Clearasil – Pimples and Marks Lotion and Wash

The Realize Beauty team got REALLLLLLY excited when we were asked to be the ‘science nerds’ at a launch for mega-brand Clearasil by the lovely guys at Frank PR. Never ones to shirk at an opportunity to spread our love of cosmetic chemistry we said YES and this is what happened next.

Clearasil Ultra Pimples and Marks

Amanda was dispatched to the beautiful COAST restaurant in Sydney’s Darling Harbour where lots of beauty editors were ready to find out about this funky new product range.

There was also cartoonist  Brett Bower who did a fab job of capturing Amanda in the middle of a geeky moment 🙂

Amanda in Cartoon form

So what did we have to say about the product range?

Whether you only get the occasional pimple, or you suffer from regular breakouts due to stress, hormones or other lifestyle factors, the unsightly red marks that are left behind after pimple breakouts are a real beauty problem. Often, it’s these post-pimple marks that cause more anxiety than the actual pimple itself.

The cause of post-pimple marks is fairly straight forward and relates to the inflammation that surrounds a pimple. Inflammation occurs as a part of the body’s way of defending itself from foreign matter such as bacteria. The skin may swell, become red, hot and engorged as the body mobilises to attack the foreign invader. While this process helps our bodies to clear up the infection, it can leave a trail of unwanted marks on our skin and these need a multi-disciplined approach to combat.

It’s also important to note that although we tend to have fewer pimples once we leave our teenage years, pimples can leave longer-lasting marks as our skin as we age and our skin’s renewal process starts to slow down.

From teenagers through to young adults and beyond, the secret to awesome skin lies in not only treating pimple breakouts, but reducing the size and redness of post-pimple marks left behind.

Dealing with post-pimple marks requires a well thought out strategy to help support your skin on its journey back to awesomeness.

The best way to help fight the formation of post-pimple marks is to use a product that helps reduce the cause of post-pimple marks right through the pimple life cycle; from Pimple > redness > dry and rough skin > mark.

First, the congestion causing the pimple is dealt with via Clearasil’s clinically proven 2% Salicylic acid  formulation – the highest level possible in a cosmetic formulation.  Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid, respected for its ability to help clear pores and reduce blockages by gently dislodging the dirt.

Secondly the inflammation has to be brought into control to prevent the damage of healthy skin. Secondly, the dead skin surrounding the pimple needs to be removed both to encourage new skin growth and to bring about a more even and smooth complexion.  Third the skin needs support to re-build the damaged tissue and help prevent it becoming aged or discoloured.

The scientific ingredients used to treat pimples and post-pimple marks fall under the categories of anti-inflammatory, brightening, exfoliating and re-generating ingredients.

–          Anti-inflammatory ingredients work to reduce the redness and irritation of post-pimple marks. The best and most widely used anti-inflammatory ingredient in skin care comes from the chamomile plant and is called Bisabolol. This ingredient has been proven to reduce redness and irritation significantly when applied to the skin in a leave-on product such as a lotion or cream.

–          Brightening ingredients work to lighten the pigmentation of post-pimple marks. Liquorice has a long history of use in skin care due to its ability to brighten the complexion. Liquorice contains an active component called glabridin which works to ‘turn down’ the melanin production cycle. Other common skin brightening actives include hydroquinone, arbutin, bearberry extract and Kojic acid.

–          Exfoliating ingredients help to remove the top layer of dead skin cells, revealing the cleaner, younger skin beneath. Lactic Acid is a natural chemical exfoliant  which brightens  the appearance of the skin by gently removing discoloured, damaged and dull cells and revealing a fresher, cleaner complexion.

–          Finally, re-generating ingredients like water-soluble Vitamin B3 plays a key role in cell metabolism and is essential to the skin repair process.  Ceramides also  helps boost our own regeneration process meaning that marks and pimples should clear faster to leave beautiful fresh new skin.

Again I want to stress that post-pimple marks are a real beauty problem for teens, young adults and even adults. Science shows that the best way to help reduce the redness and size of post pimple marks is to use a product that helps reduce the cause of cause of post-pimple marks right through the pimple life-cycle.