My acne has significantly improved since I started using Differin 0.1% adapalene gel about a year and a half ago—but I do still get the occasional pimple from time to time. When it’s a pretty big one, I’ve started using something I should have found out about a long time ago: acne spot patches, also known as round-shaped hydrocolloid bandages, cut to a size that fits conveniently over the entire pimple.
Do you ever notice the same ingredients appearing in lots of skincare products? Stuff you never noticed before? This happened recently with phenoxyethanol, a preservative that is often used as an alternative to parabens. Now it’s happening again with allantoin—I’m suddenly noticing it in lots of products that I write about on this blog. Allantoin is a white powder that has no odor, and provides conditioning properties to the skin, according to the National Eczema Foundation.
A few days ago, I contacted The Face Shop to ask why so many of the company’s sheet masks contain denatured alcohol. This morning, I received an email with the answers to my questions. Although the customer service rep recommended a product that wasn’t actually fragrance-free (even though she implied it was), she did introduce me to an interesting product line from The Face Shop: the Dr.Belmeur collection.
