What is benzoyl peroxide in skincare?
Benzoyl peroxide is an organic peroxide used topically for acne. It releases oxygen into the follicle, which kills Cutibacterium acnes – the bacterium that drives inflammatory breakouts – and mildly loosens the plug of dead cells at the same time.
Its great advantage is that bacteria do not develop resistance to it, unlike topical antibiotics. Over-the-counter strengths run from 2.5% to 10%.
What skin concerns does benzoyl peroxide treat?
It is most effective on inflammatory acne – red papules and pustules – and less so on plain blackheads, where salicylic acid or a retinoid does more.
Trial evidence is consistent, and importantly shows 2.5% works about as well as 10% with considerably less dryness and irritation. Starting low is genuinely the better strategy, not a compromise.
What ingredients are best paired with benzoyl peroxide?
Niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and squalane offset the dryness it causes. Using it as a short-contact wash – applied, left five minutes, rinsed – gives most of the benefit with far less irritation.
Keep it away from retinoids and vitamin C in the same application, since it can oxidise them; use one in the morning and the other at night. It bleaches fabric, so expect marks on towels and pillowcases. Take our Skin Quiz.
What are sun spots?
Sun spots are flat patches of concentrated pigment that form where skin has taken the most ultraviolet exposure – cheeks, nose, forehead, hands, shoulders and chest. Dermatologists call them solar lentigines; they are the same thing as age spots.
They are harmless, but they are a visible marker of accumulated photodamage, and they usually arrive alongside other signs of it: fine lines, loss of firmness and an uneven overall tone.
What causes sun spots?
UV radiation prompts melanocytes to produce extra melanin as a defence. With repeated exposure that response becomes localised and fixed, leaving discrete patches instead of an even tan that fades.
Tanning beds, sunburns in childhood, fair skin and outdoor time without protection all increase the count. Incidental exposure – driving, walking, sitting near a window – adds up more than most people expect.
What ingredients are best for sun spots?
Retinoids to accelerate turnover, vitamin C to protect and brighten, and pigment inhibitors such as alpha arbutin, kojic acid, azelaic acid, tranexamic acid and liquorice root are the core toolkit.
Gentle AHAs help shift surface pigment, and niacinamide slows the transfer of melanin into skin cells. None of it holds without daily broad-spectrum SPF and reapplication. Take our Skin Quiz.
