La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M On your shelf ✓
Our read, in one look
Niacinamide is the reason to consider this moisturizer, with Salicylic acid (BHA) behind it.
The case for it
- Niacinamide, strong evidence for the barrier
- Salicylic acid (BHA), moderate evidence for oil and breakouts
- No alcohol or parabens
Mind this
- Sunscreen the next day, acids leave skin more sun-sensitive
- Myristyl Myristate: rates high on the pore-clogging scale
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readLa Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Salicylic acid (BHA). It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. One caveat: very breakout-prone skin may find it too rich.
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
The formula, drawn
Every ingredient in label order, coloured by the job it does here.
28 of the 35 sit above the 1% line. The other 7, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
What it delivers
How it feels A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. (estimated from the formula)
What's in it that matters
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Multitasking vitamin that improves barrier, reduces redness, regulates oil, helps with pores and pigmentation with strong clinical support.
Oil-soluble exfoliant that penetrates pores to reduce blackheads and breakouts; can be drying or irritating if overused.
Zinc salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid that reduces sebum and provides antimicrobial and anti inflammatory support with good tolerability.
Lightweight, non-greasy emollient that improves slip and reduces greasiness in creams and sunscreens.
Lipophilic salicylic derivative that provides targeted keratolysis and pore clearing with gentler peels for pigment and fine lines than stronger AHAs.
How to use it
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
Keep it away from
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where it acts
The same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Capryloyl Salicylic Acidderived from what it is
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Isohexadecanederived from what it is
- Salicylic acid (BHA)derived from what it is
The living epidermis
- Niacinamideestablished, sourced
5 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend. 1 did not, so it is not on the diagram: no source and no honest derivation means no dot.
Sources for the sourced ones: Boo 2021: mechanistic basis for topical nicotinamide; Ebanks et al. 2009: mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation.
Against the average moisturizer
It scores higher than the median moisturizer on brightening and oil control.
On hydration, barrier repair and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
The full ingredients list, decoded
Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first). We link the 18 our library knows, name what each one does, and flag anything that can irritate or clog. The rest we leave plain, nothing is hidden.
All 35 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/Water/EauSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Isocetyl Stearate
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- Isopropyl Lauroyl SarcosinateCleansing agent
- SilicaAbsorbent
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate
- Oryza Sativa Starch/Rice StarchTexture
- Punica Granatum Pericarp ExtractBotanical extract
- Potassium Cetyl PhosphatepH buffer
- Sorbitan OleateEmulsifier
- Zinc PCAZinc salt
- Glyceryl Stearate SEEmulsifier
- IsohexadecaneEmollient
- Sodium HydroxidePh adjustermild irritant
- Myristyl MyristateEmollientmay clog pores
- 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
- Mannose
- Poloxamer 338
- PropanediolHumectant
- Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone
- Capryloyl Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Vitreoscilla FermentBotanical extract
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Trisodium Ethylenediamine DisuccinateChelator (stabiliser)
- Maltodextrin
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Xanthan Gum down, these 7 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- Xanthan GumThickener
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- Polysorbate 80Emulsifier
- Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Piroctone Olamine
- Parfum/FragranceFragrancecan irritate
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Isocetyl Stearate, Niacinamide, Isopropyl Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Silica, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Oryza Sativa Starch/Rice Starch, Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sorbitan Oleate, Zinc PCA, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Isohexadecane, Sodium Hydroxide, Myristyl Myristate, 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol, Mannose, Poloxamer 338, Propanediol, Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Vitreoscilla Ferment, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 80, Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Salicylic Acid, Piroctone Olamine, Parfum/Fragrance
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Compare it with…
All 10 comparisons
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- Effaclar Duo+ M vs Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion
Common questions
Is La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, oily skin. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M is a moisturizer built around Glycerin, Niacinamide and Salicylic acid (BHA). It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and oily skin. One caveat: very breakout-prone skin may find it too rich.
How do you use La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M?
In the evening, and not every night: 2–3 times a week is plenty. Follow with a moisturiser, and wear sunscreen the next day.
What are the key ingredients in La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Niacinamide, Salicylic acid (BHA), Zinc PCA, Isohexadecane, Capryloyl Salicylic Acid. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M beside a cross-section of skin, with 4 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Capryloyl Salicylic Acid and Glycerin and Salicylic acid (BHA) in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; Niacinamide in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
