Boscia Willowbark Breakout Treatment

A few months ago I wrote up the Murad Acne Spot Treatment and praised how gentle it was on my skin.  Instead of making the healing look worse than the blemish itself, that formulation worked slowly but surely and cleared up my skin without creating a dry, red mess.  I finished up my tube of that and decided to try another acne product that is also formulated without benzoyl peroxide or other drying ingredients.  Which is not the easiest task, most of the ones in Sephora contained at least one of the ingredients that doesn't work well with my skin.  I decided to concentrate my efforts on the skincare lines that have earned the Sephora seal for being natural and ended up quickly finding a product in the Boscia line of skincare.

The Willowbark Breakout Treatment really intrigues me because this is the first anti-acne product that contains active plant ingredients that help combat the blemished areas.  "A botanically-based spot treatment for acne blemishes.  Botanical willowbark helps provide relief from breakouts effectively and safely, even for the most sensitive skin.  This unique anti-irritant calms inflammation while soapberry peal cleans and purifies.  A combination of jojoba leaf and Vitamins C and E work with other effective ingredients to help reduce redness, control oil, maintain a clear complexion, and combat free radicals.  Ideal for all skin types, including sensitive skin."  This product is ideal for use twice a day in order to be most effective.

This acne treatment is even less irritating than the Murad formula, which I really like.  My face showed no signs of irritation even when I got product way outside of the blemished area.  This product is not for you if you want a quick fix for a blemish, it took an average of three to four days for the healing process to be complete.  As with the Murad formula, this product excelled at reducing the redness faster than the blemish itself, it made the whole area less noticeable and much easier to cover up.  This might no hold true for everyone, I have reactions to many traditional anti-acne ingredients and the reaction most often manifests in dryness and major redness.  I have already stated that my biggest skincare concern is redness so I would much rather have a formula that takes longer to fully work but doesn't destroy my skin in the meantime.

I really liked the results that I got from this product and I would recommend it but only for others with skin like myself.  This product is very effective for those of us with more sensitive skin and not a ton of breakouts.  however with how slowly this product works, I cannot see that it would be effective for someone with moderate to severe acne, I think that a more traditional formula would give them much better results.  This product is best for those of us who only get the occasional hormonal or stress-related breakout, not for someone who puts acne at the top of their skin issues.

My last thought on this product: I recommend the smaller version of this product.  I made the mistake of buying the large pump bottle instead of the pen.  Well, the large bottle pumps so much product out that I apply it to blemishes and then still have at least half of the pump left.  I imagine that the pen would get rid of this issue.  It is good thing that this product is not irritating since I have often ended up with it all over the blemish and the areas around it.

photo courtesy of Sephora