I have battled with acne since I hit puberty. Over the past 18 years or so, I’ve tried almost every remedy under the sun: drug-store brands, prescription cleansers, as-seen-on-TV systems, you name it, I’ve probably used it!

While my acne these days isn’t nearly as it bad as it was 18 years ago, I’m still prone to breakouts if I don’t wash my face on a regular basis. Throw in post-pregnancy hormone swings, and my skin is all sorts of whacky. It gets tiring, but what can you do?

Well, enter Bioré. It was like the freebie gods were looking down on me, because I was sent not one, but two different products to try and test! While my usual facial cleanser was doing an alright job I was still having the odd breakout, so I was curious to see if switching up cleansers would have any affect.

Bioré Baking Soda Pore Cleanser (L) and Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub (R).

I first gave the Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub a try as it was the most intriguing. Basically, it’s a powder scrub that’s activated by water; you pore a quarter-size amount into the palm of your hand, let it get wet, and then science happens and you have a scrub!

To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the scrub. It had an odd lemony scent and tingled more than my liking while I washed my face. Also, my face felt slimy even after rinsing the scrub off throughly with hot water. So, how well did it work? Well, for my skin, not so well. I washed with it once a day (my usual face washing regime) for just shy of a week and was broken out more than when I started using the scrub. It was a bit of a letdown and when I saw the price tag at my local big-box retail store I was surprised! Not worth the hefty price, IMO.

After that letdown, I moved onto the Baking Soda Pore Cleanser. While I was preparing myself for more less than stellar results, I’m actually pleased to say that I had better results than the scrub. The scent is pleasant, there was no irritating tingling sensation, and I was able to manage my acne better than the scrub. I’ve been using the cleanser for about three weeks and haven’t had any more breakouts to speak of. The cleanser definitely trumps the scrub!

Of course, the question of the hour is, would I be willing to switch to the Bioré Baking Soda Cleanser from my usual brand? Keeping with the whole “full honesty” policy of this review, most likely not. I don’t think the Bioré cleanser is doing a better job than my usual cleanser at keeping acne at bay, and since it’s about $1.50 more in price it’s not worth it to me.

So, final verdict? Cleanser: Okay, Scrub: Nay. Perhaps someone with a different skin type may have different results, but for my wonky skin it was just alright.

Full disclosure: I received these products for free from Influenster in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.