La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel & Duo Plus Reviews

I have mixed feelings about both of these products from La Roche-Posay I trialled. I think the product range would be better suited for just oily skin rather then oily or combination/sensitive skin as I found the purfying foaming gel very drying on my cheeks and it made my sensitivity worse in this area. It did seem to help the areas around my T-Zone with excess oil but this came at the expensive of my cheeks so unfortunately I will not continue to use this.

The Effaclar duo plus initially confused me as I wasn’t sure what it actually was! I decided to use it as a spot treatment (corrector) for mild acne on my cheeks and for blackheads on my nose rather then as a whole face product. I will continue to use up the Effaclar duo plus as it did help with acne but I probably would not repurchase once used up as it seems rather expensive for such a small tube.

I was super excited to test these products because I have an annoying face. Not annoying in the sense you will look at me and get annoyed (well, maybe..) but annoying in the fact that I am 35 and still get pizza face every 21 to 28 days. I had never heard of this brand before but it sounded pretty fancy. And it’s French. I love French bread so I guess I’m kind of predisposed to like anything French. Both products came in minimal packaging which is always a positive, and were easy to use for each of the purposes they were designed for. The gel was in a decent sized squeezey bottle which was unassuming in the corner of the shower, while the cream was in a slimline tube that found it’s home next to my toothbrush. A slight issue on the packaging was the number of languages they tried to fit on it in a small font which made it tricky to find the English and decipher the instructions. Neither product smelled that good. The best way to describe it is dead petals but it wasn’t too overpowering as to ruin the experience. One day after using these products my face felt cleaner and more fresh. A couple of days after use I started to notice a remarkable difference in my skins texture and clarity - not only was my face softer my blackhead count was lower than it has been in 20 years!

I was excited to try these products because I have been curious to try this brand after I started seeing them in store and online.

I thought the cleanser was a really nice, simple cleanser for my oily skin. I liked the way my skin felt afterwards. I feel like it would have the tendency to be a bit drying if I used it twice a day, every day but I find it not too bad for a once a day use.

I want overly impressed with the Duo Plus, as I felt it wasn't hydrating enough to be a moisturizer yet it didn't perform very well as an acne treatment.

I still got some breakouts and didn't really notice any of the dark marks on my skin fading from using this.

I also found that I got quite dry around the creases in my nose when using this twice a day, so would perhaps not recommend using morning and night.

Overall, I would continue using them but not sure I would repurchase for the price.

I was very excited when I got into this trial team, as the products looked fancy and the description sounded like exactly what I needed. My skin can get very oily and I suffer from pimples regularly, but some products can dry my skin out and make it flakey and red.

I liked the packaging - nice and sleek like I expected. The Duo Plus product could have given slightly more specific instructions though! The cleanser is a great size, and even the moisturiser is quite generous as you don’t need a lot per application.

The two products certainly didn’t make my skin worse, however I didn’t notice any extreme positive differences unfortunately. And I found that with the Duo Plus product, I felt like I still had to use my normal acne treatment and most days I also had to use my normal moisturiser (or my skin would feel a little bit dry and tight)… plus I ended up using my normal primer in the morning to get a good make up base (even though the Duo Plus is meant to be the perfect base for makeup). So… in reality the Duo Plus was an extra step that didn’t really seem to do anything special.

I did notice that my skin wasn’t excessively oily by end of day, so that was a plus. But I’m not sure that it helped with any pimples - I had a few during the trial (and in different places than normal). Almost being at that time of the month may have contributed though! It did keep me relatively non-oily in the afternoons, but there was a bit of shine. It’s hard to tell if any product would really keep oil away though if that’s your skin type.

I think the range might be better suited for summer time - where shine can be at its peak but skin doesn’t dry out as badly. I’ll keep using the products, but I think that I might bring them back out once the weather starts heating up.

La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel & Duo Plus is a fabulous two product system for those with oily and/or problematic skin.

After two weeks of using both products twice daily, I have found a noticeable reduction in the size of long-term, under the skin blemishes around my jawline and chin. I have also noticed my skin feels smoother and is clear and even in skin tone. I also feel my enlarged pores are more refined in appearance.

Overall, I am thrilled with La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel & Duo Plus and will continue to use both products as a topical treatment when my skin is extra oily or breaking out.

The only reason I will not be using La Roche Posay® Effaclar Foaming Gel & Duo Plus daily is that my mature skin is more combination than all over oily and is better suited to a skin care system designed specifically for aging skin.

I can't recommend both products enough!

I've been using these two products together in my nightly skin routine and love how clean and clear my skin gets! My face looked refreshed in the mornings and I loved how clean my skin felt.

The gel cleanser works really well on my oily skin, it gives a thorough clean without drying my skin out. It's a good size bottle with a narrow tube opening so it will last a long time! Very great value for money, and your skin will thank you for getting clean after a long day! It's also soap-free, paraben-free, alcohol-free and colourant-free but packs a mighty clean. I was really impressed (only downside is the gel smell is quite earthy but I'm not a fan of overly scented products, so I appreciate that it didn't have a fake scent added).

The corrective cream is light weight in touch and applies evenly on the skin. I really loved how the cream felt on my skin, it absorbs quickly but the application is just lovely. Almost like a mask, spa like feeling. It helped reduce redness in my splotchy skin from scarring and age.

Really impressed with the brand and the range of products available. The cleanser and corrective cream are a great combination to clean and clear skin!

I have always been curious about the La Roche Posay brand, so I was pretty excited to have the opportunity to try these! I am in love with this cleanser as its simple but effective! It doesn't leave my skin feeling dry afterwards and builds to a nice light foam. I have been using Cetaphil for years but I think I have found a new love with this cleanser as it's also free from alcohol, parabens and colourants - amazing! I will be re-purchasing for sure!

I don't suffer from any major acne but do break out at that time of the month. I was a little bit hesitant to try the Duo Plus as my skin can break out with certain creams but it was fine with this. I applied it to a few areas where I had some breakouts, rather than my entire face and though it didn't make them disappear overnight, it did dry them out slightly.

Overall, the cleanser is a great product, if you're after something light and easy. The Duo is good for surface acne but I think you might need something stronger if you suffer from cystic acne (hugs!) Really pleased to have tried this French brand. Will be looking into more of their products for sure!

I have been using the combination of the gel face wash and Duo Plus moisturizer for approx 2 weeks. I believe that they live up to their claims. They have caused no break outs and the moisturiser leaves my skin slightly matte which is great for someone with combination skin like me, it would also be great for more oily skin too. The face wash has quite a small hole that it come out of which is a good thing as it prevents you from using too much and therefore going through it quickly. The size of the products are reasonable, although I think that I will run out of moisturiser before I run out of the face wash. Overall I was impressed with the performance of the products together.

Amazing duo! And a must have in your skin care routine. Perfect for oily skin and amazing on sensitve areas on your face.

Both products are light weight and have a subtle fragrance of cucumber.

I would definitely use both as they compliment eachother and I feel work well together.

My skin has cleared up so much in 2 weeks, I haven't had a smooth,bright,clear complexion in forever.

Noticable results within 24hours and acne starts clearing within a week.

Because you only need small amounts both products will last a fair while.

I enjoyed trialling the Effaclar Foaming Gel cleanser as part of the rest of my routine, but the Duo(+) didn't really deliver on any of its promises

I liked the packaging which is simple, functional, easy to use, and feels very sturdy. They have a mild scent, fairly floral with chemical undertones. I'm not a fan of any scent in facial products so it's a mark against it for me, but it's subtle enough that I can stand it.

I really loved the consistency of the cleanser - a little goes a long way and it lathers up to a lovely rich foam, which is smooth and buttery to apply.

It leaves skin feeling very clean and soft, although I find it quite drying. My oily skin will over compensate and produce even more oil if I'm not keeping my skin hydrated enough, so I need to pair this with a rich moisturiser.

It was difficult to figure out from the instructions whether the Duo(+) was meant to replace moisturiser, or act as more of a treatment/serum step before moisturising. I looked it up on their website and it sounded like it was supposed to replace moisturiser. I tried that for the first week and it was nowhere near moisturising enough for my skin, especially when paired with the already drying foaming gel.

I also found the Duo(+) absorbed into my skin extremely quickly, meaning I needed a surprisingly large amount of product to cover my whole face - I'd say I went through at least 1/3 of the tube in just 3 weeks.

More importantly, I just didn't see any improvement in my skin. It wasn't any less red, more even, or smoother as promised. None of my red or brown marks, other imperfections, or hyperpigmentation reduced in appearance. Of all its claims the only one it delivered on for me was its non-greasy finish and matte appearance.

I'll definitely continue using the cleanser, albeit paired with a nice rich moisturiser, but won't be using the Duo(+) again.