While I was looking for an affordable drugstore fungal acne safe exfoliant, I came across a great option. Stridex. Where do you buy Stridex in Canada you ask? You can’t. Sadly, Stridex isn’t found in Canadian drugstores. You could try to shop online like iherb or just pop in the states to grab a bottle. But. Honestly, the work and the thought of the cost of duties makes me stressed.However, while browsing the web, I came across Reddit thread that claims Life Brand’s Clear Action Daily Cleansing Pads are a dupe/ alternative to Stridex. In this post, I will compare the two daily exfoliant pads and see if the Life brand pads is truely a Stridex dupe.
Quick summary: In case you don’t know what is Stridex or what it does. Stridex is an exfoliant. It contains salicylic acid. Salicylic Acid is a BHA that exfoliates on the skin surface and deep in the pore. It usually works best for oily skin to unclog pores and help treat acne. Check out Paula Choice’s page for more information on BHA.
Ingredients comparison:
Stridex
They are quite similar. They both have 2% salicylic acid, citric acid, surfactants, and preservatives. A notable difference is that Stridex has more surfactants than the Life brand one. Also, Stridex contains menthol, which gives that cooling feeling.
pad comparison
As you can see in the picture the pads are quite different. The Life pads are smaller and more textured compared to the Stridex one. The Stridex pads are softer and the emboss is less defined.
The Feeling
Another notable difference is that the Stridex pads have a cooling feeling while the Life Brand Clear Action pads do not have the cooling effect.
Personally, I don’t really like “cool” feeling anything. Any cool feeling that you experience is just your skin reacting to irritants. If you have serious acne or senstive skin it can feel as if Stridex is burning your skin or possibly making your acne worst :s If you have sensitive skin, try to avoid any “cooling” products.
Thoughts
Although, I don’t think are a dupe, they are somewhat similar. They both are affordable options for BHA. However, they offer different experiences.
Personally, I find the Life pads a little too rough for my liking. If you rub too hard it could irritate your skin. I would suggest you gently wipe the pad over your face rather than scrub.
The Stridex pads, on the other hand, are soft but it has that cooling feeling. The pads are softer but they added menthol (aka an irritating ingredient) which could be irritating to some.
Which do I like better?
Honestly, it really depends on you. BUT if I had to choose. I would choose life pads since you can try to be gentle with the pads, wheres the Stridex you really have no choice but just deal with the cooling feeling. However, if you like the cooling feeling,( aka it could irritate your skin) you can opt for the Stridex.
Kinda on the fence on both. I can’t really say for their effectiveness.
However, in general, they are quite similar but it is not a Stridex dupe.
Looking for exfoliants? Check out my review on Fungal Acne safe Exfoliants Review and one of my favorite exfoliants Drunk Elephant Sukari BabyFacial
A beauty lover that loves everything about beauty and skincare. She is always on the lookout to find the new “it” product. Whether it is budget friendly or high end, she plans to share with others her beauty adventures and beauty experiences on this blog.