bops_mom's Full Review: Murad Acne Complex Starter Kit
I don’t usually have acne, but I do get breaks out somewhat often. My skin is so sensitive that if I rest my hand on my face while watching TV, I’ll get a pimple. If I use a new skin care product or new makeup product the odds are really good that it’s going to break me out. Then there are the monthly hormonal break outs. Generally, none of these leave me with bad acne, just some pimples here and there that I can usually make go away within a week’s time if I work at it. I had been mostly pleased with the acne products I was using, but decided during a particularly bad break out that it was time to bring in the big guns. A good friend had been raving for some time about how marvelous her skin was thanks to Murad products. She highly recommended the Murad Acne Complex Starter Kit and I finally caved in and bought it.
About Murad's Acne Complex Starter Kit
”Get Clear. Stay Clear.”
”It Works! Clinically proven 90% success rate”
That is what is written on the tub that the Murad Acne Complex Starter Kit comes in. Available from Sephora for just $30 this is a real steal for anyone who has problems with break outs – be it an every day occurrence or an occasional one. When browsing Sephora.com I was looking pretty hard at two Murad products and when I saw that both were included in the Acne Complex Starter Kit and what a good deal the kit was I made my purchase.
Included with this kit are four acne products from Murad. They are:
- Clarifying Cleanser – 2 fl. Oz. This is a clear gel and has a slightly off white/yellowish tint to it. It has a slightly medicinal smell – kind of like alcohol mixed with lemon or something. It’s strange. On my skin it has a slight tingly feeling with a hint of menthol. This cleanser is formulated to both cleanse and tone the skin. I like that this product comes in a little flip top tube. I have however had some issues with getting the flip top to open. It’s not easy to do, but it might just be my tube. Active Ingredient: Salicylic Acid 1.5%
- Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel – 1 fl. Oz. This is more of thick liquid-gel than plain old gel. It smells very strongly of alcohol and comes in a bottle with easy to use flip top lid. Active Ingredient: Salicylic Acid 1% - also contains glycolic acid, retinol and some other stuff (see bottom of review for full ingredient listings for these products).
- Acne Spot Treatment - 0.25 fl. Oz. This is a pale yellow cream… not really creamy for it’s rather runny for a cream. It has a slightly medicinal scent to it, but it’s not bad and doesn’t last. Active Ingredient: Sulfur 3%
- Skin Perfecting Lotion - 1 fl. Oz. This is a very lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer. It’s an off white color and has a strange scent to it. I think it smells lightly of sulfur although supposedly there is no sulfur in it. The scent is very light and does quickly dissipate.
Murad also includes a how to guide, which I highly doubt anyone purchasing this product really needs, but it’s there.
My Experience with Murad’s Acne Complex Starter Kit
First off I need to state that I have dry to normal skin which means acne skin care products are usually overly drying so take that into consideration here – I did and realized that more than likely I would not be able to use these products fully as intended. How it’s generally recommend you use this kit is to use the cleanser followed by the exfoliating treatment, followed by the moisturizer provided twice a day and use the spot treatment as and where needed.
My skin had been breaking out pretty bad for about 5 weeks when I received my kit so I dug right in and began using it. At that point I didn’t really care if these products ended up drying me out something fierce, I just wanted my skin to clear up! And clear up it did. Seriously! Within 48 hours all I had left was one very resilient pimple. All the other break outs, pimples, clogged pores were gone, completely gone! I was thrilled. I was ecstatic! My skin once again looked presentable so I was very happy. At that point (after 2 days/4 uses) I stopped using all four products together for the one bad side effect I had from this kit as a whole was that it had indeed proved to be too drying for my skin type – something I kind of figured would happen before I made my purchase.
So, once my skin was basically clear again I changed my routine up a bit to better suite my own skin care needs. I stopping using the Clarifying Cleanser twice daily and took to using it just once a day – in the morning; in the evenings (and to wash off makeup) I used something else (Cetaphil Bar Soap). I stopped using the Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel twice, or even once a day and instead took to using it once a week or less to give my pores a deep cleaning – which is as often as I used a BHA treatment in the past. The moisturizer - Skin Perfecting Lotion I stopped using all together because for my dry to normal skin, it just really didn’t offer any hydration to my somewhat dry skin. I went back to using my regular moisturizer (DDF Ultra-Rich Moisturizing Cream) instead and am keeping the Skin Perfecting Lotion around as come summertime I may need something very lightweight.
As for the Acne Spot Treatment I am smitten. This is definitely a product I will purchase again as soon as I start to feel I’m nearing the end of my tube. This product seems to work better for me than any Salicylic Acid spot treatment or Benzoyl Peroxide spot treatment ever did. It can burn the pimple right off, usually within 24 hours (two uses). Perhaps the best part of this spot treatment compared to others is that with Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide treatments my skin was usually left really dry and flaky around the blemish. So once the blemish was gone, I would be left to deal with mega flakes. Now, with Murad Acne Spot Treatment I don’t have that problem at all. It’s like it burns off the pimple and nothing else. Love it!
In addition to the Acne Spot Treatment, the Clarifying Cleanser is one product I plan to repurchase. I do like using it in the mornings and feel it helps to keep my skin clear. It doesn’t seem to be too drying so long as I keep using a good moisturizer. I don’t plan to repurchase the Skin Protecting Lotion since it just doesn’t work for my dry to normal skin. However, should my skin become rather oily – this is the first product I’d look to purchase. I also don’t plan to repurchase the Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel but that’s only because I have other Salicylic Acid treatments that are less drying, work just as well and cost less (namely, Paula’s Choice 1% BHA Lotion).
As for how long the kit will last... I can't comment if you plan to use each product twice daily since I haven't used it that way. However to give a vague idea I'll say that I purchased my kit in November 2004; it's now February 2005 and I am nearly to the point of needing a new tube of the cleanser (which was 2 fl. oz. and used once daily). I use the spot treatment a few times a week (or more) and about 3/4 of the tube remains. So the kit will probably last a good while.
To sum it all up
Buying the Murad Acne Complex Starter Kit from Sephora.com was money very well spent. My skin cleared up extremely fast from what was probably the worst break out I’d had in 20 years. I really hadn’t even dared to hope it would work as well and as quickly as it did.
Another great thing about this kit, which I must note is that none of these products have caused me to break out. Sounds strange, I’m sure – breaking out from an acne kit, but with my skin I wouldn’t have been surprised since it is so break out prone and sensitive. I also think $30 is quite an amazing deal for this kit – retail price would be closer to $50. This kit is a fantastic way to try these products out without paying retail for the full sized products (the cleanser alone is $24 for the full size of 6.75 oz.). Sephora also has a great return policy – so, should this kit not work for you - you should easily be able to get a refund.
Here are the full product ingredient listings for those who are interested. Please note that these listings were copied, by me, off of the paperwork which came with my kit.
What it is:This tin containing all you need to stop breakouts in their tracks - at home or on the go.What it is formulated to do:Sized for travel, thi...More at Sephora
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