Let’s Just Get to the Point:
Eminence Organics Skin Care Acne Advanced Cleansing Foam ($44) is formulated with encapsulated salicylic acid to clarify skin even after it’s rinsed away.
If You Want to Know More:
There’s a dominant theory among dermatologists and beauty obsessives that, of all the skin-care steps, cleanser carries the least amount of weight. After all, even when formulated with the best ingredients in the world, cleansers only sit on your skin for a few minutes a day, right? But for its Acne Advanced Cleansing Foam, Eminence Organics found a way to make the effects of a good cleanser last much longer. The secret? Time-release salicylic acid.
As anyone with acne has probably been (regrettably) forced to learn, salicylic acid is the active ingredient used most often to target breakouts and works especially well against whiteheads and blackheads. Here, the superstar formula contains 1 percent salicylic acid—just enough to take on invading zits without irritating skin. It’s been encapsulated, so instead of releasing a bunch of acne-fighting warriors at once, the ingredient is slowly released as you work through the rest of your skin-care routine and get on with your day.
“There’s a real validity to topical time-release products,” Dr. David E. Bank, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, explained to the New York Times. “The goal for both is the same: minimal side effects but maximized benefits. Like any time-release pill, you want constant, evenly distributed concentration, whether it’s to the blood or the skin.”
Aside from its primary gig as an acne-fighter, this cleanser moonlights as an energizing way to start and end your day. It contains lavender, peppermint, thyme, cinnamon, spearmint and more—an entire herb garden’s worth of certified organic extracts. One or two pumps of liquid transform into a fresh lemon-scented foam, which, in my case, thoroughly washed away both an evening of a thick overnight mask and a day’s worth of makeup and summer sweat.
For my combination, acne-prone skin, this cleanser worked best with once-daily use. (I recommend mornings, when the zingy citrus smell helps wake me up.) Layer up with moisturizing primer and sunscreen afterwards, and know that wherever the day takes you, salicylic acid is coming along for the ride.
