My Current Skincare Routine: Step 4 Acne Treatment (Differin Gel Review)

Step 4: Differin Gel

My holy grail acne treatment product *so underrated lol but so gentle and effective*

I have acne-prone sensitive oily skin and while my skin is often clear these days thanks to my carefully-observed skincare regimen, I also have a terrible irregular sleep schedule which is the primary reason why I sometimes get acne and use Differin gel.

Differin gel is also known as the brand version of adapalene gel which previously used to be only available by a doctor's prescription until recent years (and which I tried once years ago to positive effect, again in more recent years, and finally again now).

I've primarily only had positive results with Differin gel: at worst when I used it, nothing happened, and at best it was a primary curer of my big consistently-staying acne breakout.

In the 5-step skincare routine, "actives" or skincare products with active ingredients, such as chemical exfoliatiants like AHAs/BHAs, acne treatments such as salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, the anti-aging be-all-end-all golden standard retinol to name a few, and in this case the prescription-quality acne treatment ingredient adapalene, should always be used AFTER the first step toner and before serums, moisturizers/creams and facial oils.

Moreover, you should always use sunscreen at least SPF 30 during the daytime when you use them (and ALWAYS regardless if you don’t want to end up looking like a shriveled old potato-prune prematurely!) to protect your skin barrier which will be more sensitive since it has been "accessed" by the actives.

My Affordability Grade: A Tiny Bit Expensive (But Still Relatively Affordable)

Where to get it: Although once only available by prescription, you can now get this acne ointment everywhere, from Target to CVS to Ulta. It used to only be $11.99 but the price changed (as the prices have changed on pretty much everything nowadays, usually for the worst, although our incomes haven't necessarily changed accordingly *damn capitalist pigs that apparently rule the damn planet right about now!*).

The cheapest you can get it for is $12.88 online at Walmart, $12.99 online at Target, $13.99 at Target in-store and on Ulta online (not including shipping) for the small/standard size 0.5 oz (which is what I always get). The bigger size is more expensive, $28.99 online for 1.6 oz at Target and Ulta (not including shipping) or $32 in-stores, but technically a much better value and probably a good investment if you have more chronic acne problems (and can afford it).

*PRO TIP: Always go to Customer Service if the price for the item is cheaper on the store’s website—they will usually match the price for you!

CosDNA Analysis:

I am not super crazy about the fact that there's a paraben in this product (which tbh I just discovered when looking up the ingredients list now), but considering Differin gel usually helps my skin I am OK with it since my main immediate concern with parabens (which are preservatives used to keep products fresh that some studies have shown in high doses to have a correlation to causing cancer over a long period of time but not at the percentages at which they are allowed to be used and present in cosmetics, though some's concerns are that the usage of many products with small amounts of parabens will add up to a bigger exposure that may be harmful) is that they may be irritating/sensitizing to my skin. Since this usually doesn't, I am ok with it, but be aware that Your Milage May Vary.