Clean & Clear Advantage Oil Absorbing Collection Review

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Say Goodbye to Shine and Hello to Clean & Clear’s Latest Line

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I’ve dealt with some sort of oily skin all of my life. Those uber oily skinned days as a teen really don’t feel too far behind me, as I have entered into the world of combination skin while being an adult. To this day, I still have to worry about shine, especially when it comes to impromptu photographs that appear on Facebook (ugh) and evening plans after a long day of wearing makeup.

While I do believe in a helping hand here and there in the form of blot tissues and powder, in the end I just want to combat recurring shine from the get go. Clean & Clear, a household name to anyone who has ever seen a blemish in their day, understands that oil absorption is an unmet need. And oil leads to zits and clogged pores. Not cool. That said, a new line is born: the Clean & Clear Advantage Oil Absorbing Collectionicon.

This collection is clearly (pun intended) not all talk. So what makes it special? It contains breakthrough POWDERPARTICLES™ technology with rice protein that targets excess shine by absorbing 50% more oil than the leading ingredients in other brands. Combine this with salicylic acid to treat breakouts and you have the ultimate shine and blemish fighter. Keeping it simple, the line carries a cleanser and an acne treatment at price points that you just can’t help but love.

The Oil Absorbing Cream Cleansericon ($6.99) comes in a sleek silver 5 oz. tube that holds tons of product. This cleanser washes away up to 80% of built-up oil and is great for daily use. It claims to control shine all day long, while treating breakouts at the same time.

Clean & Clear is not joking when they state that it is a cream cleanser. But it lathers like a dream. Make sure to give your face a good rinse when you are done. I noticed that when I wash my face at the sink, I look in the mirror and find that the cleanser sticks to my nose crevices and around my eye area. Sometimes I feel that a toner may be needed afterwards because the cleanser doesn’t give my face that slick clean feel. I wish that there was a gel cleanser in this line alongside the cream cleanser, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s an option in the future!

Next up is the Advantage Oil Absorbing Acne Treatmenticon ($6.99), an oil-free treatment that is recommended for daily use in place of your regular moisturizer. I liked this stuff a lot, but I can’t see it replacing my moisturizer in the winter.

I like that I can feel it absorbing the oil on my face right after I apply it (post face wash). It did a great job at combating shine throughout the day. It could be potentially drying for some (even those with combo skin) so it’s good to try it out every other day and then amp it up to everyday, depending on your needs. The formula is on the thinner side, housed in a tube that faces downward. Pump packaging would be more ideal than this.

Pros:
Limits the daily shine and oil that accumulates on your face during the day
Contains salicylic acid to help get rid of already existing blemishes
Inexpensive and easily found at your local drugstore

Cons:
Cleanser needs thorough rinsing to remove
My blemishes did not dramatically lessen with frequent use of both products
Potential dryness can occur

we heartsters and reviewers – is shine free the way to be with Clean & Clear’s new Advantage Oil Absorbing Collection?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. It also contains an affiliate link, a link that gives us a small commission if you purchase the item. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

Author

  • mandabear

    Amanda is a beauty & fashion lover who hopes to own a Shiba Inu one day. She spends most of her time frolicking and chowing down in NYC. She's also getting seriously involved with her iPhone. skin tone: NC30 skin type: oily to normal favorite beauty product: nail polish and lipstick

7 Comments

  1. I’m really happy that Clean & Clear made this new Oil Absorbing collection! Clearly there is a need for products catering to oily skin as much as already blemished skin. While I enjoyed both products, my clear favorite of the two is the Oil Absorbing Treatment. I think the cleanser is good, but I’m more into gel cleansers. They just feel cleaner to me. As stated in my review, if they come out with a gel one for this line, I would run to my nearest drugstore to give it a try! 4 solid stars!

  2. I didn’t test this line, but I’ve been a Clean & Clear fan since I first started trolling the drugstore aisles in my teens! They have some pretty great products and are always affordable, what’s not to love? Even as my beauty budget expanded I would always go back to a few Clean & Clear faves. I’ve always liked their Oil Absorbing Sheets and have a package in my tote bag as we speak. They do a nice job of getting rid of midday shine without removing makeup.

  3. I too, have owned many Clean & Clear Products, and I was happy to test the new line out. These are an affordable option for nice oil control and if you have mild breakouts. The things I really like about the line, is both the cleanser and the oil absorbing treatment have a nice, mild smell, not really strong like some blemish fighting products. I also like that they weren’t too drying for me and did provide a decent amount of oil and blemish control. I also like that this line uses salicylic acid in it, for blemish control, but no benzoic acid, found in some acne fighters, which bleaches my towels! I felt the same way about the cleanser being so creamy, it was hard to rinse off. All in all, 4 solid stars, I will continuing using the duo as needed for breakouts and oil!

  4. I haven’t used Clean & Clear since I was a teen. Honestly, I was a little hesitant because it didn’t work for me at the time (although my acne was basically immune to everything thrown at it, except Accutane). But I was pleasantly surprised to see that this drugstore classic brand has really stepped up their game! I tried both the cleanser and the lotion. While the cleanser was good, I felt like I had to use a lot more product than with some of my more concentrated cleansers. It did a decent job of replacing my usual cleanser (although I always use a makeup removing wipe before using cleanser). I feel like it got my skin pretty clean, and did keep my acne down pretty well. I feel like the oil control lotion is really the star though. It dries down nicely, helped treat my acne, and didn’t affect the color or length of wear of my foundation. Honestly, I might start buying that instead of my MAC Oil Control Lotion! It has a faint fresh scent but nothing strong. Four stars for the cleanser, five stars for the lotion.

  5. I’ve used Clean & Clear face washes, lotions, body washes (Their Clear Skin body wash was discontinued, but it was THE BEST), and those blotting sheets for decades now, so I was excited to try the Oil Absorbing face wash because I actually hadn’t tried it yet.

    While cream cleansers aren’t my favorite (I’m a scrub kind of girl), this was still a nice face wash–it has a light, slightly astringent smell (not unpleasant or overpowering), was rich and creamy, dissolved makeup admirably, and left my skin feeling soft. It even kept my oily shine at bay a bit (enough to be noticeable, but not completely). It helped clear current breakouts a little bit, but did nothing to stop future breakouts on me. Also worth noting: this didn’t feel truly rinsed off unless I wiped it off with a wet washcloth.

    It’s a face cleanser that’s good for the rotation, but not as the sole face cleanser you use. I find that I like to use this when I’m removing my makeup before going to the gym (on those rare occasions…lol) or when I come home and it’s not bedtime yet, but I want to take my makeup off and plan to wash my skin again at bedtime. I also sometimes use this as a face mask when I’m taking a tub bath and feel that helps a bit with healing the breakout that I already have. Overall, it’s a nice cleanser–4 stars from me, one star deduction for not better controlling future breakouts.

  6. Hi Manda,

    I just wanted to let you know that we included this post in Glam’s “Best of the Beauty Blogs” this week. Keep up the great work!

    -Valis

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