OXY

For anyone who fought teenage acne in the last fifty years, OXY needs little introduction — it's the benzoyl peroxide wash that has sat, in one aggressive-looking bottle or another, on drugstore shelves since around 1974. In 2024 the brand marked its 50th anniversary with a relaunch, a reminder that its blunt, no-nonsense approach to breakouts has outlasted countless trendier competitors.

OXY is a brand of The Mentholatum Company, an American firm founded in 1889 that has, since 1988, been owned by the Japanese pharmaceutical group Rohto — giving OXY both deep manufacturing roots and the backing of a serious pharmaceutical parent. The formulas have always centered on benzoyl peroxide, the clinically proven acne active, delivered in cleansers, pads, and spot treatments at prices designed for a teenager's budget. The modern relaunch pairs that benzoyl peroxide with prebiotics, an acknowledgment that older acne washes could be needlessly stripping.

That history is the brand's real credential: OXY does one job — clearing and preventing inflammatory acne — and has done it, cheaply and effectively, for decades.

The honest read is that OXY is effective but not gentle. Benzoyl peroxide works, but the classic OXY formulations have a reputation for dryness and irritation, and the higher-strength versions can be too much for sensitive or dry skin. The prebiotic reformulation helps, but this is still a targeted acne treatment, not a skin-barrier love letter. For oily, resilient, breakout-prone skin that needs an affordable, proven benzoyl peroxide product, OXY earns its longevity — just introduce it slowly and moisturize.