A Review of CVS's Deep Cleaning Astringent Acne Medication

On a recent shopping stop at CVS pharmacy, I picked up the CVS Deep Cleaning Astringent for Sensitive Skin, CVS's generic store version of Clean & Clear's Astringent. Since the cost difference between the Clean & Clear product ($7) and the CVS product ($3) was large, I decided to try out the new CVS product and test its effectiveness for my acne.

After opening up the 8 oz. bottle, I emptied some of the turquoise astringent onto a cotton ball and applied it to my face. The smell of the astringent was pleasant, since it gave off a bit of a cucumber-type smell. However, as I was applying the liquid to my face, some of it dripped down near my lips and I felt the heavy alcoholic flavor that the astringent had. Naturally it is not supposed to come near the mouth, but those who apply liquids to the face know that sometimes when too much is applied it begins to drip a bit, and the astringent was absolutely awful in its alcoholic content.

After a few days of using the product, I noticed that it was very effective for my spot acne and had actually relieved it significantly. I would recommend this product to anyone who needs a spot acne treatment and who is on a budget, since this astringent was very effective and was half the price of its competing brand name. The product pledges to help treat pimples and prevent them, a promise that the product fulfilled since the amount of acne that developed had decreased over a few weeks of regular use.

The only problem I had was the fact that many cotton balls had to be used to get the astringent on to most of the face. The product gets soaked into the cotton balls and then it is very difficult to get it on the face once the cotton ball dries out, so the cost of bags of cotton balls should also be kept in mind. The bottle itself is quite small, and daily use can lead to an empty bottle within a week or so.

I would recommend this product as a home product, since it is not travel friendly and requires large numbers of cotton balls, an issue that may become a problem if this product is taken on extended trips. Also, I would not recommend it to those who do not have sensitive skin, since CVS has not made a product for normal skin or anything on the order of "maximum" strength. Also, I would not recommend it to those whose skin becomes dried out or irritated by salicylic acid, since that is the main ingredient in this acne product, unlike the benzoyl peroxide that is found in many creams.