Overview
Proactiv has become one of the most successful acne products available, mainly due to its aggressive infomercial advertising campaigns, which feature such popular celebrities as Jessica Simpson, Vanessa Williams, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sean Puffy Combs. While these endorsements are impressed, they don’t necessarily translate into the most effective product for acne. So putting our personal fascination with stars aside, the scientific team at ClearSkinReviews.com decided to look further to see if Proactiv is a good product for those with acne.

Featured Ingredients
Proactiv features a simple three-step system that consists of three formulas that consumers will use every day. We like this simple approach, since we tend to be skeptical of companies that offer dozens of products, many of which contain the same ingredients and can seriously confuse a potential customer. So Proactiv gets marks for their simple approach. But we were left wanting more, especially after viewing a full listing of the ingredients contained in the Proactiv Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner and Repairing Lotion. 

Unfortunately, the only active anti-ingredient found in Proactiv is Benzoyl Peroxide, which is usually found in retail products like Oxy and Clearasil. These products sell for about $6 a tube in the stores, while Proactiv is priced at $59 and above. Given the fact that two of the formulas rely solely on Benzoyl Peroxide, we are skeptical whether paying that much money is worth it.

Benzoyl Peroxide was first used in the 1920s as a peeling agent. Doctors found it to be effective for acne because it seemed to remove dead cells from the skin’s surface. Unfortunately, this stripping effect also tended to dry out the skin. Some studies estimate that as many as 76% of people may develop adverse itching and drying reactions to Benzoyl Peroxide, which has led to the development of more recent ingredients (such as Salicylic Acid, Silicol Dioxide and Inflacin), which offer the same kind of acne clearing effectiveness without as many side effects. 

Web Site at a Glance
The Proactiv web site continues to be one of the best we have reviewed. The system is explained in detail and a full listing of the product ingredients is included. There are plenty of testimonials from pleased customers, and Proactiv does offer a free trial so that customers can use the product before deciding to pay full price.

Pros
- Free trial available

- Customer testimonials are included on the web site

- Full ingredient list is posted

Cons
- Relies on Benzoyl Peroxide as only active anti-acne ingredient

- Price is high considering lack of advanced compounds

- No scientific studies on its effectiveness

Summary
Even though the Proactiv site contains a lot of useful features and information, and the celebrity endorsements are impressive, we are not convinced that this product is worth its relatively high price. Considering that the main ingredient is Benzoyl Peroxide, we feel there are better choices.