Benzoyl Peroxide and Salicylic acid, which one is better?

I for several years asked myself is Benzoyl peroxide better than salicylic acid? Or is salicylic acid better than benzoyl peroxide? Which one should I use for my skin and what are the side effects? Because I am well aware that none of these two comes without side effects, I for many years in my teens used to use benzoyl peroxide and it did work well with my acne, but I also had some side effects which I will tell you more about down below.

Both ingredients remove dead skin and dead skin cells contribute to clogging your pores, so it is important that dead skin cells get removed because clogged pores equal an acne breakout.  

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid is best for removing whiteheads and blackheads, not so much cystic acne. If you use this product often it can also prevent a future breakout.

Benzoyl peroxide

As far as my knowledge reach, I believe this ingredient is proven to be the most effective acne-fighting product you can get without a prescription. This one works well for cystic acne and not so many blackheads and whiteheads, however it does help a bit with those as well after my own experience.

In addition to removing excess oil and dead skin cells, just like salicylic acid does as well. It also kills the acne-causing bacteria beneath the surface of the skin.

Side effects

As I mentioned earlier these products do not come free from side effect, which is unfortunate, but don´t worry both products are overall safe to use, you can also use them during pregnancy, which is great because a lot of pregnant women does tend to have some breakouts, however, do consult your doctor about it first, although it is safe to use just be sure as you know we all have different skin types and our skin and body react and completely different ways.

Both ingredients can cause dryness and irritation, for me personally it did cause a lot of dryness and a bit irritation from time to time, it caused dryness because I already have dry skin, but I just made sure to use an extra-thick moisturizer then it was fine, irritation only happened rarely to me. Allergic reaction to these ingredients are pretty rare but they can happen so beware, but it is common for the product to sting a bit upon applying so don´t interpret that as an allergic reaction, but if you do feel like you get swollen and itchy do contact a doctor right away just to be on the safe side.

Salicylic acid side effects

Salicylic acid does dry out the skin as I mentioned before, it does that to remove the extra sebum in your pores, it could remove too much oil making your face super dry, but it mostly happens if you have to dry skin.

·      Hives

·      Itching

·      Peeling skin

·      Stinging and or tingling

Benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is not the best for super sensitive skin, I did feel that it is because it is more drying than salicylic acid so it can lead to more irritation, but if you don´t have sensitive or dry skin it is fine. Otherwise, the side effect is the same as it is for salicylic acid. But do not use this if you have any skin concerns such as eczema, psoriasis, or something like that.

Do take notice that is may stain your hair, clothes, towels, and sheets, and that is not fun I tell you, so really do be careful to not get it on your hair and clothes, it will make your hair yellowish. So only use it in the nighttime and make sure to wash it off in the morning. Other than that it is a good ingredient that really does get rid of acne, at least it did for me.