Let me be honest with you. I really like the products from Exposed Skin Care. I’ve had very good experiences with them, and they were the first ones to really clear my face. Their formulations are based on solid science and are one of the few acne treatment kits on the market that adhere to what I like to call the smart skin care principles.
That said, the products are far from perfect. And, despite the hype on other websites, can’t guarantee clear skin. Despite the downsides, the products are solid and one of the few ones that I could (and have) spend money on.
So if I can steal a few minutes of your time, I’ll give you a good science-based review of Exposed Skin Care.
Will it work for you?
Let’s be honest here. Nobody can guarantee that a particular acne treatment works for you. We are all little bit different in how our skin behaves. Timing also matters. You and I both know that acne goes through cycles. If you go through a particularly stressful period, you can expect your skin to suffer during that time. And you can get a biased picture if you try something during that time.
That said, I believe there’s a very good chance Exposed Skin Care works for you. Let me explain why.
Green tea
I’m a big fan of green tea and I’ve covered it extensively on this blog. Studies show that green tea fights all the three causes of acne: hormones, inflammation and bacteria.
- Green tea can suppress sebum production. In one study 3% green tea cream reduced sebum production by 70%. Now, I don’t think you can get results like that in real life, but even if you get half of that your skin feels much less oily.
- A catechin in green tea called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has 25 to 100 times the antioxidant potential of vitamin C or E. In the past 10 years there have been quite a few high quality studies that show topical antioxidants can be as effective as benzoyl peroxide or topical antibiotics.
- EGCG can suppress the growth of acne causing bacteria on the skin. It’s not as effective as benzoyl peroxide, but every little bit helps.
There have been a handful of studies on the effectiveness of green tea lotions on acne. These creams have green tea and no other active ingredients, yet those studies show on average 50% reduction in acne.
So what does this have to do with Exposed? Well, they use high quality green tea extracts in most of their products. This is one reason I’m so excited about it.
Supplement to cure acne inside out
Already in the 1950’s visionary dermatologists understood the role gut health plays in acne and other skin problems. Unfortunately these ideas never made it into the mainstream dermatologic practice, and remained forgotten only until quite recently.
In a nutshell, research shows gut problems are far more common among people with skin problems, acne patients included. And other studies show that treating gut issues with probiotics also reduces skin problems. Gut issues can cause inflammation, and that inflammation shows on your skin.
The Exposed extended kit includes a probiotic supplement. To be honest, treating gut issues with supplements is a bit of a hit and miss. I prefer to make my own fermented foods and eat them regularly. But if you are not into that, then you should seriously try a probiotic supplement, be it Exposed or something else.
The supplement also contains a blend of antioxidants. Out of these zinc is the best. In 2001 the journal Dermatology published a very high quality study comparing zinc supplements to antibiotics. Though the antibiotic pill was 17% more effective, I think it’s very impressive that a mere supplement can be almost as effective as an antibiotic. This is why zinc is one of the main ingredients in the Exposed supplement.
Best of both worlds
I like the fact that Exposed uses findings from cutting edge research to improve their products, i.e. those antioxidants. What I like even more is that they don’t throw away the stuff that’s proven to work earlier. For example the morning serum contains benzoyl peroxide and the toner and the evening serum contain salicylic acid.
While antioxidants can do wonders for your skin, I wouldn’t bet money on them completely preventing acne. And that’s where benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid come into play. They can keep skin pores open and wipe out the remaining pimples.
For someone with mild acne, I’m not sure that I would use both BP and SA. I think you could get away with antioxidants and salicylic acid, but the products are well buffered with soothing botanicals that little bit of benzoyl peroxide shouldn’t irritate your skin.
My own experience
My own experience with Exposed was very positive. It wiped out all the red marks and small pimples around my mouth without irritating my skin. I’ve noticed that whenever I use BP my skin gets quite dry and tight, but much less so when I used Exposed. I also noticed quite a big drop in the oiliness of my skin.
My biggest complaint is that the bottles are quite small. The cleanser actually ran out before 60 days, but the other bottles lasted for 60 to 75 days each. So you have to be little bit careful with how much you use them.
I don’t use Exposed anymore because I really don’t need it. I can keep my skin clear with smart diet and lifestyle choices and topical antioxidants.
Side effects
Because of all the antioxidants and soothing botanicals Exposed should be gentle on your skin, especially compared to other acne treatment brands. That said people with extremely sensitive skin or benzoyl peroxide allergies should avoid it. But if you’ve used other brand name acne treatment products then you shouldn’t have any problems with Exposed.
Guarantee and company ethics
Exposed comes with a pretty solid guarantee. They offer a full 1 year guarantee for your first order. Your subsequent orders come with 30 days money back guarantee. As far as I know this is the best guarantee in the industry.
Of course none of this means anything if they don’t honor the guarantee. I spent quite a bit of time reading customer comments about Exposed and nobody complained about getting scammed or not getting their money back.
The Better Business Bureau rates Exposed as A+. Over the last 3 years they’ve only had 4 complaints against the company, which is remarkably few compared to the number of customers they have. That’s a fraction of a fraction of the complaints filed against Proactiv, for example.
I’m also in contact with one of the managers at Exposed, Marc. So in the off chance you have problems, please contact me and I’ll ask Marc to sort it out for you.
Conclusion: Not a miracle but a very solid product
I’m sure you by now know there are no miracle solutions to acne. It’s at least partially due to genetics and so far no permanent cures exist. But most people can keep it under control with proper diet and lifestyle choices and smart skin care. Exposed can take care of the skin care part.
Of course it’s not a miracle, and no topical solution can guarantee clear skin. Acne is just way too complicated. But Exposed has a solid foundation in science, and I really like how they’ve combined proven acne fighting ingredients with antioxidants.
For all these reasons I’m happy to stand behind Exposed and I think you should try it out. If for some reason you have problems, please drop me an email and I’ll make sure they sort it out for you.
Affiliate disclosure: The link below contains my referral code. It tells Exposed that you came from my website. If you choose to pay, I get a small referral fee from Exposed. It comes out of their pocket and doesn’t affect the price you pay. Just wanted to be honest about that.
The moisturizer is a must get, so I recommend you go for the Expanded Kit or Ultimate Kit. If you eat fermented foods and take an antioxidant supplement, then you can probably get away with the Expanded Kit. If not, then either get the Expanded Kit or another supplement.
Does the Exposed products contain the effective dose of green tea used in the studies? If so, that would clinche it for me.
I think it’s a little low on green tea. I can’t say for sure since I’m not privy to that information, but judging by the label, it’s probably on the low side.
Which topical antioxidants do u use? Do u have a link, where I can buy them? 🙂
I’ve been using it ( basic kit) on the persistent acne I have been getting over the past 6 months around my lips in particular. It’s been more than 6 weeks and ive just had a large breakout. Probably due to stress but I was hoping exposed would reduce at least the size of breakouts, when in fact this is probably the biggest breakout I’ve had in about ten years. Expanding to the larger kits seems like it would be a waste of money at this stage as very little seems to calm my skin in the areas I’ve described. I’m not using the benzyl peroxide/ tea tree tube as I used benzyl peroxide for about 2 years and found its effects minimal. I’m not sure where to go from here as my diet is very low carb/ alkaline, I’ve tried probiotics and fermented foods also plus zinc supplements. Last dice is on this blue red light therapy box that’s has shown some promising results with mild to moderate acne. If that doesn’t work I’m afraid I’ll have to try antibiotics as a last resort. I’m not sure where to go from here, any ideas?
Well exposed told me it gets worse before it gets better and they were right! I have been using it for more than 3 months now and it is actually GETTING BETTER! I am not getting any breakouts at all! Not sure if its because I’m 16 now (end of puberty?) but all I have now is red marks which are slowly disappearing ;). Carry on the use for 6 months and then decide.
Your skin is just getting used to it!
Perhaps. Though I kept using it for another 2 weeks with no great results. Most experts say try a regimen for 2 months before discontinuing as you skin goes through monthly cycles. So I’m not so sure that persistence is the right direction with exposed, for me at least. I’ve been using a hand held blue and red light therapy device with Skinoren and this is working so far. Only about 4 spots since I started using it about 8 weeks ago.