Am I having a allergic reaction or acne from Philosophy's skin care line?? help!!

txgal75

New member
I started using Philosophy's skincare line along with the Clarasonic Mia brush about two weeks ago. It was the Purity cleanser, Hope in a jar and the serum.
My skin doesnt really ever breakout except around that time of the month. Maybe one or two pimples. On thursday afternoon I got out of the shower ( I just used my cleanser) and just about started crying!!! On my cheeks, jawline and chin I have many, many red bumps. It looks like acne. I am 35 and never in my life have I had a breakout like this. Could this be a allergic reaction, even if I've been using it for about 2 wks? I won't even leave my house right now, it is that bad. Please let me know if this has happened to you. On monday I am going to the dermatologist.
 

AiriMagdalene

Well-known member
Sometimes, when you start a new skin care regimen, you break out. Sometimes.
If you've been using it for so long, I think that if it were an allergic reaction to the product, you would have already experienced symptoms before two weeks in. I can't guarantee that you're not allergic to it because I don't know you and I'm not your dermatologist, but I do have a suspicion that it's the Mia and not the Philosophy. Do you use that brush every day? If you do, it could be killing your skin. I would see what your Derm has to say about it, but using a brush like that on your face daily can over exfoliate it and remove all of your natural oils and be very, very abrasive.
 

Mabelle

Well-known member
how long have you been using your clairsonic for?
How do you use it? How many times a day?
Is your skin dry/oily/ normal.
Which hope in a jar is it your using? how does it make your skin feel? how does the product smell?

If your are just starting to use the clairsonic, it is possible that you are breaking out from the deep clean it is giving your skin. This is normal and it will go away.
the clairsonic , i dont care what anyone tells you, shoudl only be used once a day. doing a deep clean morning and night can dehydrate your skin and cause it to go into an over production of oil causing a breakout. Either cleanse your face at night with the clairsonic, or wash it normally pm and then use the clairsonic in the am. not both.
Some people find the purity a little drying, and i could see that using it twice a day with the machine woudl really dry your skin out.
 

ElvenEyes

Well-known member
I just got the Clarisonic Mia recently and I had 1 pimple that came out after about 10 days of use (at the time I had not changed my cleanser, but kept using what my face was familiar with) and I recently turned 48 years old! It is gone now! I have very sensitive skin and after a few days decided to switch to the delicate brush for my Mia, plus only use it once a day or once every 2-3 days, depending on my skin and what kind of cleansing I feel like I need. You don't need a deep cleansing if you use makeup remover then a cleanser. And you don't need to exfoliate so strongly every single day. I would go back to using your usual facial cleanser and only use the Mia once every other day. Maybe even put on a more delicate brush. You can always keep the sensitive/regular ones for when you want them. I just used my Philosophy cleanser for the first time, but I liked it. Then again, we shall see what my skin looks like tomorrow! I also use a good cream after using the Mia to rehydrate my skin, so Oil of Olay Night Cream or Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. Hope this helps you some!
 

myluckypenny

Well-known member
I got the same reaction from using the oil cleansing method, and my skin is STILL trying to recover. However, when I tried using Philosophy's products, I also recall breaking out as well. Now, I am on a 10% BP facewash [PanOxyl] - and it seems to be clearing up, but it's drying out my skin like there is no tomorrow. I would usually look at the product VS the Clarisonic first, since there are so many other chemicals that could play a key role in the way your skin reacts VS an exfoliant. Continue using the cleanser w/o the Clarisonic, and you'll be able to figure out the culprit. I hope this helps and your skin recovers soon - because I FEEL your pain. =(
 

kanne

Well-known member
If your skin is dry and itchy, it could be dermatitis, which is usually from repeated exposure to an irritant. Your dermatologist will be able to tell you for sure.
 

nellytilly

Member
It sounds like a cosmetic reaction/irritation. Small raised sandpaper like rash/pimples. Eliminate and add slowly again to your routine. It will help you find the problematic reaction irritant.
 

beanies

New member
OMG The same thing happened to me. I bought Philosophy face wash about a month ago and my face broke out like crazy. It started from little bumps all over my face and it escalated to big cystic acne. I never had acne before and this is severe.
 

neferten21

Member
I worked around the line for about five years now and it was a common issue. People either loved it or had horrible reactions to it. Most reactions came from their other products though. Consistently the lotions and bath gels were the worst culprits. I used to purchase the Amazing Grace body wash and decided to get the lotion to go with it. Tried it on my hands and the allergic reaction was so bad that my skin bled and had to go to the doctor. I figured it was a one off thing but other people kept bringing the washes and lotions back due to burning. Purity was not returned as frequently but fairly consistently.
 
i read that the philosophy purity cleanser has a ton of ingredients in it.. not so pure after all. Also contains Black Pepper which can be irritating for the skin!
 

Lin1018

Well-known member
I started using Philosophy's skincare line along with the Clarasonic Mia brush about two weeks ago. It was the Purity cleanser, Hope in a jar and the serum.
My skin doesnt really ever breakout except around that time of the month. Maybe one or two pimples. On thursday afternoon I got out of the shower ( I just used my cleanser) and just about started crying!!! On my cheeks, jawline and chin I have many, many red bumps. It looks like acne. I am 35 and never in my life have I had a breakout like this. Could this be a allergic reaction, even if I've been using it for about 2 wks? I won't even leave my house right now, it is that bad. Please let me know if this has happened to you. On monday I am going to the dermatologist.
Don't know anything about Philosophy's skincare line but I found this fantastic website where you can check most skin care ingredients, i.e. from scientific names to plain English here it is http://www.tightlycurly.com/ingredients hope this helps you. I use it like my bible before I purchase any skin care products.
 
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