Proactiv Refining Mask Reviews – Effective or a Smelly Surprise?

Allure Magazine calls it the “best of beauty” and fans call it their “secret weapon”. But does Proactiv Refining Mask live up to the hype, or is it just another smelly surprise? Read on to find out what real customers say about the product and make an informed decision instead of falling for the hype.

Let’s start by looking at the main active ingredients in the mask and see how they work.

Main active ingredients in Proactiv Refining Mask

Sulfur

Sulfur has long traditions in treatment of acne and other skin conditions, such as fungal infections psoriasis and eczema.

Sulfur is what’s known as keratolytic agent, meaning it thins the outer layer of the skin. Salicylic acid is another keratolytic agent. Thinning of the outer layer of the skin opens up blocked pores and thus treats and prevents acne.

Unfortunately this effect comes with an ‘olfactory drawback‘. When sulfur reacts with skin cells it produces hydrogen sulfide. Those who know chemistry understand what this means. Hydrogen sulfide is the gas that’s responsible for the lovely rotten egg smell.

Sulfur also has antifungal and antibacterial activity, so it can keep acne causing bacteria under control.

Finally, sulfur can reduce redness and even out skin tone. Redness that goes with acne is caused by increased blood flow to the area. Sulfur constricts the blood vessels on the skin and thus reduces blood flow, and this helps to reduce redness.

Kaolin

Kaolin is a clay mineral that’s commonly used in cosmetics and skin care products. Because of kaolin’s capacity to absorb moisture and sebum it can be helpful in treatment of acne.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil has been used in acne treatment products as main anti-bacteria agent. It’s highly effective against P. Acnes bacteria. In treatment of acne its effectiveness is comparable to benzoyl peroxide, but with fewer side-effects.

Customer reviews

Proactiv Refining Mask is well-liked by customers. It receives an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5. And out of 412 people who reviewed it 86% would recommend the product to others. Note that these scores are much higher than what the Proactiv 3-Step System or any other brand name acne treatment gets.

Most people that try the refining mask say they like it. While not exactly producing miracles people say it helps them to keep acne under control.

It also appears to work well as spot treatment. Many people say that if you apply the mask on an existing pimple and leave it on overnight the pimple is gone by morning.

There were also some side-effects.

Mostly people complain about the smell. While Proactiv has done what it can to reduce the smell they haven’t been able to remove it completely. Most people say they can deal with the smell given that the product works for them.

Other complaints include irritation and burning of the skin. Thought these were much rarer than complaints about the smell. Proactiv Refining Mask contains tea tree oil. While it’s normally well-tolerated some people are sensitive to it, which can explain the adverse reactions.

Finally, if you suffer from dry skin the product might not be for you. People say it can dry the skin badly.

In summary, overall customers are happy with Proactiv Refining Mask. They say it’s effective and helps to keep acne under control. The product might not be for you if you can’t deal with the smell, have very dry skin or can’t tolerate tea tree oil.

How to use

Proactiv recommends using the Refining Mask 2 or 3 times per week.

Apply to damp skin after cleansing. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse off with water.

Proactiv recommends you use the refining mask together with their 3-step solution. But you can combine this with any other cleanser. And you might want to do that given that Proactiv is too harsh for many people.

Where to buy

Proactiv doesn’t sell the Refining Mask separately from their multi-piece kits. If you want to use all Proactiv products then getting a kit like this is ok.

On the other hand if this is the first time you try the mask it’s better to order it separately. That way you can avoid Proactiv signing you up into any auto-billing programs that are hard to cancel.

You can get it at discounted price from Amazon.

Conclusion and recommendations

Proactiv Refining Mask stands out among the brand name acne treatment products. It is among the few products that are liked by many and hated by few.

Most customer reviews are positive and say that the product helps to keep acne under control. It suffers from a few drawbacks. And while most people don’t like the smell they are willing to deal with it since the product actually works. However in case you suffer from dry skin or are sensitive to tea tree oil this you may want to give this a miss.

Overall though this is one product I can recommend you try. But don’t buy it from Proactiv’s website as they only offer it as part of their kits. Get it from Amazon and you avoid Proactiv’s auto-billing programs.

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