Sea Breeze Actives Deep Clean Astringent

After a period where my skin was breaking out frequently I decided to purchase and use Sea Breeze Actives Deep Clean Astringent thinking it would help slow the oil production, clean my skin and enable the breakouts to heal. This, however, was not the answer for me.

Because this product contains ingredients such as Alcohol, Camphor, Clove Oil and Eucalyptus I was actually drying out my skin and causing it to produce even more oil and thus more breakouts and ended up in a cycle where I not only had dry skin but even more breakouts.

Salicylic Acid is related to aspirin and thus has some skin soothing abilities, it may help reduce redness and swelling. However, because of the alcohol and the volatile oils it contains this product caused my skin more problems than it helped.

Alcohol is very drying to the skin and actually damages the natural moisture barrier which is what helps keep the skin soft and supple. Dry skin looks older and lackluster and tends to show more fine lines.

Many companies, such as Clinique, Estee Lauder and Lancome continue to sell astringents/toners that contain alcohol. While this may make the face feel cleaner after application it tends to dry the skin out causing it to produce more sebum and in some people increased acne. There are numerous other products out there that do not contain any alcohol that would be far more suitable. Good Skin, Grassroots and Neutrogena, for example, have alcohol free Astringents/Toners.

While some companies tell us we must use an Astringent/Toner in order to prep our skin for moisturizer, it is my opinion that if you cleanse and rinse your face properly a toner is not at all necessary.

Sea Breeze Actives Deep Clean Astringent is yellow and has a pleasant, clean scent. It burned my skin after use and caused it to become dry after daily use.

Gentle cleansing, moisturizing and using a sunscreen do more for the skin than anything else. Everyone, even those with acne are better off avoiding products with alcohol.

A 10 ounce bottle retails for $4.99 in my area and is available at most drugstores.

Active Ingredients: Salicylic Acid 1%

Ingredients: Alcohol Denat., Benzoic Acid, Camphor, Clove Oil - Eugenia Caryophyllus, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, Fragrance, Glycerin, Methyl Propanediol, Orange 4, PPG-12-Buteth-16, Sodium Benzoate, Yellow 5, Water.