Clearasil offer a well known brand name in the treatment of blemishes and breakouts, but are you simply paying for the label rather than a product that actually works?

*Overview
I previously suffered from problem skin which meant that I was prone to breakouts. I couldn't tell you a time that I didn't have at least one spot and even once I seemed to combat the shininess of my skin I still wasn't able to prevent the appearance of blemishes and blackheads. As a teenager this made me particularly self-conscious as there is only so much that make-up can conceal and so I decided to turn to a tried and tested manufacturer of all things spot related! Clearasil claim "The oil free gel wash starts working instantly to fight 100% of spots by fighting the bacteria that causes spots, removing dirt and oil from the skin surface and helping to unblock pores." This sounded like the perfect remedy to my problem skin and so I decided to give it a go.

*About Clearasil
Clearasil was coined in America in 1950 by Ivan Combe along with the help of chemist Kedzie Teller. Clearasil was the first dermatological brand created specially for younger skin to combat teen acne. The active ingredients in the original product were sulfur and resorcinol, meaning that they were similar a product which already existed on the market at the time called Acnomel, except this was product was aimed at adults. Combe used the ABC TV American Bandstand to help promote the product and its apparently superior smell. He thought that by marketing the product to teens he would tap into their often self-conscious egos meaning that he could exploit a gap in the market. Clearasil has been sold between various chemist producers and retailers.
In 1961 saw the acquirement of the brand by Richardson-Vicks. Vicks continued to own the brand for 24 years until 1985 when the Richardson-Vicks brand was bought over by Procter & Gamble - meaning that Clearasil also became owned by Procter and Gamble. In 2000 Clearasil moved to the Boots Group portfolio who launched the clearer skin in 3 minutes campaign along with the re-branding of the product's image. Boots Healthcare International then purchased by Reckitt Benckiser in 2006 to date the Clearasil range is a part of their product portfolio.

*Price/availability
The Clearasil range is rather expensive and I reckon it would sit in the mid-high range within everyday spot prevention products. I paid £4.50 for the wash in Boots, however I justified it because I thought that if it really did clear my skin then it would be priceless. The Clearasil range is widely available both online and in stores. You will find that most high-street retailers such as Boots, Superdrug and Bodycare stock at least some of the wide range of Clearasil products.

*What attracted me
I purchased this product because I was bombarded with advertising from their "clearer skin in just 3 days" campaign. I have to say that I do not usually succumb to advertising but I with my particularly problematic skin at the time I was willing to try anything and everything that promised me better looking skin.

*Usage
The treatment wash is easy to use and is similar to most products of the same nature. The product is applied to damp skin and I find it best, as with all washes, to use warm water so that you can open your pores and this allows to clean skin deep down. The gel is slightly thick and has quite a horrible feel which when scrubbed enough does develop into a fair lather. After use your skin does feel clean however I think that this is down to the fact that it is stripping away the moisture from your skin. I used the treatment wash twice a day as directed. The product was advertised as being able to give you clearer skin in three days - however I saw no improvement in its condition over the first three days. My skin wasn't getting worse through the use of the wash so I decided that as it wasn't making my skin any different I would continue its use for a little longer. I continued to use the wash for a further week because I thought that perhaps certain types of skin would clear in three days and others would take a little longer to balance out their pH however I still saw no change after further use. I can be prone to dry skin and using such a harsh alcohol based product really seemed to irritate and dry out my skin and gave me large dry patches. On the whole, there was very little change to the state of my skin and the wash is only for external use so I decided to resort back to using my regular face wash - as well as to use plenty of moisturiser to combat the damage that the wash had done to my skin.

*Effects
Clearasil make two claims of their Deep Pore Treatment Wash. They claim that it will:

~ Provide oil control that lasts all day.
~ Deep clean pores, helping to treat and prevent spots.

In terms of preventing oil I would say that the product is successful. However it does not do so by balancing out the oil levels of your skin - instead it simply dries your skin out so that there is no moisture whatsoever and it can actually become somewhat painful. So really it is doing what it says, but in the worst way possible. As far as treating and preventing spots - I saw absolutely no difference and I continued to breakout for as long as I continued using the wash. So really it didn't deliver on either of these claims and it was entirely unsuccessful.

*Conclusion
Not only is this an over-priced, overrated product it is one which I feel caused more damage to my skin that it did benefit it. I would recommend that if you are looking for a wash that is going to clear your skin then you should steer clear (excuse the pun) of this one. And if you are really struggling with blemishes or acne then my best advice is to visit the doctor repeatedly until they provide you with something that helps to clear your skin - it is the best thing that I ever did!

Love Colleen
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