joylab acne hero spot gel

ever since stopping my birth control, i'm struggling with acne on daily basis now. especially around my period, it got worse. i became friends with acne spot gel and i've been trying to find a good one but so far, none seems to satisfy me. anyway, i spotted this joylab acne spot gel while window-shopping and bought it on a whim. i just hoped it won't disappoint me.

this is the description from their website: combat acne, clearer skin, control sebum. acne hero spot gel contains 2% salicylic acid which is effective against acne-causing bacteria. there is sodium PCA which helps maintain skin moisture, and the greatness of centella asiatica, cucumber extract and allantoin is able to cool and treat skin to keep it smooth, soft and not dry. 

key ingredients:

- 2% salicylic acid: fights acne-causing bacteria and clears blackheads that clog pores. 

- centella asiatica: soothes sensitive skin and accelerates the healing of irritated skin.

- sodium PCA: helps maintain skin moisture and protect the skin barrier.

- cucumber extract:  fades redness stains due to acne.

- allantoin: increases moisture and keeps skin texture smooth.

the packaging: it comes in white/blue plastic pouch with big transparent window at front so you can see the product from the outside. there's descriptions at the back of the pouch as well as the ingredients list. you can just rip the top part off to get the gel out of the pouch. the gel itself comes in a white tube with blue text written at front to indicate the name of the product. when you screw the cap off, you can see the short spout to dispense the gel, which is similar to other acne spot gel from other brands. it comes in 12 ml.

the scent: there's no antiseptic scent from this gel, considering some acne spot gel smells like antiseptic.

the product: it's a milky white gel that's easy to spread around and melts into watery traces when being spread around. it doesn't leave any marks like some acne treatment product when it's dried. it's completely transparent so it's safe to use even in the morning. but i prefer to use this at night only. 

the result: on whitehead, this spot gel fasten up the maturity process. usually, i will just pop it manually. but lately, i've found acne stickers and found it to be effective, so naturally i'd put one on whitehead to suck up all the nastiness completely. on cystic acne, when it's just newly formed, it will reduce the inflammation and sometimes, it will vanish completely after a day or two. but sometimes, the swelling will keep on going and it will form whitehead. then i'll put another sticker to suck the gunk out. 

compared to the previous acne spot gel that i've used before, this one works more effectively in vanishing smaller whiteheads. on early cystic acne as well. combined with acne sticker, this works like an awesome duo. i just wish i can find something to prevent the acne from keep popping out. anyway, this one is quite effective as an acne spot gel, so i'm quite happy with this accidental discovery. price wise, it's affordable. i was tempted to keep buying this one, but then i spotted another one, so let's see how it goes. if it doesn't work, i'll surely repurchase this.