Alisa Russo's Top 10 Best Products for Acne Prone Skin

Allies of Skin mandelic pigmentation corrector serum is the most gentle yet the most effective chemical exfoliant I’ve tried. This is a serum that increases cell turnover, brightens pigmentation, and combats skin issues like acne and stubborn texture. Skin congestion and acne can be caused by a lack of exfoliation, which is why this serum is definitely an acne-prone girl's best friend.

It’s a night serum that treats stubborn pigmentation, persistent breakouts, and dullness with AHAs + BHAs. It has mandelic, lactic, and salicylic acid. This will not only address several congestion-related concerns but will also replenish your skin with moisture and strengthen the barrier while exfoliating. 

Before trying this, I did not always have great experiences with acids because a lot of them tend to be harsh for my sensitive and reactive skin. This however, is not only exfoliating, but it contains ingredients that will also moisturize your skin.

Using this at night, uneven texture literally disappears overnight, and you wake up texture-free, which is why I’m so obsessed with this product. My skin is clear and exfoliated every time I use this. You can also use it as a spot treatment on acne spots to increase cell turnover. Definitely worth checking out if you want even skin tone, struggle with texture and/or acne.

I would never think that a hydration serum could make such a difference for my skin. I finished one bottle and did not have it in my routine for 2 weeks and, wow, my skin was not happy without it. 

I'm acne-prone, but I also struggle with dehydrated skin. I've tried numerous hydrating serums and hyaluronic acid-based serums and nothing came close to this one. So, what is it? It’s a face serum that delivers intense hydration and brightens the skin. It’s ideal for all skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone skin. 

Some of the ingredients are plant stem cells, niacinamide, herbal extracts, honey, hyaluronic acid, peptides, essential oils, vitamin E, resveratrol, and antioxidants. Why was this specific serum a game changer for me? My answer is simple: without this serum, my skin literally does not retain moisture. 

You'll wake up with plump, glowing, and moisturized skin every morning. Plump skin means no wrinkles and your skin is so soft, bouncy, and supple (like jelly). 

When I ran out of this product, it really put things in perspective for me because my skin was dry as a desert when I woke up. This is how I know that it truly works and makes a difference for dehydrated skin. It also brightens because it has ingredients that help with brightening, pores, and calming the skin.

This cream is everything I've ever wanted in my moisturizer: it's effective, it repairs the skin, heals the skin, it's fast-absorbing, and it really helps to get rid of texture and acne. It's a supercharged green smoothie but for your skin. 

This product is meant for compromised, dull, and breakout-prone skin. It’s so effective and healing at the same time, which is why it’s the best moisturizer for acne-prone skin in my opinion. It heals my acne and evens out my skin in the most effective yet gentle way possible. 

On top of that, the ingredients are very much worth mentioning – it has moringa extract, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, medical-grade manuka honey, tamanu oil, and ceramides. I call it the powerhouse of amazing ingredients. 

Honestly, I just can’t rave about this moisturizer enough. I was struggling with stubborn texture and some whiteheads on my forehead that would not go away for weeks (quarantine was messing with my skin), and after a week of using this moisturizer morning and night, the stubborn texture and redness completely went away. 

This leaves zero residue or stickiness on the skin, yet it works magically. If you can only purchase one product from Allies of Skin to address acne and/or texture, the Molecular Multi-Nutrient Day Cream is the one to buy!

This mist hydrates and brightens stressed skin while refining pores and reducing breakouts. It’s great for dehydrated and problematic skin. I definitely recommend this mist for acne-prone skin because it contains some powerful ingredients to combat acne and redness. 


Some of these ingredients are colloidal silver, which will reduce inflammation and promote healing (aka a perfect ingredient for acne-prone skin), probiotics to reduce the appearance of acne and redness, and a blend of healing oils to reduce inflammation & redness, heal stressed skin and provide restorative properties. 

This has many other powerful ingredients worth reading about, but I just wanted to mention some of them and how they address acne. In my opinion, this is not just a mist, but rather a very powerful toner that you just spritz on the skin. 

Allies of Skin formulations are always so incredible, and this mist is just another hit. It really calms down your skin and combines well with the rest of your skincare routine to give you the most amazing results. I definitely notice a difference in terms of plumpness and hydration this gives me. It’s not sticky at all and absorbs well.

It’s not always that simple to find your holy grail SPF when you’re acne-prone. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve experienced new breakouts from different SPFs I’ve tried so I rarely ever try new SPF products since I’m convinced that most of them break me out. 


Thankfully, I’ve found a life-changing SPF product from Drunk Elephant that not only gives me SPF protection but also heals my skin. Now, you ask, how does it heal your skin? It’s 100% Zinc Oxide SPF. Zinc oxide is effective for acne treatment as it combats skin irritation and inflammation to keep problems with acne breakouts at bay. 

Other than that, it also helps regulate sebum production in the skin and contributes to lowering antimicrobial and antibacterial properties that commonly trigger acne. 

The only thing that I would improve about this product is to make it a higher SPF, but most mineral sunscreens are in the SPF 30 range. It’s also quite thick and greasy, which can take some time to get used to, but I don’t mind since it calms down and heals my skin while also protecting it from sun damage. 

It can cause some sweating sensations which I found to be common when using mineral SPF. This specific SPF is tinted, which means that it leaves no white cast and will give your skin a nice tint.

This is the best chemical SPF for acne-prone skin in my opinion! It’s SPF 50+ PA++++. I have problematic skin, and this is the only chemical SPF that didn’t break me out with consistent use. 

It’s a powerhouse of amazing ingredients, and if you look at the ingredient list, you can see how much care, research, and education went into the creation of this SPF product. This is basically a moisturizer with SPF! 

It’s a lightweight, non-white cast leaving formula that gives you many skincare benefits. The formula is charged with beetroot extract and antioxidants to fight against free radicals. 

It also contains allantoin, Vitamin C, resveratrol, and EGCG. They all work together to give you SPF protection, skincare benefits, and skin-calming effects.

This is an antioxidant cleanser that won’t mess up your skin barrier. It has a healthy pH, hydration benefits, and antioxidants; and it does not irritate the skin. It contains matcha and hemp seeds which will boost the skin’s intake of antioxidants and essential fatty acids. 

This cleanser doesn’t strip skin of its moisture and oils like many other cleansers do. That’s very important for acne-prone skin because if it’s stripped it of oils, it actually ends up producing more oils. More oils = more acne, which is a big no. 

So, if you’re acne-prone, it’s good to invest in a gentle moisturizing cleanser, such as this one. It’s a powerful superfood cleanser in my opinion because it has so many great ingredients to help and balance your skin. I find this to be so gentle, soothing, and non-irritating for a cleanser. 

This does a great job at removing makeup and SPF (but it’s best to double cleanse still). If you’re acne-prone, it’s best to focus on balancing the pH of your skin, and this cleanser will do that. I definitely recommend this cleanser and everything from Krave Beauty for acne-prone skin.

I tend to be sensitive to vitamin C products, so I was always on the hunt for an effective brightening product that wouldn’t disrupt my moisture barrier and wouldn’t irritate my skin. This is the most gentle and barrier-friendly brightening product I’ve ever tried. 

My skin is very prone to post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, which is a purple or red-ish mark that’s left on the skin after the pimple heals. This product accelerates the process, and the post-acne pigment disappears faster. 

The Caudalie Vinoperfect serum events out my skin tone makes your skin look so refreshed and revived as if you got 12 hours of sleep. The best part is that it’s gentle and doesn’t dry out your skin. Its lightweight formula corrects dark spots, acne scars, pigmentation, and sunspots.

This gentle brightening serum is powered by grapevine sap (Viniferine)--which is 62 times more effective at brightening than vitamin C--and olive squalene, a non-greasy, hydrating ingredient to deliver moisture.  Definitely recommend this serum and will forever have it in my beauty stash!

Contrary to popular opinion, some facials oils can actually be beneficial for acne-prone skin. One of those oils is marula oil. 

I’ve been through so many bottles of Drunk Elephant’s Marula Oil, and it remains my favorite despite having tried numerous facial oils. Marula oil has antimicrobial properties and may be effective against the bacteria that contribute to the formation of pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads. 

It’s also very hydrating and healing for acne and inflammation. I use it to seal my skincare and it does an amazing job without feeling greasy or heavy on the skin. 

This oil is definitely pricy, but you’re getting 100% unrefined quality product that is very soothing and healing. If you’re going to use an oil on your acne-prone skin, you may as well invest in a good one, right?

Tashmoo Water Lily Nourishing Milky Wash was one of my favorite cleanser discoveries. This is a nonfoaming formula with a thick consistency that will cleanse and moisturize your face. 

It has a pH of 5 which is ideal for acne-prone skin. I found it to be very soothing and gentle, and the ingredients in this are incredible; it includes a blend of 14 amino acids, water lily root, lotus flower, blue-green algae, apricot kernel oil, and vitamin B5 (panthenol). 

I always thought that my skin has to be squeaky clean when I cleanse, and I reached for super foaming cleansers which just dried my skin out and caused more oil production. This brand educated me that a cleanser doesn’t have to be foaming in order to balance and clean your skin. 

This is the most unique cleanser I’ve tried because it calms inflammation and irritation, but it also locks in hydration; and the skin-identical amino acids help the skin renew itself. I definitely recommend this as a morning cleanse for acne-prone skin.