e.l.f.

e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream.

Acne

About this product

A lightweight, fragrance-free moisturizer containing 1% salicylic acid and 4% niacinamide, designed to treat and prevent blemishes while calming redness and controlling oil production.

Full ingredients

Salicylic Acid (1%), Water (Aqua), Niacinamide, Glycerin, Silica, Propanediol, Isododecane, Tranexamic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Tromethamine, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Phenoxyethanol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Capryloyl Glycine, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Xanthan Gum, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Disodium EDTA, Caprylic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288)

Guru Score

85%

Yay

Early verdict · Few reviews so far

What the gurus are saying

This lightweight cream delivers 1% salicylic acid without the dryness and irritation that typically comes with acne treatments. Its green tint and matte finish work for both breakouts and rough skin while helping with redness and dark spots, and it sits comfortably under morning sunscreen. Dermatologists highlighted the balanced actives (4% niacinamide strong enough to help, not so high it increases irritation) and called the $12 price point smart.

Synthesized from 2 expert reviews · most recent take May 2025

What they liked

Lightweight, sinks in like water
Matte finish, no shine or greasiness
Green tint calms redness visibly

What they flagged

Overuse of the salicylic acid could cause irritation

Best for

Oily skin Acne-prone skin

Type

AcneCream

Key actives

Niacinamide Salicylic acid (BHA)Vitamin E

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Where to buy

Ulta → Amazon → Google →

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What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Yay

"This I ended up really really liking quite a bit. But I think it's a bit underrated, like flies under the radar because it's their acne calming water cream. If you don't have acne and you're not in the know, you're going to dance on right by this. But what this is is a 1% salicylic acid facial moisturizer, fragrance-free. So that's helpful for smoothing dry rough skin texture if you got keratosis pilaris."

All 4 takes from Dr Dray

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"The thing I liked about this is it also has niacinamide, which if you tolerate it is a good ingredient for acne, hyperpigmentation, and redness. This is a promising product. It [...] has tranexamic acid, which applied to the skin may be helpful for redness, though questionable how effective it is for hyperpigmentation. When we're talking about melasma, oral tranexamic acid that you take by mouth definitely is effective for melasma, but applying it to the skin remains TBD."

I Finished A TON Of Skincare & Hair Care | 2025 Empties

E.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Is Cheap & Effective

"This is a very lightweight cream with a green tint, fragrance-free. The green tint is great because it offers a little bit of color correction for redness, so if you've got a lot of acne breakouts going on and a lot of facial redness, this is a great formulation because it's not heavy, it's not greasy, and you get that color correction from the green tint plus you get those actives left on the skin. It's $12. I've been using this for several weeks and my experience has been pretty good."

Skincare We Need To Discuss | December 2024 Mini-Reviews

"I really really like this and the price point is so good. Skincare has gotten really expensive, like a lot of the drugstore brands are honestly not cheap by any means, but elf has managed to stay strong with keeping their price points affordable and competitive. This is a [...] 2024 discovery right here that I will continue to recommend."

Doctor Anne

56k subs

✓Yay

"This is the surprise favorite of the three products, as it is really lightweight, doesn't add any shine, and is particularly enjoyed around the time of the month when congestion and breakouts show up on the cheeks. It feels like nothing, keeps the skin matte, and works well underneath sunscreen in the mornings."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid dissolves in oil, so it can get into a pore rather than just working on the surface. That is why it has long-standing evidence for blackheads and milder acne.

Source: DermNet

Tranexamic acid

Tranexamic acid has a growing body of clinical evidence for melasma and the stubborn patches of pigment that other ingredients struggle with.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream?

A lightweight, fragrance-free moisturizer containing 1% salicylic acid and 4% niacinamide, designed to treat and prevent blemishes while calming redness and controlling oil production.

Is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream worth it?

Yes. All 2 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 85%.

What is e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream's Guru Score?

e.l.f. SKIN Blemish Breakthrough Acne Calming Water Cream holds a Guru Score of 85%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 2 expert reviewers we have collected.