If your skin is both acne-prone and sensitive, you know how treating acne can turn into a vicious cycle. Using effective but harsh treatments can end up irritating your skin until it’s red and peeling, often making acne worse by damaging your skin barrier. But leaving your skin alone can also be stressful without a way to control breakouts.
The best acne treatment for sensitive skin is whichever low-strength option you can use consistently long-term while keeping your skin calm. Any treatment should also be complemented by a sensitive skin-friendly routine that helps to strengthen your skin barrier.
Best Acne Treatment for Sensitive Skin
The best acne treatment for sensitive skin will vary by sensitivity and acne severity. If your acne is severe and at risk of scarring, you should see a dermatologist for a tailored treatment. For milder breakouts, we’ve put together our favorite sensitive skin-friendly acne treatments below. Remember to start any treatment slowly and build up to daily use only if your skin can tolerate it.
Low-Strength Cleansers
Because active ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and sulfur will only be on your face for a short period when using a low-strength acne cleanser, they are less likely to be irritating than the same ingredients in leave-on treatments.
Paula's Choice CLEAR Pore Normalizing Cleanser Acne Face Wash with 0.5% Salicylic Acid
This gentle salicylic acid cleanser from Paula's Choice helps dissolve pore-clogging oil and debris without irritating sensitive skin. A low strength of 0.5% salicylic acid in a gel texture will refresh your skin and clear your pores, while glycerin, arginine, and panthenol help soothe and hydrate. With this formula you can enjoy the benefits of salicylic acid without flaking or dryness.
- Lower strength 0.5% salicylic acid
- Good choice for sensitive skin
- Also comes in a refill pouch
- May not be strong enough for some skin types
Cetaphil Gentle Clear Acne Cleanser with 2.6% Micronized Benzoyl Peroxide
Cetaphil's benzoyl peroxide cleanser in their Gentle Clear line is a great option for anyone trying to maintain the difficult balance between effective acne treatment and sensitive skin. It's designed to start showing visible results in just one week while also helping to maintain your skin barrier. With 2.6% micronized benzoyl peroxide, it can work on bacteria where it's needed without overloading your skin. Added licorice root and zinc in a creamy formula help to soothe sensitive skin and also reduce oil production.
- Gentle strength
- Licorice root and zinc reduce oil and soothe sensitive skin
- May not be strong enough for some skin types
Kate Somerville EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser Acne Treatment with 3% Sulfur
Kate Somerville's EradiKate Daily Foaming Cleanser contains 3% sulfur to fight breakouts while still being gentle enough to use on a daily basis. This whipped sulfur foaming cleanser keeps pores clear and absorbs excess oil without overdrying. It is lightly fragranced to offset the sulfur smell. Massage onto skin for 30 seconds and even let it sit for 2-3 minutes on your T-zone as a mask before rinsing to help clear sebaceous filaments.
- 3% sulfur fights breakouts without overdrying
- Can also be used as a mask to clear sebaceous filaments
- Contains fragrance
- Expensive
Azelaic Acid
Azelaic acid is a treatment available over the counter or by prescription that can be particularly suited to sensitive and rosacea-prone skin. But even with this more gentle treatment, make sure to start with a lower strength first to avoid irritating your skin.
THAYERS Let's Be Clear Water Cream with 3% Azelaic Acid
Proactiv Clean Azelaic Pore Perfector Cream Serum with 5% Azelaic Acid
Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster with Licorice and 0.5% Salicylic Acid
This 10% Azelaic Acid Booster from popular skincare brand Paula's Choice is one of the strongest azelaic acid products available over the counter. The azelaic acid is combined with 0.5% salicylic acid to fight acne, fade hyperpigmentation, and reduce redness. It comes in a lightweight gel-cream formula that can be applied by itself or mixed with a serum or moisturizer to simplify your routine.
- Great for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin
- Reduces redness, fights acne, and fades marks
- Can be mixed with other skincare products
- Expensive for the amount
Leave-On Treatments
While leave-on treatments with standard acne-fighting ingredients can be more irritating than wash-off cleansers, the irritation can be mitigated by using the lowest-strength products and using them only a few times a week.
Paula's Choice Sensitive Skin BHA Exfoliant 1% Salicylic Acid
Paula's Choice CLEAR Regular Strength Daily Skin Clearing Treatment with 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide
Paula's Choice Daily Skin Regular Strength Clearing Treatment comes in a balanced 2.5% benzoyl peroxide in a leave-on treatment. With soothing allantoin and bisabolol, it will work to calm existing pimples while fighting acne-causing bacteria to prevent future breakouts. For more stubborn acne that does not respond to the regular strength, you can try the extra-strength version with 5% benzoyl peroxide.
- Lightweight lotion with matte finish
- 2.5% benzoyl peroxide is gentle yet effective
- Allantoin and bisabolol to soothe
- May not be strong enough for stubborn acne
LED Light Therapy
LED light therapy, particularly red light therapy, can help reduce inflammation that characterizes both active pimples and irritated, sensitive skin. LED light therapy can be used to help strengthen your skin to better tolerate acne treatments.
Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask with Under-Eye Cooling Red and Blue LED Infrared Light Therapy
Hooga LED Light Therapy Panel for Face and Body 660nm Red Light and 850nm Near Infrared Light
Barrier Strengthening Skincare
When using an acne treatment with sensitive skin, it’s important to make sure the rest of your routine is gentle and contains ingredients to soothe and support your skin barrier.
EltaMD Skin Recovery Amino Acid Foaming Gentle Face Cleanser for Sensitive Skin
The Skin Recovery Amino Acid Foaming Cleanser from EltaMD is made to strengthen the skin barrier while mild surfactants gently remove makeup, sunscreen, excess oil, and other impurities. The self-foaming dispenser simplifies the cleansing process, and one cloudlike puff is enough to clean your face. The brand's AAComplex of three amino acids helps restore the skin barrier and reduce skin water loss, while bisabolol and ginger bring down redness and irritation.
- Instant luxurious foam
- Amino acid complex strengthens skin barrier
- Bisabolol and ginger extract help reduce redness
- Expensive for the size
Aveeno Calm + Restore Nourishing Oat Face Cleanser
The Nourishing Oat Face Cleanser from gentle skincare brand Aveeno is a hit on social media for good reason. With a simple hypoallergenic formula, this hydrating facial cleanser has a milky gel cream texture that is perfect for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin. This cleanser is designed to hydrate while gently cleansing skin of dirt and impurities. Oat flour and feverfew juice calm and nourish the skin to help restore the skin's moisture barrier
- Simple hydrating formula
- Gentle for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin
- Oat and feverfew calm and nourish
- May not fully remove water-resistant makeup and sunscreen
- May not be strong enough for oily skin
EltaMD Skin Recovery Essence Hydrating Toner for Skin Barrier with Amino Acids
The Skin Recovery Hydrating Toner from EltaMD is a lightweight toner that hydrates and restores the all-important skin barrier. Its natural pale blue color comes from malachite extract, a mineral-rich copper complex, which defends against free radicals and helps protect against environmental stressors. AAComplex, a patented blend of three amino acids, helps to repair the skin barrier and can reduce redness and irritation.
- Safe for sensitive skin
- Aminos acids help strengthen the skin barrier
- Malachite extract protects from external stressors
- Pricey per ounce
Paula's Choice CALM Nourishing Milky Toner for Sensitive Skin and Redness
Paula's Choice Nourishing Milky Toner from their Calm line of products is full of skin-replenishing ingredients and antioxidants to soothe redness and sensitivity by supporting the skin barrier. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin hydrate the skin, while allantoin, panthenol, and marshmallow root extract help reduce redness and calm the skin. This toner is designed to strengthen the skin barrier to prevent future sensitivity, making it an excellent choice if your skin is irritated from harsh acne treatments.
- Gentle for sensitive and rosacea-prone skin
- Strengthens skin damaged from acne treatments
- Supports skin barrier to prevent future sensitivity
- Expensive for the size
Cocokind Hydrating Ceramide Barrier Serum for Hydration and Skin Barrier Support
Cocokind's Hydrating Ceramide Barrier Serum provides skin barrier support in a milky serum, making it a great option for dehydrated, acne-prone skin that can't tolerate thick creams. Instead of hyaluronic acid, it contains beta-glucan, a powerful humectant for more hydration and plumping. Five ceramides and a blend of lipids, including squalane, fatty acids, and cholesterol, lock in moisture to prevent transepidermal water loss. As a bonus, ceramide precursors encourage the skin's natural ceramide production.
- Lightweight skin barrier support
- Beta-glucan to hydrate and plump
- Ceramides and fatty acids to lock in moisture
- May be too moisturizing for oily skin
EltaMD Skin Recovery Lightweight Moisturizer for Damaged Skin Barrier with Amino Acids
Elta MD's Skin Recovery Light Moisturizer is a weightless lotion designed with acne-prone and sensitive skin in mind. It uses the brand's patented AAComplex of amino acids to restore the skin's natural barrier, which makes it one of our favorite moisturizers to use alongside a strong acne treatment. With hyaluronic acid, glycerin, squalane, and coconut extract, this lotion soothes and moisturizes dehydrated skin while calming irritation and redness.
- Lightweight with hydrating ingredients
- AAComplex restores skin barrier
- Great option when using harsh acne treatments
- Expensive
