Products for Adults Aim to Make One Thing Clear: Complexion

There are lots of things we don’t miss about being teenagers: angst, awkwardness, acne--just to name a few.

However, many people haven’t been able to fully leave their teenage years behind. About 50% of adults will have acne at some time in their lives, according to the skin-care product maker Clinique. Acne is genetic. And complexion problems that start in your teens can continue into your 20s and 30s.

As a result, many skin-care companies have developed new lines of acne treatments targeted at adults.

Adult acne products include:

* La Prairie Cellular Purifying Systeme--seven products that claim to “balance and control” oily skin and blemishes. Acne-fighting ingredients: salicylic acid, benzalkonium chloride. The seven serums, hydrating fluids and gelees cost between $60 and $150, well out of the reach of the average adult, let alone teenager.

* Clinique makes foaming cleanser, anti-bacterial soap and night treatment gel as part of its Acne Solutions line, which ranges from $8.50 to $16.50. Acne-fighting ingredients: salicylic acid, triclosan. The company says its spot-healing gel will “obliterate pimples in record time.” Will it? We don’t know. But the ad campaign--”Zit Patrol”--is amusing.

* Pond’s Clear Solutions Overnight Blemish Reducers, $5.99, are available at drug stores. Acne-fighting ingredient: salicylic acid. These medicated dots provide on-the-spot treatment while you sleep.

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Every bottle of shampoo comes packaged in promises. This shampoo will be different from the rest. This shampoo will make your hair shiny, soft and voluminous.

The promises rarely pan out; all shampoos do the same thing: They clean hair. What you rinse, lather and repeat with really doesn’t matter. What matters, according to consumers, is how that shampoo smells.

According to a recent study by International Flavors and Fragrances, 93% of consumers consider shampoo fragrance important.

Which is why you might want to take a whiff of Agree shampoo the next time you’re at your local drug store. Agree recently won a Perfumer’s Choice Award from the American Society of Perfumers for its scent--a fruity floral fragrance somewhat evocative of Juicy Fruit gum. It’s sweet, but not overly, and it smells clean too.