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Proactiv Solution Reviews
People have asked me about Proactiv® so much that I decided to try it so I could give my feedback. I found it to be surprisingly irritating and utterly ineffective. However, Proactiv is on the right track in recommending benzoyl peroxide, and specifically recommending it in 2.5% strength.
Where I think Proactiv veers off track:
- Cleanser: The Proactiv Cleanser contains scrubbing beads, and Proactiv recommends washing for 1-2 minutes with this cleanser. I am quite stunned at both of these oversights. It is absolutely vital to avoid irritation when treating acne, especially inflammatory acne—the kind most of us have. Scrubbing beads, and washing for this amount of time introduces unnecessary and damaging irritation, perpetuating the acne cycle.
- Toner: I think the Proactiv toner is fine, albeit unnecessary to achieve clear skin.
- Treatment: Over my 20+ years of benzoyl peroxide research and experience, I have found that for benzoyl peroxide to completely clear acne, people must apply it generously. “Use a lot!,” is my simple mantra. It is amazing what this simple act will do toward achieving completely clear skin. Unfortunately, Proactiv packages its treatment in a 1oz. container. The small size of Proactiv ’s treatment bottle leaves people skimping and often disappointed in results. Next, Proactiv combines their benzoyl peroxide treatment with moisturizer. One of the main reasons benzoyl peroxide works so well is because it is a drying and peeling agent, which helps prevent clogged pores. For this reason, it is a good idea to apply benzoyl peroxide without moisturizer, and let the benzoyl peroxide do its thing for a few minutes (5-15) before introducing moisture. Unfortunately, you don’t have that choice with the Proactiv treatment. Lastly, the treatment is heavily scented. I personally avoid scented products because they must be applied right under the nose, and tend to linger and leave me feeling a little nauseated throughout the day.
My suggestion: To completely clear acne, it will prove far more beneficial to buy a gentle cleanser without scrubbing beads, a large, unscented 2.5% benzoyl peroxide medication, and a non-comedogenic moisturizer. Then follow these steps precisely to achieve completely clear skin.
If you currently own Proactiv Solution products, don't throw out the Repairing Treatment. If you can handle the smell, it should work in a pinch, as long as you are generous with it. I would not recommend using the Proactiv cleanser. I would also forgo the toner until you’re completely clear. Then feel free to add it in if you’d like and see how things go.
As a final note, I am thankful that Proactiv hires celebrities to talk about acne. This helps reduce stigma, so thumbs up on that!
Total results: 5,139 Viewing page: 15 of 514
scammers
April 22, 2010
| Pros | cleared some pimples |
|---|---|
| Cons | 1.)DONT BE FOOLED BY THE 19.95 OFFER! THEY ROPE YOU IN FOR TWO MORE MONTHS OF PRODUCTS WITHOUT TELLING YOU!! 2)Gave me tiny whiteheads on spots that were't an issue before 3)DRYING!! 4)The bonus green tea moisturizer is about the size of my pinky!!! |
| Bottom line | UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY MORE THAN $60 FOR THE WHOLE SERIES OF PRODUCTS...DO NOT BUY THE SPECIAL OFFER OF $19.95!!! I HAD TO GO OUT OF MY WAY TO CANCEL AND RETURN THE OTHER TWO PACKAGES AND THEY STILL HAVE NOT REFUNDED MY MONEY. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $19.95 |
| Acne severity | light |
Belle123 from Birsbane
April 22, 2010
| Pros | - Works the first day. |
|---|---|
| Cons | - Red Skin - Rashes - PIMPLES don't go away! |
| Bottom line | Okay, so here is the go people, Proactiv is for people without sensitive skin. I have never had sensitive skin until i came in contact with Proactiv. It dry's out my skin, turns it red, makes rashes appear all over my face, burns, and guess what, it even gives me PIMPLES! The one thing i wanted out of my life, i got more of them, I've never had pimples so bad in my life. It isn't worth it guys, i use other products, they work better and don't leave my skin as dry and irritated, and they do not cause pimples. Not worth the money guys, not worth the time, not worth the effort. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $60.00 |
| Acne severity | light |
EA from UK
April 21, 2010
| Pros | BE VERY CAREFUL, PROACTIV SEND A REPEAT ORDER WITHOUT ASKING, FIRST YOU HEAR IS THAT THEY HAVE DESPATCHED IT. CHEEKY b********S |
|---|---|
| Cons | BE VERY CAREFUL, PROACTIV SEND A REPEAT ORDER WITHOUT ASKING, FIRST YOU HEAR IS THAT THEY HAVE DESPATCHED IT. CHEEKY b********S |
| Bottom line | BE VERY CAREFUL, PROACTIV SEND A REPEAT ORDER WITHOUT ASKING, FIRST YOU HEAR IS THAT THEY HAVE DESPATCHED IT. CHEEKY b********S |
| Recommended | No |
| Acne severity | very light |
gulliver
April 21, 2010
| Pros | my skin is better than when i don't use, it does effectively clear up mild acne at times. |
|---|---|
| Cons | -HAD to use it twice a day, if i skipped even once id see breakouts -still didnt keep my skin totally clear, I still got a big zit every often enough to cause frustration, even when I was using it twice a day regulary |
| Bottom line | Not worth the money. I used proactiv for a long long time, about 6 years. Before I used it I would have acne around my mouth and on my chin at ALL times. When I started using proactiv there would be times when my face was totally clear, but I would still get breakouts that drove me nuts, especially when paying the high price. Not worth the time (takes about 10 minutes to do, a pain when you have to do it every night and you are tired) either. |
| Price paid | $40.00 |
x0x.urz-truelii.x0x from australia
April 19, 2010
| Pros | -Reduces redness -Aids with acne |
|---|---|
| Cons | -Skin remains oily -Doesnt clear acne completely |
| Bottom line | Hi x] Used this product for about five years now and although it took away all the redness and aided quite well with my acne I still get occasional break outs quite often. I recommend this for people without severe acne or those who just want to rid the redness of acne. As a long term solution, perhaps not! Sorry. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $30.95 |
| Acne severity | light |
mxones86 from San Antonio, TX
April 19, 2010
| Pros | Actually Works Gets Delivered Payment comes straight out of checking so no hassel there Beads in cleanser feel nice |
|---|---|
| Cons | Have to keep using it Discolors pillowsheets, shirts Can be expensive Loses effectiveness after time Does not control oil very well |
| Bottom line | I have been using Proactiv Extra Strength for five years now. Before I started it my face was more severe than it was moderate. It took awhile to work. I started it in January of 2005 and finally started seeing results in June of the same year. For the past five years Ive had light to moderate acne. Id go through good spells and bad spells. During bad spells I would have 5 or 6 big pimples a month. During good spells my skin would look (almost) flawless. During this time I also dealt with the Cons of Proactiv. I would permenately stain pillowcases and my PJ tops. Towels were also stained. While I have always been lucky enough to afford it, $25 a month for five years is A LOT of money. So if you dont have the extra cash that can be a bummer too. Also if you skip a washing, youre going to pay for it for the next week. I have very oily skin and I find that by early afternoon my face is a greaseball. ALL IN ALL my face is 10x better than it was before. Am I completely acne free? NO. But when you have hormonal acne like I do, this is as close as youre gonna get to perfection. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $25.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Alyssa from Texas
April 18, 2010
| Pros | -Micro beads in cleanser smooth/soften skin -Sulfur mask works amazing on cysts) -Minimized the appearance of my pores |
|---|---|
| Cons | -None YET |
| Bottom line | I'm 16 years old,I have been suffering from acne since I was 8/9 years old(I developed early).My acne type is blackheads,cysts and occasional whiteheads.I've tried almost every acne products you can think of.Clean & Clear,Clearasil,Neutrogena,Oxy,AcneFree etc,and while yes they are good brands,they just did not work for me.I told myself,I'm not falling for the ProActiv commercials cause I had a sister who used it and it made her skin worse.But we got a $5.99 deal in the mail and my mom ordered it.I have been using it for only two days.I do naturally have oily skin so that may be an advantage to using this product.Of course it does take 6-8 weeks for any skincare product to work,I just felt it was necessary to do this.The cleanser works well,the little micro beads exfoliate skin well,it's great for if you have blackheads or large pores.The toner is just there,but it does add that extra "umph" to the skincare routine and picks up extra dirt/oil.The Treatment is good.Simple.The Sulfur mask works wonders.Amazing.The green tea mask is good for dry skin/areas. At this point I can not say whether or not I would recommend it,but I will be sure to update. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $5.99 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Trish from Toronto
April 18, 2010
| Pros | -My face has never felt so soft and smooth!! -Cleared up my acne within a few days -Inexpensive (you can buy small and large bottles separately for very little $ at a kiosk in the mall) |
|---|---|
| Cons | Made my face a little dry |
| Bottom line | While Proactiv made my face a little dry, using a good quality moisturizer (I like Clinique) made it soft and non-flaky! It worked really quickly and I've never had such smooth skin. Proactiv is the ONLY product I've ever used that actually made my pores appear smaller and cleared up my blackheads. LOVE this stuff!! Try it!!! |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $30.00 |
| Acne severity | light |
Will from Kansas
April 18, 2010
| Pros | The toner did not irritate the skin. It was actually kind of nice, but definitely not effective at really doing anything about the acne itself. There is a low percentage of benzoyl peroxide |
|---|---|
| Cons | The cleanser has micro-beads in it that literally rip your face apart and the directions state to actually rub them into your skin for up to 2 minutes which is suicide. The benzoyl peroxide is too thin to really glob on like you need to for it to be really effective. Plus, it is too much like a lotion. It needs to dry really nicely after you put it on before the moisturizer. The moisturizer does not moisturize well enough. You also have to apply SPF no matter what. |
| Bottom line | Caused irritation like nothing else. Constantly following this regimen routinely caused face to be in shreds. Had to take breaks to let it heal from the irritation and burning. Acne never got a whole lot worse, but it never got better either. Why spend so much money on ProActiv that only irritates your skin when you can buy acne.org for next to nothing and get cleared up fast?! |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $60.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Sydney Girl from Sydney Australia
April 15, 2010
| Pros | Dried out my acne |
|---|---|
| Cons | Burnt the hell out of my face Made my acne worse Left little bumps all over my cheeks VERY EXPENSIVE |
| Bottom line | My whole life I would probably get around one major pimple a month. Then at the start of the year (turned 24) I started to break out a little more. Not really sure why, perhaps it was change in make-up products. I decided to try proactive. I started using it once a day due to how sensitive my skin is, Once i applied it, my face would go very red and burnt like crazy, sometime I would sit there wanting to run into the bathroom and wash it all off. This was with the moisturizer as well. I read that it would make me break out for a while after using it. So I stuck with it for about a month, but the acne that was forming was just not going away and I start to get little pimples that were under my skin all over my face. Everyday I would wake up with a new huge pimples. I stopped using it after a month and I figure I gave it a good enough run. i feel my face is damaged due to the products. I know everyone skin is different but to anyone who has very sensitive skin, I recommend this to not be used. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $120.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Total results: 5,139 Viewing page: 15 of 514
