Beauty & Personal Care
its home category
by Differin
Skincare
What the AIs say
#90 best · 6 of 6 agree“AI Mode ranks Differin highest (avg #1.0 over 1 mention); Perplexity is the most sceptical (#14.7).”
synthesised · the AI panel
What reviewers say
4.1 / 5 ★ · 2 reviewed2 of 11 products reviewed
What the press says
Positive · 8 stories · 30d“Differin Epiduo received FDA approval for over-the-counter use in acne patients 12+, generating predominantly positive coverage, though a benzene contamination settlement claim also appeared in…”
synthesised · 8 articles via Google News · Dermatology Times, Medical Professionals Reference +6
The brief
The brand in a paragraph.
Differin's OTC approval of Epiduo has driven strong recent press coverage, though a benzene contamination settlement claim tempers enthusiasm about the brand's safety record.
Why mid · Beauty & Personal Care?
How Differin earns the label.
3 of Differin's ranked products in Beauty & Personal Care carry street prices, and 2 of the 3 land in the middle third of their fields — the Adapalene Gel 0.1% and the Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment; the rest sit 1 in the value third.
Differin's median street price here is $26 — 22% below the $33 median across every priced product ranked in Beauty & Personal Care. The label describes where the prices sit, not how good the products are.
Price neighbors — Beauty & Personal Care
as of August 1 · 10 brand medians · Google Shopping?
Act one
What the machines think.
Several AI models read the whole category and rank Differin's products — model by model, list by list, over time.
Model by model?
How each AI sees it.
AI Mode ranks Differin highest (avg #1.0 over 1 mention); Perplexity is the most sceptical (#14.7).
AI Mode
#1.0
avg over 1 mention · best #1
Claude
#8.3
avg over 3 mentions · best #4
Gemini
#8.5
avg over 2 mentions · best #2
Grok
#11.0
avg over 3 mentions · best #5
ChatGPT
#13.7
avg over 3 mentions · best #1
Perplexity
#14.7
avg over 3 mentions · best #1
The words the panel uses
AI most often praises Differin for being "retinoid" (5 mentions) and "effective" (2).
- retinoid5
- effective2
- adapalene2
- acne-prone skin2
- benzoyl peroxide2
- acne-focused2
- cellular turnover1
- adapalene-compatible1
- cell turnover1
- beginner-tolerant1
- affordable1
- acne-prone1
Wins & misses?
Where it leads, where it lags.
Differin lands 2 top-10 placements (including 1 #1) with no clear weak spots in tracked intents.
Top wins
Where it lags
No misses below #20 — Differin is a top-tier presence everywhere it appears.
Rank trajectory?
Weeks of movement.
Across 15 weeks of tracking: 3 intents steady, 1 climbed, 2 slipped. Biggest move: slipped 4 ranks in Best Salicylic Acid Cleansers (now #12).
Act two · ★ new
What the people say.
The same lineup, judged by the buyers who rated it and the press that covers them.
In the press?
What the world is saying.
What’s being written about Differin lately — and the mood of it. 8 pieces in the last 30 days, coverage skews positive.
DDermatology TimesDermatology Times·Positive
FDA Approves OTC Differin Epiduo Gel for Acne in Patients 12 and Older
MMedical Professionals ReferenceMedical Professionals Reference·Positive
FDA Approves Differin Epiduo Acne Gel for Over-the-Counter Use - MPR
CClaim Depot
TTODAY.com
CContemporary PediatricsContemporary Pediatrics·Positive
FDA approves OTC Differin Epiduo Gel for acne in patients aged 12 years and older
NNewBeauty
BBusiness Wire
MManaged Healthcare ExecutiveManaged Healthcare Executive·Positive
FDA approves Differin Epiduo Acne Gel for over-the-counter useas of July 26 · 8 stories?
Act three · ★ new
Do they agree?
Put the two verdicts side by side — every product with its AI rank and its reviewer score — and see where the machines and the buyers line up, and where they don't.
The lineup, reconciled?
Every product — both verdicts.
Daily Deep Cleanser is Differin's most-recommended product, ranking across 3 buyer questions, with Adapalene Gel 0.1% close behind.
Skincare
The reconciliation?
AI vs the room.
Read it as a tug-of-war around the centre line. Most of the lineup sits in step — AIs and buyers broadly agree.
The bottom line
So which one do you buy?
Best overall
Tops both judges — the AIs’ #1 pick, with a reviewer score to match.
Owners' favourite
Highest buyer rating in the lineup — ★4.4 across 17k Google reviews.
Rivals?
Who it competes against.
Differin's closest rival is Youth To The People — and Differin comes out ahead in 5 of 5 of the questions they both answer (100%).
- Youth To The PeopleBeauty & Personal CareDifferin leads 5–0 · 5 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- CliniqueBeauty & Personal CareDifferin leads 3–1 · 5 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- The OrdinaryBeauty & Personal CareDifferin leads 3–2 · 5 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- NeutrogenaBeauty & Personal CareNeutrogena leads 4–1 · 5 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- La Roche-PosayBeauty & Personal CareLa Roche-Posay leads 4–0 · 5 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- Kiehl'sBeauty & Personal CareDifferin leads 3–1 · 4 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
- AveenoBeauty & Personal CareDifferin leads 3–1 · 4 shared · 2 categoriesCompare
The recap
Where it stands today.
- Reviewer verdict★Aligned — avg 4.1 / 5 across 2 reviewed products. Buyers broadly back the AI placement.
- FootprintStrongest in Beauty & Personal Care (best single-question rank #1), across 5 buying intents.
- AI verdictAI Mode ranks Differin highest (avg #1.0); Perplexity most sceptical (#14.7).
- TraitsMost often associated with “retinoid” (5 mentions) and “effective” (2).
- Top productDaily Deep Cleanser is the most-mentioned Differin product this snapshot.
- Closest rivalYouth To The People (5–0 across 5 shared intents).
browse Differin in these categories