La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M On your shelf ✓
€0.63 an application · about 30 usesOur review, 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.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
€0.63 an applicationabout 30 uses from 40 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €20 as read in September 2026 and a 40 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.63 an application, about 30 uses from 40 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if your barrier is already sensitised or compromised: the acids can sting broken or over-exfoliated skin.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragranced (parfum on the label)
- a moisturiser in a tube
- leaves a film: dimethicone
Facts off the label and the pack only. How it feels on a face is not something this page will say without having used it.
The formula, in order
every ingredient at its place on the label
Coloured by the job each one 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
- fed it in culture
- inferred from the chain length
- did not feed it
- never tested
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
1 ingredient on this label fed Malassezia in culture (glyceryl stearate), 1 is inferred to; the follicle species grew on it.
Each result is a pure ingredient on a lab dish, never this product on skin.
where this comes from
- glyceryl stearate
The growth of all Malassezia spp. in the presence of free acids, free acid esters, and fatty alcohols with a fatty chain length above 12 carbon atoms was observed.
DOI 10.3390/cosmetics6030045 - myristyl myristateInferred from the chain length: Except for elaidinic and nervonic acids, all saturated and unsaturated fatty acids tested support growth.PMID 1249447
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Glycerin: This one works on contact: there is nothing to wait for.
how it was measured
Measured on stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance after a single application; on contact, by mechanism.
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.
What only this label says
Salicylic acid (BHA) is 33th of 35, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Xanthan Gum at position 29; below it the order is the brand's choice and 7 ingredients share that tail.
Myristyl Myristate (Fulton 5) sits 17th, above the 1% line.
why
Fulton comedogenic rating 5 on the published rabbit-ear scale, from the row in our base; position 17 of 35 on the label.
≈ €0.50/ml, above the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml).
why
~€20 for 40 ml, checked September 2026; the median of the 28 moisturizers in the catalogue with a known size.
Niacinamide is the 5th of 35 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 5 of 35 on the label as printed; compared with the 111 other labels in the catalogue that carry a vitamin.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Niacinamide and Isohexadecane.
2 of the 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base (Glycerin and Niacinamide); Salicylic acid (BHA), Zinc PCA and Isohexadecane are moderate.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens, though fragrance is listed. What the 26 are →
How to use it, and when
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 not to layer it with
- Retinoids (retinol, tretinoin)
- Benzoyl peroxide
- Other exfoliating acids the same night
Where in your skin it works
1 of its 5 placed actives acts below the dead surface layer, 4 on or in it: 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.
How it compares with 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.
Full ingredients list, decoded
20 of these 35 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 15 we cannot place are left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 35 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/Water/EauSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- Isocetyl StearateEmollient (ester)
- NiacinamideVitaminmild irritant
- Isopropyl Lauroyl SarcosinateEmollient (ester)
- SilicaAbsorbent
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateThickener
- Oryza Sativa Starch/Rice StarchTexture
- Punica Granatum Pericarp ExtractAntioxidant
- Potassium Cetyl PhosphateEmulsifier
- Sorbitan OleateEmulsifier
- Zinc PCAZinc salt
- Glyceryl Stearate SEEmulsifier
- IsohexadecaneEmollient
- Sodium HydroxidePh adjustermild irritant
- Myristyl MyristateEmollientmay clog pores
- 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
- MannoseHumectant
- Poloxamer 338Surfactant
- PropanediolHumectant
- Hydroxyethoxyphenyl Butanone
- Capryloyl Salicylic AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Vitreoscilla FermentBotanical extract
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- MaltodextrinThickener
- 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
- Acrylamide/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer
- 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
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Add it to your shelf and the app puts it in the right step and checks it against what you already use.
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.
Dupes? The closest formulas we have
The 3 products of the same kind sharing the most of its 6 actives. A count, not a likeness: the rest of each label, its base and its preservation, is what the count leaves out.
shares 3 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
19 duels are built for this moisturizer, CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion and Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
Is the salicylic acid (BHA) in La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M enough to do anything?
Salicylic acid (BHA) is 33th of 35, under the 1% line: a trace, not a treatment. Below the 1% line the rules stop requiring descending order, so an ingredient there can be any trace amount the brand likes.
Is myristyl myristate a problem for clogged pores in La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M?
Myristyl Myristate (Fulton 5) sits 17th, above the 1% line. The Fulton scale rates an isolated ingredient on rabbit ears, not a finished formula on a face, so the position on the label is as much of the answer as the number.
Is La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M expensive per ml?
≈ €0.50/ml, above the median moisturizer in our catalogue (€0.18/ml). A price per millilitre says nothing about what the formula does; it only tells you how the bottle compares with the others of its kind we have priced.
How high up the list is the niacinamide in La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ M?
Niacinamide is the 5th of 35 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 5th of 35 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
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.
