By Rachael Hirstein
The commercials and kiosks for the acne treatment Proactiv are everywhere nowadays and even celebrities are endorsing this anti-breakout product. The reviews and before and after images are great, but unfortunately, the actors and actresses don’t really seem to need the product as much as other customers.
Singers and stars like Adam Levine, Julianne Hough and Avril Lavigne all praise Proactiv for clearing up their trouble spots and oily skin, but when the before and after pictures are shown, there is not much of a difference. These stars may have had a couple small trouble spots and a shiny t-zone, compared to the cases of some regular people, they don’t have much to be concerned about.
These celebrities complain about awful skin and how Proactiv helped them when they did not need much help to begin with. Compared to the regular people who use and actually need Proactiv, these celebrities look almost foolish for saying they use such a strong acne treatment. Coming from someone who has had awful breakouts, I can say that having a celebrity with a near-perfect face does not encourage me to buy a product.
An esthetician has told me that Proactiv is such a strong treatment it is made specifically for those with large breakouts and cystic acne, not for slightly oily skin and a few trouble spots. The product would actually break out this type of skin because it would wear down natural oils, so having someone like Julianne Hough, who has gorgeous skin, endorse this product is honestly a joke because it would make her face red and break out more.
I think I speak for many victims of poor skin when I say I want to see regular, non-famous people like me review acne treatments because their opinions mean more to me than celebrities who can afford a great dermatologist. I want someone just like me to give me honest feedback and real results on a product, not a celebrity who is just trying to sell the company by showing their face.
It’s hard to feel comfortable with breakouts, so having “perfect” individuals as the faces of an acne treatment company does not make someone who is self-conscious about their skin feel any better about their situation. Proactiv should drop the celebrity endorsements and focus on using real people with real breakouts to endorse their products.
