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AcneFree Vs ProActiv

 
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(@develogix)

Posted : 06/03/2006 7:26 pm

Well these 2 are among the most popular anti-acne system's out right now. If anybody has tried both, which one has better results?

 

 

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(@doitagain)

Posted : 06/03/2006 10:05 pm

Okay. I used Klear Action for about a year, and I did see some improvement in my skin. It seemed to keep my breakouts under control, though it made my face very shiny and the toner burned. I had to use a separate cleanser (I used Basis) -- I had to cleanse my face with that before using the Klear Action cleanser, which did nothing. The first time I used it, I wiped my face with the toner afterward and there was still tons of dirt/makeup on my face. Plus, it did not exfoliate me AT ALL. It's sort of milky/runny, which I don't like. The lotion is not bad, but it, too, is runny, and I don't think it's a stable formula because if you shake the bottle it turns almost into water.

Anyway, eventually I had to switch off of it and use something more gentle (see my signature for that regimen). However, about a month ago I went to the beach with my sister and used some sunscreen which broke me out bigtime. After that, I sort of freaked out, LOL, and I seriously considered trying Proactiv because I saw one of the new infomercials. I decided to go cheaper and try the L'Oreal Adult Acne kit instead, which is HORRIBLE. So far beyond horrible. The cleanser is nice, but the toner feels greasy and the "lotion" dries sticky and leaves a white film on your face. The lotion dried my skin out to the point it looked like I had coated it with a crackle paint. It hurt really bad. I was in tears from it because of how my face looked, but also because it hurt to move it (it was so dry) and my cheeks and chin were itchy. I looked like I had a severe sunburn all over my face, and I know I'm not intolerant to BP (more on that later) because I've been using different brands/concentrations of it since I was in high school. I returned the kit to WalMart, which, thank goodness, has a good return policy and they gave me a refund even though I had been using the kit for almost three weeks.

That next day, I did some research on Proactiv and read some great reviews for it at [Removed]. So I called the mall closest to my house and asked if they sold Proactiv and they said yes. I went and got the basic kit (3-piece kit with bonus refining mask). No joke, as soon as I used it that night I could feel a difference in my skin. The toner did tingle a little then, but the lady had said it would because my skin was so irritated. I really loved the cleanser. It feels light on my skin but has rounded beads to exfoliate. It doesn't scratch at my skin at all. I felt the beads got my skin cleaner than it has been in probably years. It got rid of some of the dead skin that very first time I used it. The toner felt a bit acidic going on, but after it dried my skin felt soft. The repairing lotion puts Klear Action's to shame. It's super light and really does feel like a moisturizer. I had to add a little moisturizer around my mouth for the first three days or so. I started out using the kit once a day, at night, and in the morning I would use my Basis wash and just apply moisturizer afterward. I'm up to using it twice a day now, though. I've been on Proactiv for about ten days, and it has worked wonders on me. My skin feels like a baby's cheek, and for the first time in probably fifteen years I don't have millia on my nose and chin. I also notice my skin looks younger and fresher. I always felt before that my skin was constantly covered in a layer of dead skin, like I couldn't shed it off well. Proactiv has taken care of that for me, which is why I believe it's working so well, because it's allowing the medication(s) to penetrate like they haven't been able to do before. This is the first time I've tried something that has made a difference without irritating my face or causing an initial breakout. One of the ladies in the infomercial says she tried it and her skin got better and better, and that has happened for me. I can't even believe it.

As far as how the Proactiv products compare to Klear Action:

Cleansers: The KA cleanser simply is not effective IMO. It feels similar to a creamy makeup remover like Pond's. It does not remove makeup well on its own, though, and it smells like nail polish remover. The Proactiv one exfoliates amazingly well for me and gets my face clean, clean, clean without making it feel dry/tight/itchy. I felt like the KA cleanser did not rinse off easily at all, but after I rinse off the Proactiv cleanser, my face feels fresh and free of any residue. The Proactiv smells better than the KA cleanser, but still a bit perfumey to me. I wish they could make it smell more like citrus or something than like flowers.

Toners: The KA toner worked well for me but did sting a little. It doesn't smell bad to me. It seems to have a bit more glycerin in it than the Proactiv because when I put it on it takes much longer to dry on my skin. It made my skin feel softer, though, and did not dry me out. The Proactiv toner feels about the same, but is slightly lighter and smells a little different. The KA toner is blue and the Proactiv is green.

Repair Lotions: Here is where I think Proactiv just kills Klear Action. The KA lotion is runny and you can see the grains of BP in it. It, like the cleanser, smells like nail polish remover. It can be drying. When I used it, it would take an amount about the size of a lima bean to cover my face and the area just under my chin. So it does go pretty far, unlike most of the BP creams and "gels" on the market. It does feel like a light moisturizer when you put it on, but I find that as the day goes on it starts to itch me. When I would sweat even a little, it would start to sting my skin. There is something irritating in there, though the ingredients listed are the same as Proactiv. I think the formulations are vastly different. The texture, smell, and quality of these two products are vastly different. The Proactiv repairing lotion is AMAZING. I can cover my whole face with an amount about the size of my pinky fingernail. I can't explain quite how it feels on my skin, but I know that my makeup (both liquid and mineral, depending on what day) goes on over it beautifully and it stays there all day. My face is much less oily when I use this. It doesn't smell like the cleanser and toner, but more like something with lemongrass in it. It smells nice. It is definitely a more stable formula, and you can't see any of the BP in it like you can in the Klear Action. Proactiv claims that their BP is more finely milled, and I believe it. I saw results by my fourth day of using it. With the Klear Action system, it took about two weeks.

So far, I am madly in love with my Proactiv kit. I haven't had time to try the mask yet, so I can't say how that works. Until I had used Proactiv I would have given Klear Action maybe a 4 out of 5 stars, but now that I've tried something much better, I would maybe give it a 3. It does work, just not as well as the Proactiv for me. I understand a lot of people here have had terrible experiences with Proactiv, but I'm so, so glad I went ahead and tried it because it has worked wonders for me. I think a lot depends on your skin type and the type of breakouts you have. Right now my skin isn't perfect of course, but it's clearer and looks cleaner and somehow younger than it has since I was in ninth or tenth grade.

If I can give some advice, it would be to please try the Proactiv first because I believe you get what you pay for in this instance. Give it two weeks, and if you don't see results, you can return it. The lady who sold my kit to me was very knowledgable about the product and answered all of my questions. The book that comes with the kit is AWESOME. It answered so many questions for me and made me feel confident in trying the products because it 1) told exactly how to use them, and 2) told how to ease into the system if your skin is sensitive like mine. I would say buy the Proactiv and see if it works for you. If it does, then go and buy a Klear Action kit at Walgreens or Target, where both have a great return policy. I can almost promise that once you open it and get a look at those products compared to the Proactiv products, you will want to return it. The price is definitely better, but the quality and effectiveness do not really compare.

Good luck, and you can reply here or PM me if you have more questions.

Liz

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(@shortyrock21)

Posted : 06/03/2006 10:15 pm

Proactiv is very very similar to the Klear Action system but I think Proactiv smells better and the BP lotion is more effective and the face wash feels good on your face.

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(@acnegetbehindme)

Posted : 06/03/2006 10:47 pm

I used both these products and guess what?? They both suck!! Not to be vague, but I thing the product ratings and treatment @ acne.org can "back me uP". Both these products did nothing for my skin and I used each for about a total of 60 days. Actually after I stopped using proactive, my skin started to get these huge cysts and popules that are extremely hard to get rid of, I only got about 3 or 4, but I nvr had it before I started using proactive.

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(@cleo1987)

Posted : 06/04/2006 10:14 am

Well, the first time I used Proactiv, it worked great. Second time I used it, my face virtually exploded and I had what I assumed to be an allergic reaction. But, to be fair, I *did* scrub the cleanser pretty deeply into my face, so maybe that did it, as I do have sensitive skin. Anyhow, I've become desperate so while I was in the hospital I asked my mom to pick me up some AcneFree, as it's cheeper and a lot of people say it works better than Proactiv. After nearly two weeks of painstakingly building a tolerance to BP, I've been using the AcneFree system (though I'm using a different toner, as the one they give you has alcohol in it; I'm using one for dry skin I got at Bath and Body Works that has cucumber extract and witch hazel in it; it's very nice). I can't say for sure yet how good it's working, but the overall tone of my skin does look better. My face is a little red, but definitely nothing like what happened the last time. Just look a little suburned, which is ok. It's too early to tell yet, but I'm holding out hope. AcneFree is a stronger concentration BP than Proactiv, and the repairing lotion is time released so it works all day instead of when you just put it on. This is probably why a lot of people say AcneFree works better than Proactiv. But we shall see -keeps fingers crossed-

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(@phobos)

Posted : 06/04/2006 10:33 am

proactive works well for people who dont have acne, including many famous celebrities. If you have very very minimal acne or do not have acne at all I would highly recommend buying proactive. I you actually do have acne i would recommend Dan's regimine.

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(@tazorac)

Posted : 06/04/2006 1:38 pm

i used pro-activ and it made my acne worse..especially that "toner" it burnt my skin

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(@develogix)

Posted : 06/04/2006 3:49 pm

Thanks all for the help, Im going to first go with AcneFree, due to its strong BP.

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(@ohio_girl)

Posted : 06/05/2006 9:57 pm

I have been using *only* the repair lotion in Acne Free kit for about 2 weeks and it has cleared up my face completely and reduced the oil production on my face/neck too. I am getting low on it so I went to Meijer's a few days ago and noticed that there is now a generic Acne Free (the Meijer's brand) for a couple of bucks cheaper. When I got home I noticed the BP concentration was a little lower (3.7% vs 2.5%) but that might be a good thing.

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(@cocopj)

Posted : 06/06/2006 6:28 pm

I've used both products. Waste of time and effort.

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(@miniskirt101)

Posted : 06/28/2008 9:41 am

i personally use acne free and i haven't gotten any pimples since i started using it..

but it took a while for the acne free to work on my face atleast.. but in over 2 months my face was softer, and clearer!

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(@girlface15)

Posted : 01/01/2009 11:36 pm

you have to like really STICK to the proactive regimen like do it calmly and like follow the instrucktions well ,for it to work. but if your a girl your still going to get occasional spots because of your period. and if you think that diet is causing your acne too after you get clear do NOT pig out on foods you know/feel are bad. hA i had learn that the hard way , once i got clear after like 4 weeks i ate everything from chips,soda,pizza,hot dogs, etc and yeah my face got worse. i got my face under control though but i reordered proactive and im going to retry it since i need something to cleanse my skin while im on bactrim.

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(@deletedaccount111)

Posted : 01/02/2009 12:29 am

i used them both. both were satisfactory in treating acne, but neither really came remotely close to curing me long term.

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(@j_money)

Posted : 01/02/2009 11:31 am

i have been using acne free for about 3 days and see some improvment i have really oily skin and it keeps my oil down i have mild acne and all the little stuff is going away i have about 4 bad spots jus red not big but red i have always had acne on my chin and sience i used acne free its gone

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(@purplesoccerfrk1)

Posted : 01/20/2009 10:27 pm

Thanks all for the help, Im going to first go with AcneFree, due to its strong BP.

I really suggest that! My forehead and occassionally my cheeks literally had acne all over the place. So, now I've been using AcneFree for about 3-4 months. There are some blotches, but that's only cuz I just HAVE to pop huge pimples and zits that rarely come up on my forehead. My cheeks are like so clear right now, that it's almost unbelievable. My face has a HUGE difference now. :]

I've never tried Proactiv, and I really don't ever want to anyways because it sounds like it won't work so effectively. It's also pretty expensive. One of my friends gave me the AcneFree kit and I LOVE it. Tho my mother says that I take way too long in the restroom, I don't really care. So, nice decision! xD

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(@denalii)

Posted : 01/23/2009 6:54 pm

I've tried AcneFree. It hasn't worked. I've never tried Proactiv. Seems like a rip off for something that contains the same thing.

 

 

 

 

 

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(@ghostunit)

Posted : 01/24/2009 12:37 am

Proactiv is really good... You just need Green tea Moisture so that ur face wont dry.

 

My face doesn't get oily etc..

 

, it gets a bit dry.

 

I think i break out when my skin is dry ;/

 

I do get acne sometime , but could careless

 

if i keep getting acne gonna stop using it^^

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(@tarabear)

Posted : 01/28/2009 8:14 am

I've been using Dan's regimen and I think it's just too much BP all over my face. It makes me peel like crazy!

 

I was thinking about trying Acnefree because I used to use Proactiv and it worked very well.

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(@joseph-j)

Posted : 01/28/2009 5:07 pm

Let me tell you acnefree was horrible for me. For the first 2 weeks or so I thought it was working, because I didn't get any breakouts. After 2 weeks I blew up like a big pimple. Don't waste your money with that.

 

Proactiv I used for quit a while(7 yrs), and I was satisfied until I found the regimen on here.

 

Between these 2 products I would say hands down Proactiv

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(@samantha59)

Posted : 02/17/2009 1:57 am

Well these 2 are among the most popular anti-acne system's out right now. If anybody has tried both, which one has better results?

AcneFree has triclosan in it in addition to BP. Triclosan kills bacteria. Unfortunately, it kills both good and bad bacteria. Some cleansers have that as an ingredient too and it's not recommended. (It's not recommended to use anti-bacterial soap for the same reason. Anti-bacterial ingredients kill both good and bad bacteria and ruin the natural balance

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(@amandabeck)

Posted : 02/18/2009 10:06 pm

I use just the AcneFree Repair Lotion and get great results. The trick is to mix a small amount with jojoba oil and spread it all over your face. Once that absorbs, apply the repair lotion very thickly directly onto the breakouts themselves (or anything that looks like it's about to break out). This really only works at night because you will have white spots all over your face, but when you wake up in the morning the results are amazing. I have never found anything that works this well to shrink pimples and reduce redness over night. Another upside is that your skin does not get as dry as it does if you spread a lot of BP all over your face.

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(@varsha)

Posted : 02/20/2009 8:12 pm

I use just the AcneFree Repair Lotion and get great results. The trick is to mix a small amount with jojoba oil and spread it all over your face. Once that absorbs, apply the repair lotion very thickly directly onto the breakouts themselves (or anything that looks like it's about to break out). This really only works at night because you will have white spots all over your face, but when you wake up in the morning the results are amazing. I have never found anything that works this well to shrink pimples and reduce redness over night. Another upside is that your skin does not get as dry as it does if you spread a lot of BP all over your face.

 

Yeah, the AcneFree Lotion gives pretty quick results. The texture was harsh on my face, but I'd never thought of mixing it with anything. Unfortunately, I had to stop using it after it started burning out my skin, especially when I went outside into the sun, (with sunblock piled over it).

 

But maybe I just have sensitive skin.

 

I used Proactiv first though, and for me it only bleached my skin a bit and left it softer than before, making me think I had less acne because I could hardly feel the baby ones that were coming up under my skin.

 

In my opinion, Proactiv gives what AcneFree doesn't, vice versa. :)

 

But if I had to pick, long story short, AcneFree had better results when it came to clearing my skin.

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(@ilovemypuppy)

Posted : 02/22/2009 10:10 pm

I used both and i have to say that maybe i will try this because i havent but i like these products.

I like the Acne free wash

And i dont care for neither toners.

I like the ProActiv repair lotion

I LOVE THE Acnefree mosturizer from the acne fade peel kit

and the ProActiv wash as a once a week scrub.

 

But if u had to pick the better kit, i think the Acne free worked better as an overall kit. But i bet if u mixed them they would work even better. I may try that soon and get back to you.

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(@jaket13)

Posted : 02/22/2009 11:30 pm

I've only used proactiv. it helped a bit at first, but it irritated my skin so bad. my face was always beat red after I washed. I wouldnt recommend it for the price. it did nothing for me in the long run

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(@Anonymous)

Posted : 01/18/2010 10:50 pm

I used proactive and it made everything worse. More pimples poped up and more sweat dirt oils etc were trapped in my pores. It clogged more then it cleaned and burned my skin. It caused redness insted of taking it away. Acnefree is by far my favorite treatment product. I have sed it for 5 months now only 1nce a day before i go to bed and i havent had a pimple or redness since. It has teatree oil nad lavendar extract which are both roven to clear up acne. It also contains green tea extract which moisturizes the face not only removing acne and blackheads etc but also softing toning and smoothing making your face way better. It only works how ever if you massage it on your break out areas where pimples are for 1-2 minutes. This assures that the mixture of organic chemicals seeps deep into your pores killing the bacteria and cleanng all the gunk out with it. The first night i used acne free i used it before bed. After a long nights sleep i woke up and i really saw a difference. The pimples i has appeared less irritated and less red and the yellowly white pussy color had turned into a mello tan color that blended in with the skin. That ment whatever puss was in my pores had gone and in just one night some spots had already completely healed. This roduct is really great and i highly suggest it over proactive!!!

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