Accutane Survival Guide: Top Essentials to Make it Through Accutane

Accutane can be a real game (life) changer for those struggling with breakouts that are unresponsive to all other treatments.

I shared my journey to accutane and experience taking it here (and a bit here as well), but I wanted to create a round-up of the [essential] products that got me through those 6-7 months. I did so much research to be as prepared as I could be before taking my first dose, but at the end of the day, it’s all about trial and error. These are the hero products that saved my skin from becoming a desert and most importantly, aided the treatment by letting it do its thing. You don’t want to use any other type of “treatment” during accutane such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, retinol, serums, etc. Plain, simple, and hydrated is the name of the game here—let the medicine go to work. I have broken the categories up and included items at different price points. I will also indicate which of these items are super key and which are nice to have.

Lips /

Glossier Mint Balm Dot Com — This stuff is thick. And the particular mint in this formula feels so soothing to what I used to call “fire lips” haha. They were definitely chapped and dry, but they would also burn. This was like an extinguisher. More than any other lip treatment (and I tried them ALL) this stayed on my lips to create a barrier of moisture, almost everything else soaked into my lips immediately. My lips also peeled a lot, this helped tremendously with encouraging the dry skin to flake off.

Clinique Moisture Surge Lip Hydro-Plump Treatment — I found this one as a recommendation through my favorite Paula’s Choice. This is also very thick and for me was like a souped-up version of Aquaphor. At nighttime, I would sometimes layer this with the Glossier. I was not caught dead without either.

Moisture /

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion — This is a staple in my routine, accutane or not. I loved to layer this one with the cream as well, this first followed by sealing it with a thick layer of the cream. I would also apply this in the AM, underneath SPF for extra moisture.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream — Now, this one is so so good, crucial while on accutane for both face and body. It’s too thick to use on my face while not on accutane, but during it was a lifesaver. Their new packaging (which introduces a pump!) keeps things more hygienic than dipping your fingers in. I would generously rub this between my hands and massage it into my entire face. It was great going over the lips as a pre-lip balm, and around the delicate eye area as that got dry too. I additionally used this on my body throughout treatment. My hands and arms, in particular, were very dry and this helped greatly.

Aveeno Positively Radiant SPF 30 — As you know, SPF is verrry important to use while on accutane. The skin is very thin and the high content of vitamin A you are taking means you are at very increased risk when exposed to the sun (basically the skin cells are shedding so much, what you are exposing is very fresh skin that is susceptible to burning easier). I really like this one as it is oil-free, thick, and hydrating. Use on the back of the hands as well. I still continue to use this.

Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask — Hello moisture! I would use this a few times a week as a sleeping mask, sometimes over the CeraVe cream. This makes the skin baby soft and helped to combat any redness I had. Also a great base for the lip pre-balm. I still use this as well today.

Clinique Moisture Surge Spray — This spray was crucial. I would use it as a toner after cleansing, and also for a mid-day blast of moisture as-needed (which was definitely needed). I went through these very quickly, but it was definitely worth it. I also used this one sometimes as a drug store dupe, but not quite as good.

Cleanse /

Youth to the People Kale + Green Tea Spinach Vitamins Superfood Cleanser — That’s quite a name, but WOW. Where has this been my whole life? So, disclaimer: I didn’t use this while I was on accutane (because it didn’t exist) but it was exactly what I was looking for. I often found that even the most simple cleansers were too stripping. This would have been perfect. It foams just the right amount and never feels drying, yet you feel perfectly cleansed. I highly recommend, it’s my current game changer.

Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser — This brand snuck up on me while taking accutane. I had never heard of it before and would have considered it a top contender during my years and years of breakouts. It’s the perfect balance of creamy yet cleansing, all without soap or oil in the formula. Such a good drugstore find and what I used throughout taking accutane. Also great for removing makeup as your first cleanse (I did double cleanse still while on accutane).

Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub — As mentioned in my Clear Skin Guide, this is one of my favorite face wash/scrubs of all time. It super gentle and non-drying so it’s safe to use while on accutane. I didn’t do this daily or anything like that, but when I felt a build-up of dry/dead skin, this was my go-to maybe once a week.

St. Ive’s Calming Chamomile Daily Cleanser — This one is new as well but very worth mentioning. It reminds me of a drugstore dupe of the Superfood cleanser. I use this to remove makeup currently or as a cleanser in the AM when you don’t need something very thorough.

Muslin Facial Cloths — These are so so thin and amazing for cleansing the skin very gently. After removing makeup with the first cleanse, I lather this up and gently move over my skin for the second cleanse. Similar to the Neutrogena scrub, this helped with sloughing off any dead/dry skin. I still continue to use one of these every evening.

Foundation /

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream — Stop your foundation search. I’m not sure what it is about this product because for all intents and purposes, the ingredient list terrifies me. It’s a hot mess of oils and fragrance…but so many people talk about this, I had to try for myself. It’s somehow never broken me out and has the most beautiful coverage. This would be great for accutane. Again, it didn’t exist while I was on it, but was exactly what I was looking for. I also use this currently on a regular basis.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation — This is what I used while on accutane. This is one of my all-time favorite products for foundation. It gives beautiful, natural coverage. IF you are properly moisturized, this would be great while using accutane. If you’re extremely dry, don’t use this. It will bring attention to dryness. I would put this on after moisturizing and SPF and lock it in with the Moisture Surge spray. Before accutane, I was extremely oily and this always looked too shiny on me (including the matte version). Since your oil production is non-existent during accutane, this was perfect. Post-accutane, my skin isn’t very oily any longer, (I still get some shine, but nowhere near what it was) so this is a product I continue to use and love in my routine.

And there we have it! My little skincare army while on accutane. It’s amazing how many of these I continue to use today. Tell me in the comments the products you used/are using while on accutane. I’m happy to answer any questions or make other recommendations if the category you’re looking for isn’t here.

XAshley