This post will be reviewing The Inkey List Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment.
Despite having dry acne-prone skin, I’ve never really been a fan of spot treatments. I just thought they were a waste of time especially since I always have a Salicylic Acid product at hand. Having one extra product isn’t going to prevent my acne anyway. If I’m gonna break out, there’s no stopping it. It doesn’t help that I’m currently using the Geek & Gorgeous Retinal and 20% Azelaic Acid and I’ve been purging quite a bit.
How wrong was I!
While this product did not prevent my breakouts, it sure as hell stopped it at the tracks and preventing them from scarring. I immediately fell in love and I’m more than happy to share my thoughts and experience with this product.
Let’s get right into it!
First Impressions of The Inkey List Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment
According to The Inkey List;
Clear blemishes fast, reduce inflammation and prevent clogged pores with our non-drying, targeted treatment. With a cream formula, it is easily layered under makeup without drying or flaking.
With 2% Succinic Acid, the treatment gently reduces blemish size, reduces oil levels and unblock pores whilst also helping prevent them from clogging again after use. Combined with 2% Sulfur and 1% Salicylic Acid, this targeted treatment will help shrink blemishes and blackheads whilst remaining gentle on the skin.
Ingredient List & Fragrance
The product is formulated with core ingredients including;
- 2% Sulfur
- 1% Salicylic Acid
- 2% Succinic Acid
Anyone that has acne-prone skin is familiar with Salicylic Acid and Sulfur as acne-fighting ingredients. But where the hell did Succinic Acid come from?! This is where The Inkey List has, unfortunately, being accused of shady marketing. Succinic Acid is simply a buffering ingredient that helps to stabilize the pH of a product. But why did The Inkey List promote it to look like Succinic Acid is a ground-breaking ingredient when Sulfur and Salicylic Acid are pretty much doing all of the leg work?
Anyway, the conversation around The Inkey List and their shady marketing practices is a conversation for another day. They’re just lucky this product is amazing!
Asides from the core ingredients, it is also formulated with Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate and Squalane to ensure a non-drying formula. Some brands always create drying formulas targeted towards oily acne-prone skin. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m glad The Inkey List took the opposite route.
Like the rest of the products, it is alcohol, essential oil, fragrance and cruelty-free.
Texture & Consistency
The product has a creamy texture with a thin consistency. As a spot treatment, you really don’t need that much anyway so the texture is just perfect. I don’t wear makeup so I haven’t really tried to see how well it goes under makeup. But it doesn’t pill or leave a tacky finish so I suspect it would work well under makeup. Although, if I were you, I would use it on non-makeup days as makeup clogs your pores already.
One quite distinctive feature of this product is its colour. According to The Inkey List;
The green coloured formula (obtained from natural chlorophyll derived from plant pigment) acts as a colour corrector to neutralise the red colour from blemishes.
Packaging, Price & Avaliability
It comes in a tiny 15ml applicator tube which is perfect for precise application. You only just need to squeeze out a tiny amount and apply it directly on your breakout.
It retails for $9/£7 and is mostly available where you get your skincare products from. For the price, it’s not too bad, to be honest, especially since it would last quite a while.
Review of The Inkey List Blemish Treatment
I currently have an arsenal of acne-fighting products including a Salicylic Acid Cleanser, a BHA Liquid Exfoliant, a BHA Masque and pimple patches. I alternate these products depending on the severity of my breakouts. If my skin is purging, I reach out for heavy-duty products. But if I just wake up with a big zit on my forehead, I gravitate towards a pimple patch or a spot treatment. It’s important to have a variety of products so that they can be used appropriately.
Performance
I’ve used this product a few times and every single time, it blows me away by how fast it reduces inflammations and literally clears my breakout. Like, I can apply it at noon, top-up at night and by the next day, my breakout has literally disappeared. It’s incredible!
When I break out in multiple places at once, I just apply it in all the different spots and go about my day. No, I haven’t tried to go outdoors looking like that. But if I’m gonna be indoors all day, I simply do not care.
As for layering, I don’t apply it during my skincare routine. Instead, I wait a few minutes after my skincare routine, clean the area with a q-tip and apply it. It works just as well.
But most importantly, it prevents my breakouts from scarring which I think is the winner for me.
In Conclusion,
If you have dry, oily, combination or sensitive skin that is prone to breakouts and blemishes, you would not regret getting The Inkey List Succinic Acid Blemish Treatment. I feel like it works even faster than pimple patches in my opinion.
This is my very first spot treatment product and I haven’t been disappointed at all.
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