help. Usually, I'd suggest a product for a different skin type, but I have no idea which skin type this might work for.
