Murad • Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel • Skincare - Face

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oceandreamer001 on 1/17/2013 2:23:00 PM more reviews by oceandreamer001

Age: 36-43   Skin: Dry, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I'm loving this product. I generally have clear skin, but after a fall season with a lot of stress, my skin was clogged. It was incredibly frustrating for me, because I am an esthetician. I tried all my usual products, but nothing was making the bumps budge, not even glycolic peels

My skin is dry, but not sensitive.

I decided to try the sample size acne kit. The combination of salicylic acid and glycolic acid FINALLY made my skin start healing. This is a potent combo, and it may be too much for some people's skin.

I did have some initial purging, but that is normal. Bacteria that has been hanging out under the surface of the skin was getting forced out. There is a benefit to that initial purge. Once it's finished, your skin will look better.

There is a difference between that skin purge and true irritation, though. If your skin is peeling to the point of bleeding, that's irritation.

I like the whole system, but do think it's a bit expensive.

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ILoveBuff on 1/4/2013 9:19:00 PM more reviews by ILoveBuff

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

I can never be without this stuff again!! I was turned on to it a couple of years ago - I caught the Murad acne system infomercial one night and ordered it because I was at my wit's end with my skin. While I stopped using the entire system after a few months, I always keep the Exfoliating Gel on hand. If I'm breaking out or my pores are clogged, one or two nights of putting this on before bed will clear me up. I use it in combination with Clinique's Acne Solutions cleanser and the two work well for me.

For reference, I'm 29 with oily, very acne-prone skin.

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mrsminniver on 12/2/2012 8:44:00 AM more reviews by mrsminniver

Age: 44-55   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Coarse   Eyes: Black    

I have acne prone skin lately that has been very reactive towards any makeup, cream or treatment which tends to be a little too rich but necessary at my age (and I use Clarins products with great satisfaction, aimed at normal/combination skin). Did some research and decided to give bha/aha treatment a go. It finally came down to 2 main brands - this product (along with their Spot Treatment) by Murad and Paula's Choice 2% bha and 8% aha gels. Both brands are equally good but the main difference between this product and Paula's bha/gha exfoliating treatments is the use of alcohol in this product.

As I did not possess any sensitivity towards the alcohol denat in this product, I found it useful because it was the alcohol as well as the bha that did a good job of ridding my cheeks of the lumps and bumps, tiny irritating blackheads and pimples - extracting them was quite easy if you possess a good extractor and I use Sephora's. In quite a short period of time (about a week) my skin looked a lot smoother. Also, with all the layers of moisturizer, sunscreen, primer and foundation, the alcohol and bha was a good balance in keeping the skin clear. However, bear in mind that with prolonged use of this product (more than 1 week) because of the alcohol, I had to give my skin a break because it can be too drying. True enough, the lumps and bumps came back again in a week.

Hence, I guess that for me, on and off usage with this Murad product is the best means of guarding my skin against lumps and bumps during frequent usage of makeup, while listening to my skin telling me when to give it a break. I use Paula's Choice instead during that time ensuring continuous exfoliation.

So, depending on your age and skin type, if your skin can take alcohol and needs constant checking against acne, Murad may be a better choice. If not, give Paula's Choice a go. They have aha and bha in different forms and percentages (lotion, gel or liquid) and is definitely gentler in the long run, assuming you are not sensitive to bha or aha. I will give a review of PC's exfoliating treatments in a couple of weeks' time when I give their liquid formula a go. I really hope this helps.

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anonyym on 7/31/2012 12:38:00 PM more reviews by anonyym

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

I use this every night with a cream on top. It's great! love it.

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whit0931 on 6/10/2012 6:49:00 PM more reviews by whit0931

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Hazel    

After I swapped out the Pill for an IUD, my acne came back. Major bummer! I am two weeks into the 30 day system/sample pack, and this gel is the second 'step.' I am using the full combo (clarifying cleanser, exfoliating acne treatment gel, skin perfecting location) twice a day. It does dry out my skin a bit, and I'm still figuring out the best time to use my Aveeno daily moisturizer after the final step has taken effect. But the whole system has been terrific.

The info sheet does say that you may experience some increase in acne at the beginning, as the lotions push all your gunk up and out, and that happened a little to me. But ever since it has been great. Now that I've settled into the routine, I have had only two instances of acne, and they were 'surface' acne, not deep in the skin with several days to show up and recover. They are simple to remove and heal almost instantly.

I will finish out the 30 day pack and will likely buy full sized versions of this product. Even though it's expensive, they do provide a visual of how big an amount you should be using, and it's very small and reasonable. So far, a worthwhile investment.

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underdreamskies on 6/4/2012 9:41:00 PM more reviews by underdreamskies

Age: 19-24   Skin: Oily, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Hazel    

My HG for treating and preventing my horror-monal acne. A little bit goes a long way. I first used this from the acne kit by Murad and the only products I have stuck with are this gel and the sulfur spot treatment tube. I will never be without this serum for as long as I continue to have acne (which will probably be forever as I have PCOS) but whatever acne I do get vanishes in a matter of days with this stuff. I don't get as many breakouts during my most stressful times with this. While I can't do anything about PCOS, this has become my absolute HG for my acne, I have no other words for it!

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JessicaMary21 on 5/23/2012 3:23:00 AM more reviews by JessicaMary21

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

I had stopped taking birth control because I was without insurance. For a year I didn't want to even go out of the house because I was so embarrassed. My sister got me the starter kit and it just sat there for months. Once I ran out of my cheap Johnston & Johnson salicylic acid stuff I decided to try the treatment gel. It works WONDERS. I have found that washing my face with Neutrogena T-gel shampoo (it has 3 percent salicylic acid) and following it up with Murad's treatment gel and a moisturizer has tremendously improved my acne. I do still break out but it is 1 or 2 around that time of the month and the products I have been using clear it up so quickly. I decided that I would go ahead and buy another kit and use the products together. I would recommend this to anyone going through acne. What I will be doing is also incorporating a benzoyl peroxide treatment at night and continue with the salicylic acid in my mourning routine. Although buying full size products are expensive I think I will continue to buy the $30 kit every month so I have all the products. AH-MAZING stuff!!

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hollyferocious on 4/2/2012 6:32:00 PM more reviews by hollyferocious

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I got this with the Murad Acne Kit, and this is the only part I still use. I don't trust the rest of the kit, as I did start breaking out badly with cystic acne while I was using it and quit because so many reviews said the "purging" stage never stopped for them. Now I use Oxy 10% benzoyl peroxide face wash (cheap!) 2x a day, Clairisonic Mia2 at night, Murad Exfoliating Acne Gel at night, and salicylic acid spot treatment gel as needed (using Avon but all the ones I've seen are very similar, any decent one should work) and my skin has never been better. Pores are mostly clear and skin texture is smooth. I still get a pimple here and there, mostly hormonal, but it's pretty great otherwise. I don't credit it entirely to the Murad Exfoliating Acne Gel, but it's an integral part of the skin care routine that I believe has given me great skin.

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gothikim on 1/21/2012 3:24:00 PM more reviews by gothikim

Age: 44-55   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Hazel    

I love this gel, and I hope to never be without it. I have pre-rosacea skin that flushes easily and painfully, but the gel doesn't cause me any undue discomfort or peeling. I apply it after cleansing (with the Murad Acne cleanser), before PTR Unwrinkle and sunscreen. It helps dry current pimples and reduces the number of zits that I get at any one time. It doesn't prevent hormonal acne or my persistent blackheads, but I have yet to find a product that will do that... It seems pricy at first glance, but a little bit goes a long way, and I'm happy to find somewhere else in my skincare regimen to save a few $$$.

Obviously anyone sensitive to salicylic acid shouldn't use this gel, since that's the active ingredient.

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*TOP REVIEWER* makeupdee on 12/16/2011 10:45:00 AM more reviews by makeupdee

Age: Unknown   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

I started using this on a whim because I already had the sample size. I have neither acne, except for the occasional chin pimple around my period, nor overly oily skin. What I was hoping for was something to remedy the combination of hard water/low humidity environment in Los Angeles that's causing the surface of my skin to dry up and my pores to get a bit blocked because the oil can't circulate as well. It gave rather good results actually. I put a thin layer all over my face and followed it up with a small amount of MyChelle Pumpkin Renew cream. The first couple of times using it I noticed oil coming out of the pores so they seemed to be getting unblocked and my skin overall looked smoother and more refined. It gave some small surface red bumps like baby pimples in a couple cases, and I'm not sure yet if this was more plugs coming to the surface (the purging acne other reviewers mentioned) or if it was irritation from the product. It could have been more plugs coming to the surface, because I've seen this happen before with products like Janet Sartin that clean out the pores. The little red bumps did not hurt, did not become larger pimples and went away in a couple days. It is a bit strong so I think I can only use this once/day, and I only apply a very thin layer. It seems to have something in it like glycerin that moisturizes to counteract the drying properties of the salicylic acid/alcohol. Not actually sure if I would buy this product again but I had to pick one and it is more "Yes" than "No" at this point. I will update this review after a couple weeks.

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scrappydog on 11/15/2011 2:58:00 PM more reviews by scrappydog

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Green    

Works much better than Peter Thomas Roths Aha/Bha Acne Treatment Gel. This clears my acne and if used as a spot treatment really makes it go down overnight, it takes the swelling and redness out!

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dngrrl on 9/11/2011 11:40:00 AM more reviews by dngrrl

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Coarse   Eyes: Brown    

The exfoliating acne gel is the best thing for getting rid of my blackheads on my nose. I love waking up in the morning and seeing those blackheads have disappeared. For the rest of my face, it does a pretty good job as well. It has definitely helped with my adult acne. I tried the 30-day kit on a whim even though it broke me out before. I was tired of using benzoyl peroxide and dealing with bleached-stained towels and shirts. I've used Murad in the past when I was younger and I definitely had that purging breakout. I was so hideous that I finally stopped after 2 months! Now it's been like 5 years since the last time I used Murad but my skin can actually benefit from it. No purging breakout like last time. It's cleared up most of my acne except the ones on my chin. Even with birth control, those won't clear up. I just wished it wasn't so darn expensive or else I would have given it a 5.

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Mischievous1 on 8/4/2011 2:32:00 PM more reviews by Mischievous1

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair, Cool   Hair: Blond, Curly, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

I picked this up a few months ago in a 30 day acne starter kit from Murad. Out of all the products, this one and the perfecting lotion have improved my skin drastically.
The whole starter kit was too drying and harsh for my face and kept purging my acne to the surface. The one that my skin responded to the best is this exfoliating gel and I credit my clear skin to this product.
During the first week it seemed to be too strong and harsh on my skin so I would only use it once a day. For some reason I am able to use it 2x a day now without any redness or stinging. I was getting emberrassing horrible adult acne on my jaw and chin line. Since using this, I get very small zits and few and far between--they don't hurt and within a day of using this gel and the pimple spot treatment, the pimple is gone.
I use a very small amount (no bigger than the size of a small button) and gently pat it on my acne prone areas. when I first started using it I was using a quarter size amount and found it too drying.
I also wait a few minutes to let the product absorb before I apply my Murad pimple cream and moisturizer. This product makes my skin so soft and tightens the pores. When I look in the mirror now I don't see small bumps and clogged pores.
I am not nuts about the price tag, but for the results I have received from it, I will pay whatever cost to keep my skin clear.

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xrysali on 8/3/2011 12:08:00 AM more reviews by xrysali

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

did not nothing for my skin... waste of money don't buy it

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kielnico on 7/28/2011 10:51:00 AM more reviews by kielnico

Age: 36-43   Skin: Very Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

This should come with a warning: Do not use unless you want to turn your skin into a horrible cystic acne disaster zone! Horrible, horrible product. Worst of all it's SO EXPENSIVE! I feel so cheated, coz where I live we cannot return products when you're not satisfied with it. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this product.

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lindadomini on 6/17/2011 1:44:00 PM more reviews by lindadomini

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I had success with this product. If I had a flare up the day before and put it on my skin that night, I'd see a satisfactory improvement in my skin. I like to use it under makeup as well. The fact it's a gel works well with makeup because if it were a lotion or cream, I think it would just make my face more oily and allow my concealer to move around too much. I do not use this every day. It's not part of my daily regimen because I use other products with salicylic acid and using too many products dries out and irritates my skin. But using this occassionally as a treatment and for prevention (around the time your hormones go crazy) seems to help. I do agree with the other reviewer that compared the texture and consistency of this product to hand sanitizer. It does have that alcohol smell to it but I'm glad that it produces positive results for me. Remember though that I use it sparingly and I found that it doesn't work well on the already established cystic monsters that may spring up from time to time.

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*TOP REVIEWER* kathrynb23 on 5/16/2011 2:51:00 AM more reviews by kathrynb23

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

An interesting product that is proven to be absolutely useless to me. My key word in terms of skincare is prevention, and at the moment even though I dont have acne, and it was never ever a problem that I deal with, I still like to prevent it at all cost.
I am an avid user of Salycylic Acid product in terms of preventing acne, every morning and night, not all the skincare products I use have Salycylic Acid, in fact only my toner has Salycylic Acid, but it works for me.
This product on one note, smells, look and feels like hand sanitiser! It does leave a sticky residue on your face, and the smell alone is enough to make you sick.
But on the other note, I believe does work at clearing and preventing acne, my little sister is going through her teenage years right now, and acne is her problem. Since her skin is relatively young/virgin (to any skincare), I dont like to let her use a lot of unneccessary products, but just watching the poor thing deal with her acne, it makes me want to squirt this all over her to help her out.
I initially let her use it every day for 1.5 weeks just to help clear the existing acne and break outs, after that I only let her use it 2 time a week just to help prevent any further acne and breakout, works like a charm for her, she loves it and does want to use it every day instead, but I dont think it's neccessary!
I gave this product 4 lippies, only because it resembles hand sanitiser soo much, and I dont like the harsh chemical smell to it, but in all honesty, seeing the results on my baby sister, I do believe this product works.

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latina72 on 4/30/2011 4:31:00 AM more reviews by latina72

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Black    

the worst thing ever!!
after using this product for about 3 weeks, my skin was lobster red!! i mean, totally raw!!
i couldnt even put any make up on, didnt stick to my skin!
fortunately, they returned my money.. but how im going to correct the damage? Now i have red scars on my chin, forehead and cheeks! Dont you dare!
and on top of all these, is supper expensive!!!!

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jacoba on 3/8/2011 10:48:00 PM more reviews by jacoba

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

If you're looking for something to kill the oil on your skin and dry up pimples, this is a MUST! I apply it to my chin where I tend to break out the most, and I've noticed a huge reduction in my acne. It fades any scars nicely, and tightens your pores. When I can feel a pimple forming beneath the surface I apply this every night and the pimple never actually has a chance to form, I kill it with this stuff! I wear it under moisturizer for a nice balance. HG of skincare!

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TaxDollar on 2/26/2011 6:26:00 PM more reviews by TaxDollar

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This product destroyed my skin. The alcohol in it stripped all the moisture off my face and I broke out horribly. It took weeks for my skin to fully recover. Scary stuff!

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