Acure Skincare Guide: What to Buy for Your Skin Type

Acure is a low-cost vegan skincare brand that started as a small family business in 2010 and is run today by Better Planet Brands LLC, the company that owns its trademarks. It is best known for its Brightening Facial Scrub and for plant-heavy formulas that skip parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrance. Good picks are the Seriously Soothing line for sensitive or dry skin, the Ultra Hydrating line for dry skin, and the Brightening Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid serum for dull skin, as long as you check each label for essential oils.

Acure labels say a lot about what's left out. To see what's actually in a bottle, scan its barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori and check it against your skin type. Pori points out ingredients; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

This guide covers who makes Acure, its face-care lines, what suits each skin type, and the caveats behind its "clean" claims. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are Target prices as of November 2026.

Who owns Acure?

Acure's website and its US trademark filings name Better Planet Brands LLC as the company behind the brand. Acure says it was founded in 2010 and grew "from a small family business," and we found no announcement of a sale to a larger beauty group. The founders aren't named on the brand's own pages, so we don't name them here.

You may still see the name "Acure Organics." In 2018 the watchdog Truth in Advertising pointed out that only about 17% of the products listed on the brand's site carried the USDA Organic seal. A spokesperson replied that the brand's name is simply Acure and that some resellers had not updated it. Acure products are sold at Target, Whole Foods Market and online; the brand says it sells in thousands of stores.

What is Acure known for?

• Vegan, cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified. Acure says every product is vegan and cruelty-free, and that it doesn't sell in markets that require animal testing, such as mainland China. It also says it is Climate Neutral Certified.
• A "made without" list. The brand says it formulates without parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers, synthetic fragrances, phthalates and triclosan.
• Essential oils instead of synthetic fragrance. In Acure's own words, it uses "natural fragrances from essential oils (or none at all)."
• Low prices. Acure says its products start at $9.99, and most face products at Target cost $11.99 to $22.99.
• Made in the USA. Acure says its products are formulated and manufactured in the United States.

A "made without" list describes the formula's gaps and says little about whether a product will suit your skin. None of the excluded ingredients is a problem for most people at normal levels; see are parabens bad for skin and mineral oil in skincare.

What are Acure's main face-care lines?

• Brightening: the Brightening Facial Scrub, the brand's best seller, made with sea kelp and lemon peel; the Brightening Cleansing Gel; and the Brightening Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid serum.
• Ultra Hydrating: the Ultra Hydrating Green Juice Cleanser and the Ultra Hydrating 12 Hour Moisturizer, which Acure describes as lightweight, with spirulina and squalane, for all skin types.
• Seriously Soothing: a collection for reactive skin, which Acure calls fragrance-free and formulates with blue tansy, peony extract and colloidal oatmeal. It includes the Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream.
• Radically Rejuvenating: an anti-aging line that includes a cleansing cream and a niacinamide serum.
• Newer treatments: an AI Peptide Serum that pairs peptides with niacinamide, and the Resilience Eye Balm for fine lines.

Which Acure cleanser should I use?

The Brightening Cleansing Gel is a straightforward foaming wash. Its surfactants, such as lauryl glucoside and decyl glucoside, are on the mild side, and gluconolactone is a gentle PHA. The published list includes fragrance, so it suits skin that doesn't react to scent.

The Green Juice Cleanser is the one to read closely. Target sells it as "Unscented," yet the ingredient list published on INKEEDecoder includes orange peel, mandarin peel, rose geranium and jasmine oils. Essential oils give products a scent and can cause allergic reactions, so "unscented" here may only mean no added perfume. Check the list on the box you buy. For a cleanser with no scent at all, see our best cleanser for dry skin picks.

Which Acure products suit each skin type?

Dry skin

The Ultra Hydrating line is built for it. The Green Juice Cleanser has shea butter and sunflower seed oil, and the 12 Hour Moisturizer adds squalane. If you also react to scent, start with the Seriously Soothing products instead. Our dry skin routine shows how to layer.

Sensitive skin

Seriously Soothing is Acure's answer, with colloidal oatmeal, peony and blue tansy. One caveat: the published ingredient list for the Seriously Soothing Cleansing Cream includes Roman chamomile flower oil, which is an essential oil. Essential oils are a common cause of contact allergy. The products may be free of added fragrance and still contain scented plant oils. Our guide to sensitive skin triggers covers what to watch for, and our Honest Beauty guide shows a similar pattern at another "clean" brand.

Oily or combination skin

The Brightening Cleansing Gel is the best fit among the cleansers. We found no salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide wash among Acure's face products at Target in November 2026, so for breakouts you'll want a proven active from another brand; see best face wash for acne.

Dull skin and uneven tone

The Brightening Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid serum ($21.99, 1 fl oz, sold as oil-free) pairs vitamin C with ferulic acid, a combination studied for antioxidant protection. Acure doesn't state the vitamin C form or strength on the pages we read. See our vitamin C serum guide for what to look for.

Fine lines

The Radically Rejuvenating line, the AI Peptide Serum and the Resilience Eye Balm ($22.99 at Target) cover anti-aging. Acure also lists bakuchiol among its core actives. If you want the best-studied option for wrinkles, a retinol has more research behind it; our bakuchiol vs retinol comparison explains the trade-off.

Is the Acure Brightening Facial Scrub safe?

It is Acure's best seller, and it has been through voluntary recalls. In September 2024 retailers posted notices that Acure was recalling certain lots of the Brightening Facial Scrub, along with a shampoo, after "a slight spike in customer complaints of skin irritation." In March 2025 another retailer notice covered a further scrub lot. The notices were about irritation complaints and gave lot codes; they did not report contamination. If you own the scrub, check the lot code against the retailer notices, and stop using any product that stings or reddens your skin.

More generally, gritty scrubs are easy to overdo. Use one once or twice a week at most, with light pressure, and skip it on broken or inflamed skin. Our physical vs chemical exfoliants guide and how often to exfoliate explain the options.

What should I watch for with Acure?

• Essential oils in "clean" or "unscented" formulas. Acure's "no synthetic fragrance" policy still allows essential oils, and we found them in published lists for the Green Juice and Seriously Soothing cleansers. See fragrance and essential oils in skincare.
• Old "Organics" listings. Third-party sellers may still use the old name or old packaging. Formulas change, so read the current label.
• Undisclosed strengths. Acure rarely gives percentages for its actives, which makes comparisons hard.
• Scrub habits. The best seller is a physical scrub. Keep it to occasional use.

How much does Acure cost?

At Target as of November 2026, the Brightening Facial Scrub and Brightening Cleansing Gel cost $11.99 each, the Ultra Hydrating Green Juice Cleanser $13.99, the Brightening Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid serum $21.99, and the Resilience Eye Balm $22.99. That keeps Acure in drugstore territory; see our drugstore skincare routine for how to build a full routine on a budget, and browse our cleansers and serums to compare.

Is Acure good for sensitive skin?

Sometimes. The Seriously Soothing line is designed for reactive skin and avoids added fragrance, but some Acure products, including ones in that line, contain essential oils. Patch test any new product for a few days, introduce one at a time, and see a dermatologist for eczema, rosacea or acne that doesn't settle. If you want brands that leave scent out entirely, see our fragrance-free skincare brands roundup.