Alba Botanica • Natural Acnedote Oil Control Lotion • Moisturizers

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asf on 2/20/2013 2:02:00 PM more reviews by asf

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This stuff is fantastic. I am going through a stressful time and was breaking out in horrible, cystic acne (unusual for me) on my cheeks and jawline. Purchased this about 10 days ago because 1) I love my Alba papaya enzyme & deep sea masks and 2) the salicylic acid/moisturizer combo seemed like a great treatment for under makeup.

I have been using every morning after washing and toning. Have noticed a DRAMATIC improvement in the cystic acne on my cheeks and chin. Zero new zits since I've started using this. Has not dried out my skin at all. I don't know if I would say that this is an "oil control lotion," as my facial oiliness does not seem to have decreased, but I don't care because as an acne treatment, this stuff is spectacular.

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lauramarie03 on 2/7/2013 5:57:00 PM more reviews by lauramarie03

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Grey    

I am a huge fan (in the summer) of AB's Natural Hawaiian Oil Free Moisturizer, so I thought I'd love this one. My skin is sensitive as well as combination. From the first use, and every time after that, my skin felt a tingling sensation and quickly became not just extremely shiny but practically wet feeling. After a week of use I began breaking out (my skin is usually blemish free). I thought it was my skin adjusting and tried to stick with it but after a month of more intense acne I decided to go back to my old lotion. One week later, I am once again acne (and weird wet skin) free. If you have sensitive skin, beware this product..

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sammraovich on 1/28/2013 12:34:00 AM more reviews by sammraovich

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is the great Alba product I keep talking about that has a 2% salicylic acid in it. It comes in 2 ounce size and is sold at Wal-Mart and Target and other stores. I have nothing bad to say about it. If you are concerned about shine you may want to put on a powder foundation, and Mary Kay does have great powder foundations. (Note: as with all powder foundations, you apply with a brush, and you should be washing out your brush about twice a month, and Mary Kay's Deep Cleansing Soap #3 from the Classic Basic line has enough preservatives to kill that bacteria in the brush and make it literally new! That's what I use on my face and to clean my brush) Before putting on your foundation, let this Alba lotion sit on your face for about 10 minutes so the acids have a chance to break down blackheads and whiteheads. Or, use it at night and then you don't need a powder foundation on. The 2% Alba toner is very good too. I love that and it performs well at controlling oil so it won't harden in your pores. If Mary Kay could create something like this, I would switch to their brand, but I've called a million times over the last 3 years with no success. God! How can they be in the world of skin care and not have a very well formulated salicylic acid product??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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KaelynMarie on 12/26/2012 2:43:00 PM more reviews by KaelynMarie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I use this everyday under my makeup. It is awesome and keeps my face from getting as oily as well as clearing breakouts. I love it. A friend of mine tried it and immediately went out and bought some for herself.

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lulu94 on 11/2/2012 5:53:00 PM more reviews by lulu94

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I'm surprised at the bad reviews for this product. I'm really, really thrilled with it! I bought it at walmart for $11, very reasonable. I have normal/slightly combination skin - as in, as long as I use a 2% salicylic acid cleanser daily, I don't really get breakouts. Maybe one-two zits per month, at most. However, the salicylic acid wash does dry out my skin and cause my nose, mouth and forehead areas to become dry and flaky. Unfortunately most moisturizers I have tried break me out - the only one that has not, until now, was clean & clear dual action. That one worked awesome for my skin. One issue - I prefer to keep products that are absorbed by my skin (lotions, deodorant, etc) all-natural. It just grosses me out to think my skin is drinking up a bunch of chemicals. This is the ONLY natural moisturizer that I have gotten to work for me! Doesn't cause pimples, yet still moisturizes enough. I'm so happy!

I think one reason others were disappointed in this was they purchased it for the purpose of oil control. I must mention that I do not have any issues with oiliness- I never need to blot or apply powder, so I did not purchase this moisturizer for that purpose and can't comment on it's effectiveness for that purpose.

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scrowell on 7/5/2012 5:47:00 PM more reviews by scrowell

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

Awful, awful, awful. Like hell to the no. Broke me out, made me MORE oilier. So bad. Girls/boys dont buy!

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ChynnaBlue on 5/27/2012 11:15:00 PM more reviews by ChynnaBlue

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Red, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

The box says this delivers "all-day matte coverage." Those Alba people must have super short days, because my t-zone is incredibly shiny and it's only been on for 4 hours. I'm going to try using it as a treatment, since it's 2% salicylic acid, but I bought it to control shine and get the "all-day matte finish" it promised, and in that regard, this is a failure. It's cheaper than a high end product, but I still rank it as relatively expensive, because any money spent on a product that doesn't do what it promises and what I bought it for is too expensive.


Edit: I've used this as a treatment to prevent/relieve acne and it's fantastic for that. If only they didn't promise oil control and matte skin, I'd give it 5 stars. As far as oil control, I still see no difference. But I would definitely recommend or repurchase this as an acne treatment.

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*TOP REVIEWER* piecesofpurple on 3/22/2012 10:15:00 PM more reviews by piecesofpurple

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I'm going to try to be brief. I've been looking for a simple, light day moisturizer that helps with acne prone skin. Ideally, I want to find all of this in a cream that also serves to control oil. Here's the breakdown:

Pros:
1.Does not break me out at all----may actually help with breakouts (I'm the clearest I've been in a LONG time)
2. Does not irritate my skin (No burning, itching, redness)
3. Actually calms my hyperpigmentation.
4. Sinks right into my skin leaving no residue.

Cons:
1. Doesn't do a damn thing to balance oil production, but at the same time, doesn't exacerbate oilyness---just doesn't help with it at all.

All in all, I'm happy. I've had serious, cystic acne for years and have had regular acne since I was 13. I've been on two rounds of Accutane (neither fully clearing my skin--just calming it a bit). SInce my second round, I was breaking out pretty badly again and was so frustrated that I cleared everything out of my routine. Now, I employ a basic skin care routine which involves:

AM: Alba Acnedote Oil Control Lotion
PM: DS Laboratories Trioxil PM

This is all I use---no crazy 5 step skin care routine like I used to have and my skin is the happiest it's been in so long----maybe since before puberty? I just hope it lasts!

So, all I can suggest is that before you assume this lotion is breaking you out, look at all the other products you're using. (Makeup with loooong ingredient lists---avoid at all costs). If you're putting acne causing products onto your skin AFTER you apply this lotion, this lotion will not help with your acne problem.

It's worth a try. I paid $9.00 for 2oz.

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*TOP REVIEWER* lolomakeup84 on 3/20/2012 11:53:00 PM more reviews by lolomakeup84

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I have the oily t-zone problem so I bought this to try it out. Day one, it broke me out! Its been a week and I'm still trying to recover! DO NOT BUY! It doesnt even control oils on my face. my face we oily by 12 noon. GROSS

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AmyBin on 12/5/2011 2:30:00 PM more reviews by AmyBin

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Does not work at all. Within two hours, my face was oilier than it has ever been, plus within four hours, my eyes started to burn (and I didn't place it anywhere near my eyes, but on my forehead...must be migrating). Will not repurchase.

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aroese1 on 6/29/2011 5:47:00 PM more reviews by aroese1

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

I was excited to try this product. My skin is very acne prone and the oil on my skin is out of control during the summer. After giving it a two week trial period, I have decided to stop using this product because it breaks me out.

Although, I will say that It did help with the oil on my skin. So if you are less acne prone than I am this may be great just to control lotion.

Overall, this was a disappointment. I would not buy again.

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rejayde7 on 6/20/2011 2:53:00 AM more reviews by rejayde7

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Tan   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I bought this lotion at Target while searching for a lotion that wouldnt make my skin more oily than it already is (I have so much oil in my t zone) so i decided to pick this up along with the deep clean astrigent (which also DID NOT WORK) I only used this for a week and by the 7th day I could not keep using it. I used it every morning and it would burn my skin and make it red, it literally hurt me. It did nothing for my oil over the day, it actually left a greasy feeling on my skin which I hate. I returned this and went with the Boots Expert Shine Control Lotion which works really well.

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calibarbara on 5/8/2011 5:07:00 PM more reviews by calibarbara

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

I bought this at Whole Foods for about 14 dollars. Kind of pricey, but, eh. It did a decent job controlling oil throughout the day-- my oil production was reduced significantly. However, my T-Zone (the only area I applied this "lotion" to) was by no means matte at the end of the day. It was slightly oily. Application is a pain. The lotion dries very quickly and you end up with white streaks on your face that you need to rub and smear off. (Think of it like applying sunscreen). I wouldn't buy this again though it did an "eeeehh" job of what it promised.

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Faebiela on 4/15/2011 1:04:00 AM more reviews by Faebiela

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

Did nothing at all. In fact it made me OILIER. I checked the ingredients and one of the ingredients is actually alcohol, which is a huuuge no-no for people with oily skin!

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blackroze79 on 3/3/2011 12:02:00 AM more reviews by blackroze79

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

My personal experience with this product is good, it does control my oil in the daytime. I also purchased the Acnedote Wash and Astringent, so all three together have been clearing up my acne. I use Mineral makeup so if someone uses a liquid foundation I suppose the oil control may not be as effective, overall I would suggest this product only to those who suffer from very oily skin, as the moisturizer give just the right amount of moisture.

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Suger_Spise on 1/12/2011 9:09:00 PM more reviews by Suger_Spise

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

I'm not sure exactly what to say about this lotion. I saw the unpromising reviews on the body wash and treatment gel, so I bought the face wash and lotion and have been using them together for the last week. Neither has a fake scent; both are pretty similar to the menthol scent of mr. bigelow products at bath and body works. The face wash tingles when you use it. The lotion, however, burns. It moisturizes decently, but I'm still getting a few dry patches on my chin. I've also noticed some shine on my forehead, so it does little to control oil. Overall, other than a nice consistency and smell, I would say these products we significantly below average, except suddenly my face is clearing up. I've used differin, benzoyl peroxide in many forms, and quite a few things with salycylic acid. I've tried numerous facewashes from neutrogena to other things in the alba brand. Nothing has had the effect on my acne that these two products have. I'm reluctant to endorse it after so little time, but so far, the face wash and lotion have been the answer for me. I'm not sure whether one or both is making the difference, so I'm posting the same review on both products. I would strongly recommend trying the combination if you're looking for decently priced, oil-free, face products that aren't tested on animals and actually work.

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creamypie on 1/8/2011 2:30:00 AM more reviews by creamypie

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I had high hopes for Alba's first acne-fighting moisturizer. On paper, it was everything I was looking for in a daily moisturizer: oil-free and fragrance-free formula, oil-controlling matte finish, and a strong salicylic acid treatment (2%).

I think Alba missed the mark here. While it's a good, lightweight moisturizer for oily skin types, it does nothing for oil control, and the matte finish lasts only a short while. The smell is also a bit strange, somewhat herbal and menthol-like, but luckily it doesn't linger. I can't say whether it's helped my acne, but it didn't make it any worse.

Tube packaging was fine, although I wish the opening was a tad smaller since a little bit goes a long way. Found it at Walmart for $10, which isn't outrageously expensive. Overall, not a bad product but not everything I'm looking for.

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herehereandhere on 10/1/2010 6:11:00 PM more reviews by herehereandhere

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This did nothing to control my oil. While it wasn't a bad moisturizer I wouldn't consider it the greatest either. It's pretty pricy ($14.99) at whole foods and while it moisturizers I find that it left my skin kinda dewy, almost greasy. I didn't like that. After about an hour or so the feeling fades, but my face constantly felt oily and grimy. Didn't like the feeling at all. I really love Alba products and had high hopes, but this did nothing to clear/control my oily skin. Skip this one.

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*TOP REVIEWER* adara260 on 9/9/2010 10:41:00 PM more reviews by adara260

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I got this at Walmart (so very reasonable IMO). I was really excited because I love the Proactiv Daily Oil Control but it's very expensive. With more testing I hope this will be an excellent duplicate. I also love that this product doesn't have a lot of the "bad" stuff in it. Also no animal testing!

UPDATE: Much better than Proactiv's Oil Control. My face is matte matte but not dry. It's actually moisturized! A little goes a long way unlike other lotions. The smell is not perfect. It's a little like clay-ish? But its not bad at all and then fades. I'd rather have this than a chemical fake flower smell. Controls the oil, makes a smooth canvas for my mineral makeup. LOVE IT! Perfect for those with oily, acne prone skin because it has 2% salicylic acid!
UPDATE #2: I am on my second bottle and I cannot say enough good things about this product. I am really impressed with this oil control lotion and the treatment gel in this line. I might even consider checking out the cleaner in the line.

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