PAIR Acne Cream W is a Japanese spot treatment made by Lion Corporation. In Japan it is sold as a Class 2 over-the-counter medicine for external use — a medicine, not a cosmetic. Lion's official wording for what it is for is: breakouts and acne.

Active ingredients

Ibuprofen piconol (IPPN) 3.0% · Isopropyl methylphenol (IPMP) 0.3%

How to use

After washing your face with soap, apply an appropriate amount to the affected spot, several times a day. Apply it to the breakout itself and not to the wide area around it. Once the treated spot has dried, follow with your toner and the rest of your moisturising steps.

Lion states that the cream turns transparent on the skin, so makeup can be applied over it, and that it may also be used on breakouts on the back and chest.

Read the full directions, translated from the official Japanese insert →

Sizes

14 g and 24 g.

Before you use it

Do not apply to the eyes or the area around them. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist first if you are under a doctor's care, if you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine or a cosmetic, or if the affected area is badly weeping or broken. Stop using it and seek advice if you notice a rash or redness, itching, stinging, swelling, or dryness and tightness — or if your skin has not improved after about a month. For external use only. Children should use it under a guardian's supervision.

Full ingredient list: ibuprofen piconol, isopropyl methylphenol, stearyl alcohol, polysorbate 60, edetate sodium, paraben, diisopropanolamine, octyldodecanol, 1,3-butylene glycol, carboxyvinyl polymer, fragrance.

Product information translated from the manufacturer's official Japanese package leaflet. This is not medical advice, and the instructions supplied with your own pack always take precedence.