Like most people, I’ve been wearing masks non-stop for six months now. While face masks certainly help protect you from contracting the virus, they can also be harsh on your skin. I wear a cotton face mask, and I can feel it constantly rubbing up against and tugging at my skin with every use. As a result, I’ve seen my acne flare up – especially in my cheek area – ever since I started wearing masks. To help address this, I started using SMACNE products. After using them consistently for over a month, I wanted to post an honest review of my experience!
First, here’s a review of the unboxing experience. The package contained three tubes: an Exfoliating Aloe Cleanser BHA + AHA Complex, an Acne Treatment, and a Severe Acne Treatment. These are a convenient size, and if I were travelling, I’d definitely have no problem packing these in my toiletry bag. Unlike most travel-sized products, these tubes actually contain a good amount of product in them! The cleanser has two ounces of product in it, and each acne treatment has one ounce of product in them. I’ve been using these consistently for over a month, and it doesn’t seem like I’m close to running out yet.
In addition to the tubes themselves, there were also two cards with the treatment schedule and instructions. For your convenience, I’ve written both of these out here:
Treatment Schedule
Here’s what you can expect on your way to perfectly clear skin.
Weeks 1-3
Typically, your skin needs an adjustment period to get used to any new acne treatment, which usually takes about 3 weeks. If you experience redness, irritation, or itchiness, you can start with less treatment and slowly increase over the course of 3 weeks and it should go away.
You may only have minor improvements or have cycles of clearer skin, followed by breakouts as the treatment brings out any existing impurities and acne that was deep in the skin.
Weeks 3-6
Most people will begin to see remarkable improvement at around the 4 week mark, although for some people it can take as long as 6 weeks, and it should continue to improve. So don’t give up! The product is backed by decades of science and works when used properly!
Weeks 6-8 and beyond
At around the 6-8 week mark, most people should be completely clear or well on their way to becoming clear. Any redness left over from old acne should continue to fade over time and ongoing treatment is only needed as maintenance for clear skin.
Instructions
Important:
Repeat twice a day, morning and night. Please allow at least 30 days to allow SMACNE to purge acne deep in the skin and see results. It is 10 times easier to prevent acne than it is to treat pimples that have already formed, so continue use, even once you are clear. Consistency is key! It is the difference between having dreaded breakouts and clear skin.
Wash:
Use a nickle to quarter size of the Exfoliating Aloe Cleanser to gently wash your face.
Apply:
Use a nickle to quarter size of the treatment cream and rub into your face in a circular motion until fully absorbed. If you experience irritation or dryness, you may want to start out with a small amount of cream at first to let your skin get used to it and work your way up slowly over 2-4 weeks when first starting the treatment.
Optional:
Follow up with a moisturizer if needed. If you are going out in the sun, use a sunscreen. The treatment may bleach fabric.
Here’s a look at the texture of each product. As you can see, the Exfoliating Aloe Cleanser BHA + AHA Complex has a gel-like consistency, and both the Acne Treatment and Severe Acne Treatment have cream-like consistencies. All are fairly lightweight, and the treatments surprisingly don’t feel too heavy on the skin.
Now, here are my thoughts on each product:
Cleanser
The Exfoliating Aloe Cleanser BHA + AHA Complex claims to “clear out any impurities, exfoliate your pores, and remove oil on your skin, so that it is fresh and to prep the skin for the treatment.” I’ve been using this every time I wash my face for the last six weeks, and I love how it feels on my skin. I’ve always liked using cleansers with a gel-like consistency, and this once leaves my face feeling clean without stripping it of moisture. It’s formulated with aloe vera, glycolic acid, tea tree oil, salicylic acid, and hyaluronic acid – all of which are amazing ingredients for your skin. However, although it feels great on my skin, I’m not quite sold on how effective it’s been at treating my acne. I’m definitely going to keep using this until I run out, and I’ll let you know if I see a difference.
Rating: 6/10
Acne Treatment
The SMACNE Treatment “is oil based rather than water based, and is designed to replace the oil on your skin after it is prepped.” It claims to “not cause breakouts and is laced with acne fighting ingredients so that it kills acne instead of causing it along with helping to balance and reduce the oil levels on your skin.” It shares similar ingredients with the cleanser and contains 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, squalane, tea tree oil, and lactic acid. I typically find acne treatments to be overly-drying, so I was hesitant to use this. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my skin reacted though! I found that the best way to use this was to apply it during the day time while I’m working from home. I usually sleep on my side, which means that any topical product on my skin tends to rub off on my pillow. Applying the acne treatment during the day prevents this, and it really lets the product soak into your skin from the moment you apply it during your morning routine to the time you wash it off during your nighttime routine.
Rating: 8/10
Severe Acne Treatment
The Severe Acne Treatment essentially works the same as the regular acne treatment, but it’s a much stronger version of it. This was made for people with severe cases of acne. It contains a whopping 10% benzoyl peroxide, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, squalane, tea tree oil, and lactic acid. I personally don’t consider myself to have severe acne, so I wasn’t able to use this product as much as the other two. My breakouts tend to be very hormonal, meaning they occur during that time of the month or when I’m under a lot of stress. I applied this only a handful of times, but it seemed very effective for the times I did use it. It was definitely more drying than the other treatment, and I have combination skin, so I would be cautious about using this if your skin is on the drier side already.
Rating: 7/10
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed my experience with the SMACNE Challenge. I’d never done something like this before, and I’m glad I was able to try out all of these products! If you’re struggling with acne, I would definitely recommend checking out SMACNE to see if these work for you. I think the products are gentle enough to work well with all skin types. As with all skincare products, make sure to be patient when trying these out before determining whether they’re right for you. It usually takes your skin 3+ weeks to adjust to a new routine and see the effectiveness of the products. Rest assured that the SMACNE products will help leave your skin brighter and healthier than before.
FTC Disclaimer: Thanks again to SMACNE for sponsoring this post! Products were gifted, but all opinions are my own.