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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: 5,960 Viewing page: 8 of 596
TreatAcne from Chicago
December 31, 2011
| Pros | -Mask dried out almost any kind of acne I got! -2.5 BP irritation goes away after only a month. -Company ships fast and was very friendly. -Proactive always arrived on time; great mailing. |
|---|---|
| Cons | -Expensive. -Cleanser was HORRIBLE and too harsh. -Blackheads and larger cysts were unaffected. -Skin only slightly cleared up. -STOPED fully working after several months. -Not enough large sized products for more than a couple of months of treatment. -Ingredients include alcohols which are known WORLD WIDE to NOT help skin AT ALL, especially on the face where the skin is thinner and more sensitive!!! |
| Bottom line | The ENTIRE Proactive kit, including larger sizes and mask and "secret spot treatment" took a HUGE chunk out of all my paychecks, and for what? The promise of COMPLETELY CLER SKIN? Well, it didn't work for long, and I tossed the medicine where it should have been before... in the trash. I have had my acne for over 10 years and used Proactive about a year ago... up till now. Because I was gentle and generous, I continued to pre-order and use this product with the promise of better skin. The first day I used it, I woke up refreshed and quite smooth actually. My skin itched a little but that was to be expected. A few days later my skin has now dyed itself red, but once again this is EXPECTED and I tolerated every horrible dry skin flake up that I could. Please keep in mind I did NOT wear makeup this entire time, earning myself weird looks from both my job and classmates. But hey, it's a PROMISE of clear skin, right? Exactly one month later, a lot of my acne has vanished, but I got a few more cysts that seemed to be greatly unaffected by everything, even the mask. Two months later, the redness has finally subsided, but the dry skin flakiness was still present and extremely irritating. Four months into the treatment and some acne was beginning to come back. I also noticed that this didn't do a THING for a lot of my current acne. Medicine smell was assuring and crisp though, so I swallowed my doubt and continued to use the product. Six months later and my skin had a weird smell to it, not the gentle softness that was promised. At this point my eyes are completely dry from the medicine evaporating into my face and I am beginning to have my doubts. But the numbers advertisements and product reviews online CONTINUED to encourage me, so I swallowed my pride and proceeded. After almost a year now, my skin looks as though only 1/3 of my acne has really vanished. Into the trash everything goes. OVERALL: FAR to h |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $60.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Autumn from california
December 30, 2011
| Pros | Refining mask helps |
|---|---|
| Cons | The 3 step process Didn't help my acne. Horrible customer service. Scam. |
| Bottom line | Don't waste your money, its a rip off. Kept taking money from my account after I cancelled and mailed back product. Never saw a refund. I would not recommend this product. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $19.99 |
| Acne severity | light |
Dylan from Montreal, QC
December 30, 2011
| Pros | Refining mask is a lifesaver |
|---|---|
| Cons | Hassle to use Other products from the line aren't dependable Terrible for sensitive skin Makes skin very dry after use Harsh chemicals Expensive |
| Bottom line | When I had this product I was always too lazy to go through all three steps so I mostly only used the refining mask which worked very well overnight. Other than that do not use this product if you have sensitive skin. It will make your acne 20 times worse due to it's harsh ingredients. I only recommend this product to people who have a light to moderate amount of acne and who will most likely only use the refining mask. The chemicals in this product are bad for any kind of skin in general and the entire package is pretty expensive so I recommend saving your money for a more dependable/safer product for your skin and your dollar. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $49.99 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Karla from NC
December 29, 2011
| Pros | Refining mask dried pimples |
|---|---|
| Cons | Dried my face and irritated it |
| Bottom line | I order this because I was breaking out and it did not help AT ALL! It just wasted my time and money ! |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $40.00 |
| Acne severity | light |
Anonymous from Georgia
December 29, 2011
| Pros | None |
|---|---|
| Cons | Product did not work - acne got worse. Then when I cancelled they never cancelled the order and kept charging me. Months later when I discovered the error, they never made right. |
| Bottom line | DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. IT DOES NOT WORK AND THE COMPANY WILL NOT MAKE IT RIGHT WHEN YOU TRY TO CANCEL. UNETHICAL COMPANY AND POOR PRODUCT!!!!!! |
| Recommended | No |
| Acne severity | light |
Ash from Fl
December 27, 2011
| Pros | Gets rid of acne not blackheads |
|---|---|
| Cons | Doesnt get rid of bkackheads |
| Bottom line | I like it alot my skin hasnt been better.i stop using it since I was using a acne cream with it.made my skin burn and dry.so mad I cant use proactiv until burning and peeling is away.i repeat dont use anything with proactiv like I did. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $39.50 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Teaghan from Canada
December 26, 2011
| Pros | Works on VERY VERY VERY mild acne, well the refining mask does anyway... |
|---|---|
| Cons | It kind of worked for a bit because i only had a few pimples on my face. but after a while my skin got so dry and that refining lotion stuff made my skin itch and burn! it ended up with me having much much worse acne! The cleanser, toner and lotion are WAY to harsh and have to many chemicals. Gave me cystic acne. And the refining mask only works on small zits so it didnt do anything for my other acne. Also it's way over priced. |
| Bottom line | Don't use it. It's a waste of money and all you get is dry skin and worse acne |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $75.00 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Anonymous from Royse City, TX
December 26, 2011
| Pros | Easy steps to follow. Great Exfoliator. |
|---|---|
| Cons | EXTREMELY harsh for sensitive skin. Left me with burns that took weeks to clear up. Cancelling your order and stopping future shipments leaves you frustrated after dealing with sketchy excuses as to why they "can't stop the future charges" even if you cancel long before your scheduled shipment. |
| Bottom line | If you have a SEVERE acne problem and your skin is not sensitive, it would be fine. If you have problems with small blemishes and your skin is even slightly sensitive...DON'T USE THIS. Also, don't expect to seriously have a "trial" of this product. They will charge you for the next month long before your "trial" is up and tell you it will take 4-6 weeks to get your money back to you. The customer service with this company is AWFUL. They are full of excuses and very sketchy. I will NEVER try to use any thing they offer and I would NEVER suggest them to a friend. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $40.00 |
| Acne severity | light |
Brittany from Tomball, TX
December 26, 2011
| Pros | Cleanses skin perfectly make skin nice and smooth everything works perfect |
|---|---|
| Cons | there is none |
| Bottom line | I am currently using proactiv and it makes my skin so soft and i saw results in just one day. If it makes your skin dry, try using a moisturizer (like the green tea moisturizer). Yes it does make your skin irratated, but if you READ it, it is a side affect and doesn't last long. I highly recommend this acne regiman. |
| Recommended | Yes |
| Price paid | $29.99 |
| Acne severity | moderate |
Katrina from TN
December 25, 2011
| Pros | -The refining mask is great. |
|---|---|
| Cons | -Nothing else from the line actually works. |
| Bottom line | I used the product for about 3 months. There was literally no change. It did not take my make up off, so I ended up going to bed with old makeup on my face. It didn't clear anything up from any area of my body, and it was extremely overpriced. I don't think I've spoken to anyone who used proactiv that would recommend it to anyone: I'm included in that sect. |
| Recommended | No |
| Price paid | $70.00 |
| Acne severity | moderately severe |
Total results: 5,960 Viewing page: 8 of 596
