La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment, Retinoid Cream, Acne Medication Gel for Blackheads & Whiteheads, Oil Free, Helps Clear and Prevent Blemishes & Clogged Pores

First of all, people who rated this product low--- this product was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. People just don't bother to research how to exactly use it. If you've never used a retinoid (adapalene, tretinoin, retinol, retinal), you have to start slow. Like maybe 1-2x a week, then every other day, then maybe daily. Yes, your skin might purge and will get worse before it gets better. Doesn't mean that the product doesn't work because it's doing exactly what it's supposed to be doing. If your skin is getting really dry, take a break and moisturize. If you're going outside (even if you're only going to be driving), **wear sunscreen** (and no, your makeup that has SPF in it is not enough. You don't apply enough of it to actually get adequate sun protection. And use at least an SPF 30. ). If you're applying adapalene at night, then apply other actives (vitamin C, AHA/BHA's, etc) either during the day or take a night off from adapalene and apply. Otherwise applying both at the same time is just asking to ruin your skin barrier....making your skin raw, flaky, sensitive, etc. Adapalene is used for acne, but it's also a strong retinoid also used for anti aging (I use for anti aging the nights I take a break from tretinoin... and it's working beautifully). Another thing is this may take time to see results. But steady, consistent use will provide results. Just takes some patience. If you experience purging (retinization... happens to most when starting a retinoid), it's OK. It usually gets worse before it gets better. It happened to me with tretinoin (I got break outs when I usually don't experience any) and that's why I started this product because my skin takes to adapalene much better than tretinoin. Anyway, if you're on the fence about this, don't be. Just research the best way for you to use this. I just can't stand when people give a product a low rating for "not working" or "it broke me out", "it dried out my skin", "I used for a week and nothing happened", etc when it's doing **exactly** what it's supposed to. I really like the formulation of La Roche Posay's adapalene the best. My skin absorbs the gel way better than most adapalene creams and gels out there. And I've been using the 1.6oz tube for about 5-6 months. I use this a few times a week (4-5x) and just ordered a new tube. So it'll last you awhile. If you're experiencing a lot of irritation, try applying moisturizer first, then adapalene 15-30min later, then moisturizer again 10-15 min after that. Make sure you have a really good moisturizer (I love Elf Holy Hydration sleep mask only I don't wash it off, or CeraVe moisturizer), use a gentle cleanser (I use one from Cetaphil). And if you go outside at all, use a sunscreen (use the 2 finger rule for measuring how much you need...and SPF 30 at least. I have one from Apostrophe that wears beautifully under makeup. Others are Bondi Sands SPF 50, and I love the Sun Bum spray mist SPF 45 for reapplying over makeup. Works really, really well). And remember to be patient.It's one of the best adapalene gels I've ever tried.