Acne affects almost 17 million people in the United States. Accordingly, pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies have targeted this large market by developing a vast range of skin care products to clean and clear your skin of acne.

Here in this article, we'll address the different fads, brands, types and ingredients with regard to the best acne products so you can confidently enter that daunting cleansers aisle. When finished, you should have a good idea of the different non acne medication options out there.

Over the Counter Acne Products

Benzoyl Peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide, the or one of the most common over the counter acne solutions out there, functions by killing the bacteria that causes acne and by eliminating excess skin. The P. acnes bacteria cannot survive in an aerobic, or with oxygen, environment. By introducing oxygen into the follicle, benzoyl peroxide kills this bacteria. Unfortunately, benzoyl peroxide dries the skin and damages the skin structures due to its release of free radicals. Proactiv, a product made popular by infomercials, utilizes benzoyl peroxide in its main product line.

Salicylic Acid

Pimple products with salicylic acid assist the skin in shedding excess skin cells more efficiently, thereby reducing the likelihood that skin cells will combine with sebum and form pore-clogging keratin. Salicylic acid is effective when found in whitehead and blackhead products. The popular brands utilizing salicylic acid include Stridex, Noxzema and Oxy.

Alcohol and Acetone

Alcohol and acetone, typically found together, are used as oily skin acne treatments, typically toners and astringents. The alcohol attacks the bacteria problem while the acetone eliminates oil.

Sulfur and Resorcinol

Sulfur and resorcinol are also usually sold together as an acne product. Scientists are still not sure how sulfur works on acne, even though its use as a way to become acne free has been in place for more than 50 years. Resorcinol prevents whiteheads and blackheads by removing excess dead skin cells. Clearsil's 'medicated' blemish line utilizes sulfur and resorcinol as main ingredients.

Natural Acne Products

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is a powerful antiseptic and anti-fungal when applied topically. Skin can be sensitive to tea tree oil so treatment should begin with low dosages or be diluted with water or aloe vera gel.

Licorice Root Extract

Licorice root extract is an antimicrobial that kills the acne-causing bacteria P. acnes. It also is an anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, antioxidant and sebum inhibitor.

Garlic

Garlic is an antibacterial that also happens to have sulfur.

Alpine Willow Herb Extract

This extract is a natural source of keratolytic salicylic acid in addition to being an antimicrobial.

Helix Aspersa Muller Glycoconjugates

All top acne products, not exclusively natural treatments, should include this miracle ingredient. These glycoconjugates stimulate the cell reparation process (proving extremely useful for diminishing the appearance of acne scars) and manage the body's inflammatory reaction to infections. This cuts down on the number of damaging chemicals released by the body's white blood cells as they fight foreign entities, protecting the adjacent healthy skin against unnecessary injury. It also exfoliates the skin naturally with enzymes, preventing skin pores from becoming blocked, and cleanses the skin of bacteria without causing extreme drying.