Heather Elia
Proactiv…The Real Solution?
Have you ever flipped the channel while watching TV, and found yourself mesmerized by an infomercial? Of course you have, because infomercials are one televisions number one approach to selling a variety of products. They turn innocent viewers into potential customers, and then that potential turns into a sale. They use different tactics and strategies to sell different products. There are many products that are being sold through infomercials, and by personal experience many are just an over exaggerate lie (I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about). Proactiv is a specific product that uses celebrities, real people, doctors and different examples or situations that apply to many different types of people with different skin problems in order to sell their product. While doing so, Proactive claims to heal and prevent breakouts for every one of all-skin types and colors in just three easy steps.
Proactiv is a three step acne system that uses benzyl peroxide along with salicylic acid. Benzyl peroxide is the main ingredient that’s used in Proactive and it is also known to make skin dry, irritable, and cause peeling. Salicylic acid is also used as an active ingredient in the product to prevent pores from closing up. With the minor effects of the products put aside, they are both supposed work together to prevent your face from further breakouts, according to the makers of Proactiv.
Proactiv uses many approaches to attract customers to their product. One main approach that they use is the many featured celebrities that engage in telling their own personal story of using the product through the infomercial. These celebrities endorse the product but there is no existent source proving that they utilized this product to cure their acne, or if they even had acne problems to begin with. Some of the celebrities’ used are: (main) Vanessa Williams, (main) Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkston, Sean Combs (also known as Diddy), Melissa Gilbert, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Keys, Judith Light, Lindsay Lohan, Elle Macpherson, Paulina Rubio, Stephanie Seymour, Brook Shields, Britney Spears, and Serena Williams. It seems to me that they targeted just about everyone with the variety of people that they used. All the celebrities range form different ages, race, personalities, professions, popularity, and most importantly, they all have different skin types. I don’t recall any of these celebrities having skin problems but they all claimed that they did, and the solution to their problem was Proactiv. It has been reported that Jessica Simpson has a five year contract with Proactiv receiving three million dollars annually. Even though she claims to have been cured by Proactiv it has been publicly announced by Jessica Simpson, months previous to her contract with Proactiv, that she was cured by Accutane. There are many sources through out the internet that also mention that this fact is true. So, if Jessica was already cured before her contract with Proactiv that would imply that Jessica Simpson has a contract just for the profit, not because she truly believes it can help people with their skin. If Simpson has a contract for millions of dollars with Proactiv, why wouldn’t she tell the world that Proactive helped cure her?
Vanessa Williams, main spokesperson for Proactiv solutions, has a twenty million dollar contract with the company. According to Hollyscoop the reason why Vanessa has a higher contract with the company is because she is planned to develop a cosmetic line for Proactiv. We still have no reliable source as to if Williams also used Proactiv to have such flawless skin. Do we know that she had a problem to begin with, and that Proactiv was the solution? Where is the proof or the facts informing us that this is true? (Exactly what I was thinking…) We don’t have any!
Sean Combs (AKA Diddy), spokesperson for Proactiv solution is in the process of a 1.5 million dollar lawsuit against the company. In the advertisement for proactive he says, “I use proactive, because it helps moisturize my situation and preserve my sexy.” Even with that being said he then announced that he was experiencing breakouts that he never experienced before using the product. He says that he still has “bumps” on his skin and that it’s ridiculous to promote a product that doesn’t work. "Proactive promises a risk fee, money-back trial, after all I've been through, I want my money back and more," Says Combs.
Another approach that Proactiv uses are the before and after pictures to show the improvements the “product” did on the skin. How do we know that these improvements weren’t digitally enhanced or if they were cured by an unnamed source? We don’t. There are many success stories that have been claimed to be done by Proactiv, but there are also many stories of how this product caused a more dynamic acne problem. This specific case about a young man, Chris, provided by www.propassiv.com shows and tells a story of how mild acne transformed to severe acne with skin lesions. When his problem was presented to the company they claimed that he was allergic to the product and that he had very sensitive skin. They convinced him that there was another formula made for sensitive skin that would cure the problem. When this new formula didn’t solve the problem, he rushed over to professional care from a dermatologist who improved the condition, but he was still left with permanent marks and scars and discoloration from his prior use of Proactiv. These imperfections will be very costly and don’t provide a guarantee that they will be removed. His problem wasn’t the fact that the product didn’t work. “I had high hopes for Proactiv, and the claims the celebrities and the company made,” said Chris “the lack of accountability taken by the manufacturer and its affiliates; and also the advice given to me by the Proactiv reps to continue using the product despite the outbreaks that I reported. I urge considering the use of this product to carefully re-evaluate their decision, and perhaps prevent a lifetime of pain and embarrassment as the result of using “The Answer for Acne””. Clearly stated by Chris was that he wasn’t trying to prevent people from buying the product he was just telling the public his own experience as a warning. “Ultimately, this website has been created for public knowledge by accurately stating the facts of my experiences with Proactiv products, the sustained injuries, its adverse side effects and the lack of accountability taken by the manufacturer and its affiliates. This website has not been created to dissuade you from using Proactiv Solution or to diminish its value or that of Guthy-Renker's, but to voice my displeasure with Proactiv representatives who advised me to continue to use the Proactiv products despite the severe outbreaks I reported and even sold me additional products,” said Chris.
I have personally never used Proactiv and from what I’ve seen I don’t think I would. They propose that a “difficult pimple” or a “sudden breakout” is a reason to get the product. By personal experience of friends and family I have also witnessed events as to which proactive worsened the skin after instructional use, therefore I have seen proof that the product doesn’t work.
With all that being said, is Proactiv the real solution? So, Next time you flip the channel and find your self watching the Proactiv infomercial, and you become interested in purchasing the product just take a moment to consider all of the information that I have provided you with. Use this information to determine whether this product is worth what it claims to be.
References
Ads of Proactiv:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=024I8ESxvV0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wmYZQmX2Jz8&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FlPvfXNR1j4&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxBIgF9ccE4&feature=related
Chris’s Case:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Za3tM2Ruadw&feature=related
www.Propassiv.com
Lawsuit with Diddy:
http://www.infomercial-hell.com/blog/2006/09/08/p-diddy-sues-proactiv-solution/
http://www.xxlmag.com/mb/index.php?showtopic=25056
Other:
www.Wikipedia.com
http://www.hollyscoop.com/tv/vanessa-williams-signs-20-million-dollar-contract_13082.aspx