Editor's note: This post is based on my experience with ProActiv. I am not a dermatologist nor do I claim to be. If you have had wonderful results with ProActiv, more power to you. This is only my opinion.
"We miss you. Come back - ProActiv is better than ever."
If you were a former ProActiv customer, I'm sure you received the seagreen envelope with the card and letter too, right? First of all, I was a little freaked out by the fact that ProActiv had my current address. The last time I bothered to trust another try with Proactiv was when I was living in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. That was back in 2004, I believe. Since then, I've moved. There wasn't even a yellow, redirect sticker on the envelope to let the company know that I had a new address! I mean, have they been keeping tabs on me all this time?
Anyway, here's the message that was inside the card:
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Dear Lakish,
We miss you and want you to come back to ProActiv. That's why we've created this exclusive package just for you. Now you can tell us the Proactiv products you want and when you want them. You'll never have too little or too much product at home. Get clear skin on YOUR terms. Guaranteed!
Based on my experience, it takes about 3 months for ProActiv to clear up my acne. Sure, my skin was smoother and more clear but after the 3 month mark, it seemed to stop working. It seems my skin had built immunity against the products. The acne came back. I stopped using ProActiv. My face reverted back to way it was before I started the Proactiv regimen.
I think the fact that really caused me alarm was that ProActiv still uses benzoyl peroxide in their products. Am I supposed to be joyful that the company has added microcrystals as well?! This is what Ruth Winters MS, an award-winning science winner and author of A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients, had to say about benzoyl peroxide:
A bleaching and drying ingredient in cosmetics. Toxic by inhalation. A skin allergen and irritant. The EU said in 2003 that its use in nail systems does not pose a risk due to the very low exposure to the consumer. It should be applied by professionals and skin contact should be avoided. Canada does not permit it in cosmetics intended to be applied to the skin but it is permitted in artificial nails kits. On the Canadian Hotlist.
Did I also mention that benzoyl peroxide can make you appear older? It causes extreme dryness, irritation, stinging and peeling of the skin - all of the symptoms that I experienced with ProActiv. Additionally, the FDA discovered this acne-fighting ingredient can also make skin more sensitive to UV rays. This news is extrememly important for those with brown skin as we are more susceptible to bleaching by benzoyl peroxide. ("Face Forward." Allure Magazine, December 2011).
You know something isn't right when a company like Guthy-Renker uses such an ingredient like benzoyl peroxide in their products. Mind you, ProActiv was created by dermatologists who either should know the effect of benzoyl peroxide on the skin or just don't give a damn what type of damage it does just as long as you keep buying their products.
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Oh snap! I didn't know this about ProActiv. I never used it but I always thought it would be good.