A HG product. I initially received this as a sample, and after using I've repurchased it ever since.

It keeps my pores clear, reduces redness, and as a wonderful bonus it also helps to lighten dark spots. This in turn gives me a much more even complexion. As with most murad products, the ingredients seem to be effective and clean.

If you have enlarged pores though (like I do on my nose), it doesn't really "shrink" them on its own. However since I recently bought a clarisonic, I find that using the clarisonic and the pore refiner after it really helps to clear them and keep them small.

I find that it instead of applying it straight onto your face, it actually works better when you mix it with a moisturiser (I usually go about 50/50). I don't know why that is, but it does make my skin look fantastic the next day. It also helps it absorb better and reduce the stickiness.

The downside to this product is that it's very sticky and can be fairly drying with the glycolic and salicylic acid. I would say this is for night use only. To combat the dryness you could either apply more moisturizer, but I would recommend using a serum with a hyaluronic base of your choice.

It is a bit pricey at $40, but a bottle does last awhile (a couple months and more). To me, it's good value for money considering all the great things it does.

Tried all the top branded productson the market for pore refining, had a sample as i do use MURAD & MUAC & MAC and this actually made a HUGE difference in approx 2-3 weeks...so much so that i bought the professional size as its definitely something i will keep using as my daily am & pm routine! I do also use the MURAD dewy primer on under my MAC foundation continued >>

I'm an avid salicylic acid user since it helps me control my breakouts. I use a salicylic product pretty much everyday in my morning routine. Let me tell you....this stuff is STRONG. Although it is the typical 2%, this stuff is strong. I can't see how anybody can use this on their entire face unless you have acne. I use it only on my nose area and sometimes when it gets on my upper lip there is a slight burn. I use it day and night after my toner and only on my nose. I do see that my pores have gotten smaller but not significant. This bottle will last me forever because I only use a drop of it. Oh yeah, the scent is really strong too.

I had the biggest hopes on this product because I really hope it would refine my pores and its blackheads. Already used half the bottle for my daily skincare regime, and I really did not notice any pore refining. The consistency of this gel is fairly runny and you have to rub it on your skin for it to be absorbed. I somewhat enjoy the pomengranate smell yet it can get repulsive at times when you smell it. This was a fairly expensive product, and I really hoped it worked better for me. But it really didn't do anything. I'm glad I tried it out but I will not be repurchasing. This product is also a bit on the drying side because of the acids it has. I have combination and I noticed maybe after I started using this, that my skin has gotten more dry in a bit places. But I always moisturized after it, so it was not a huge problem for me. However, I always like to read other people's reviews on products that I am about to review for their points so I can think about whether they are applicable to me. And I have noticed that my blackheads have been so much more easier to extract after using this gel. With regular usage and extraction, it's actually not that bad. All the oil actually comes out really easy from blackheads. So I hope this helped readers into deciding to purchase this or not.

I got a sample of this with a purchase at Ulta, and I wish I could tell you how it works, but to be honest I had to wash it off right after I put it on. I don't know if the heat it was exposed to during shipping (I live in Las Vegas, so its pretty hot here) made it go bad or what, but it was the worst smelling thing I have ever used. I literally started retching. I'd like to try it out since I have large pores and it sounds like it would be good for me, but if that is the way it always smells I'm going to have to find something else.

This has an impressive list of ingredients to treat the oily T zone area. Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, zinc. Unfortunately for me, this caused me to break out even more on my forehead.

I got a sample of this to try and I was amazed at how it worked. I don't know what's in it but I like it. It doesn't make your pores disappear but I saw a definite improvement around my nose and cheeks. No adverse effects. Just a simple gel used to improve the appearance of your pores. Good for the warm weather. I haven't tried it with makeup on though. The mineral makeup I use tends to hide my pores well. I use it when I want to opt for tinted moisturizer or go "au naturel" for a short period of time. Refreshing... but it's not a necessity unless you like to go barefaced a lot (like at the gym or lounging around the pool) and don't want people to talk to your pores.

At first I was not at all impressed with this. And then I realized that with consistent use over about a week (applied nightly so that I could apply it a bit thicker and not worry about having to do makeup over it or about shine and massaged it in) I realized that my pores were shrinking. I realized this in a kind of gross way! I had JUST extracted and my pores looked full of gunk on my nose where I tend to get some blackheads. It was weird. I could not figure out why they looked like I had never extracted. And then it dawned on me that this product was what was squeezing my pores and pushing the toxins/oil/gunk out. I extracted and sure enough pulled out A LOT of blackheads. It kind of makes my skin look bad in these early stages and so I'm going to stop using it because I have some important events to go to next week and can't have my skin looking rough. I do think that with continued use and extraction, my pores would be smaller and look super clear. I think this product needs to go hand in hand with regular extraction with the proper tool. Otherwise the gunk would just sit there and look nasty. I wish there was some way to make your skin look good in the early stages of using this when the toxins are coming to the surface but unfortunately it seems that it's just going to result in some breakouts or unclear looking skin.

I have oily-combination skin with some oiliness and enlarged pores in the T-zone. This product has been slowly but surely shrinking my pores at the same time as keeping the oiliness to a minimum. The gel is rather sticky for a minute after you put it on but since I use it as a night treatment, it doesn't bother me. Use this product very sparingly. I got a sample of it from sephora and it lasted me 3 weeks, using it everyday. You only need one very small pump worth, you'll see what I mean when I say the product spreads really well. All in all, a really great product, one I would purchase again.

I have been using this for 10 days and I really like it. Before I was using Estee Lauder Idealist. This is way better than Estee. It has made my skin improve. I took one lippie of because it feels so much sticky and I can't go out without makeup if I use this. Because it looks like my face is shiny/oily although it is not. I wish Murad can solve the stickiness problem. Other than that I think I would repurchase it.
EDIT: This product has made my skin glowing. I am so impressed with it. Hence the sticky feeling I will repurchase it.

I try to be scientific about my skincare, but I'm pretty much convinced that this gel is made out of unicorn tears and babies' smiles because it has been the most miraculous product for my skin, ever.

I have oily skin with extremely dry patches (weird, I know) that is fairly acne prone. I'd tried over-the-counter and prescription acne treatments, experimented with masks (Queen Helene, aspirin, etc.) and moisturizers, and, through a religious regimen of salicylic acid and exfoliation, gotten my skin to the point where it wasn't a disaster but it wasn't anything to gaze in wonder at, either.

I tried this without any high hopes. Nothing in my regimen changed except that I applied the Pore Refining Gel all over my face every night and morning before moisturizing. Note that you don't need a ton, or else your face will get slippery and sticky; a tiny amount, massaged into your skin, will do.

For the first few days, I didn't notice any difference. Less than a week later, though, the effects kicked in. My skin was glowing, all my dry patches were gone, my skin wasn't a total oil slick, my old acne spots were fading, my existing blemishes were disappearing, and my face felt soft and silky.

Within a few days, my face looked totally clear, even-toned, and glowy, and I felt comfortable marching around without makeup. I did not expect any of these effects from the gel at all, and I was totally blown away. (No, I am not being paid by Murad to write all this...I wish I was!)

The scent doesn't really bother me (it's really light and fruity), the texture is quite nice, and the packaging is excellent. (You can control, to a tee, how much comes out of the pump, and it even locks so if you transport it, nothing leaks.) The only thing that sucks is the price: $40. Luckily I won this in a blog giveaway so I got it for free, but when it runs out, I'll cough up the $$ to buy more; it's worth it! Fortunately it lasts a long time. I've been using it for more than a month and I'm still at the top of the bottle.

This did not do anything but made my black head stands out more (maybe it cleaned out other pores so that sever/big black heads stands out?) This really reminds me of the differin gel that I used to use. I prefer garden of wisdom’s mandalic % marine over this gel to manage my blackhead.

Very disappointed with this. Expensive product, although it looks as though it will last forever (wish it wouldn't ...) I honestly don't think it has made an iota of difference to my pores after about 6 weeks or so.
It is quite unpleasant to use as it is quite a thick gel and,surprisingly, the instructions are to massage it in. I am also rather surprised that it tells you to apply it all over face and chest as well, since it calls itself a T-zone pore refining gel. I have confined it to the T-zone, since that is the area of concern. But the pores are as large as ever and the blackheads haven't reduced at all.

I can't really tell if it is making a difference to the size of my pores or whether it's improving my skin congestion. The consistency is sticky and it does leave a shiny film on your face, as other reviewers have pointed out. I still get the occasional pimples while using this product, but I have noticed that my hyperpigmentation has lightened a bit quicker since I started using this. However, in the grand scheme of things, I am not sure if this small benefit justifies the exorbitant price. I won't repurchase this when I'm done, but if my skin seems worse without it, I will update this review.

I read about this product on Good Housekeeping's website. Their lab had tested it with pretty great results so I went out and bought it.
I still can't figure out how I feel about this product. I used it without fail for weeks and weeks and I just don't think it did what it promises. My pores tend to be more congested on my cheeks, nose, and chin and while I do think it helped somewhat, it wasn't noticeable enough for me to want to keep using it and buy it again. Especially when I read in other reviews that when you stop using it, your skin goes right back to the way it was. My skin didn't look good enough to pay $40+ for it every few months.

This stuff is super effective. It will shrink your pores, and draw out all the impurities - blackheads, whiteheads, and all. Your face will definitely look clearer. BUT - I personally could not get past the way it smells and the way it feels. It's way too sticky, impossible to leave the house with, and annoying to even have on at home if you're going to look in the mirror every now and then. It smells like cheap, fake, pomegranate cough syrup. Can't deal with that. And it leaves a shiny film on the face. Although I won't throw it away or give it away, I wouldn't repurchase it for 2 reasons: 1, I still have half the bottle I first bought cuz it was hard to keep using so I couldn't finish it, and 2, I discovered DDF's Glycolic Toner 10% - which so far seems to do the same work but without any of those dealbreakers. I kept my Murad T-Zone bottle around thinking I could use it after waxing (sometimes I get a few bumps and ingrowns the first 3-4 days after waxing) - and guess what - it works GREAT for that purpose! Still feels sticky but at least it's not my face and I don't have to smell it up close.
So for people with serious skin issues who don't mind or are used to strange textures and smells, go for it. It works.

Not impressed with this product. Did not reduce pores or help with conjestion also did not help with oiliness. Been using the product for about 4 weeks now, would not repurchase...I mean, $40, for what?

Overall: 5
Price: 3
Packaging: 5
Buy again: yes
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This product caught my attention because of the high re-purchase rate, and from the reviews it sounded like it would be the product to end all my skincare problems: clogged pores, uneven skin tone, and oiliness problems. I am surprised that this product really did live up to my expectations!

Within 1 week, my blemishes on my chin and cheeks had cleared, my skin was so smooth and my hyperpigmentation was on its way to fading. My pores are already fairly small, but using the t-zone gel refined them further.

The gel is lightweight and quite runny, and a little goes a long way. I dispense about 4-5 drops for my full face. It's scent is pomegranate, I assume, but to me it smells like lychee. The t-zone gel contains glycolic acid, pomegranate, salicylic acid, aloe, and other goodies (if you read the ingredients). It doesn't leave a sticky finish, but I use it primarily at night, since its use will increase sensitivity to sunlight, so ensure to wear spf during the day.

I bought this on Strawberrynet.com for about $42 Canadian (free shipping!), so I think it was a great deal. It comes packaged in a 50 mL plastic bottle with a pump which locks when you twist it. I like that it's clear so you can see how much is left, and the label is pink!

I don't think it should sting or be too strong, but it will hurt if you exfoliate first. Since using this product (been using it for about 2 weeks now), I feel more comfortable in bare skin than I have in a long time! I would totally recommend!

This product has saved my skin. I have sensitive but combination skin, and this serum keeps my pores clear and calm. Just like a previous reviewer mentioned, this product changes the texture of the skin. And it also helps the skin's clarity--making it naturally radiant and even. The only down side to it is the price (I paid US$40 at Sephora), but this first bottle has lasted me so long (I think it's been 5 months!), I will have no problem buying another one next week. The smell was slightly obnoxiously fruity in the beginning, but I don't even smell it anymore. I have used other Murad products in the past, and they did a good job, but this has been the best so far for my skin. I use this along with Clinique liquid soap mild, Alba Botanica toner (green bottle), Clinique superdefense spf 25 (type 3) day cream, and their Continuous rescue night cream (type 2). Those products build up my natural moisture barrier to keep my skin strong (so I rarely have sensitive skin reactions). This has been the perfect regimen for my skin for the past 5 months or so. If I miss using the T-zone gel, my skin looks ruddy and appears to break out a little. So consistency is the key (esp since as soon as I go back to using it twice daily, my skin bounces right back). My skin never looked this radiant and firm when I was a teen and I am currently 26 y/o. I love this stuff!! Also, my trick to making the bottle last a long time is applying only a tiny amount to slightly damp skin. That allows it to spread easily over the skin and you use less. Seal it in with your moisturizer, and your skin will drink it all up and look amazing.

I have oily skin and large pores on my nose and i've tried various products to try and deal with the problem! Now i wasn't expecting much from this product i must say, but after reading the reviews on here i decided to fork out! this stuff is AMAZING!!!! Previously i have tried estee lauder pore minimizing serum that was useless but this stuff after several days use my pores are tiny!!!!!!! couldn't believe the results!!! it stings a bit if u apply after exfoliating or apply to any sensitive areas on the face. I can imagine if you have sensitive skin this stuff may irritate it. My face is much more smoother and the pores are smoother and smaller too! This stuff is absolutely amazing i will definitely be re-purchasing it is a god send!!!!!!!!!!!!!