The invitation to the campaign came to me as an "Early Invite" offer from BzzAgent. I accepted since I've generally had good experience with Burt's Bees. The first thing I do, is tell my brother about the new campaign. He said, "That's nice, two bees." It took me awhile to understand what he was referring to, then I realized that BzzAgent has bee mascot, while Burt's Bees are obviously, bees of Burt. Anyway, the purpose of this article is not to show off my campaign joining experience. I actually wanted to share a bit of research I did about this product. *All resources I used have a valid HON code or they are resourses that are proven to be trustworthy.

I currently use Retin-A 0.025% (tretinoin) and BenzaClin. Simply put, tretinoin makes your skin follicles less sticky, enhancing your skin's ability to shed and increase turnover rate [1], while BenzaClin: a combination of clindamycin phosphate and benzoyl peroxide, utilizes the fat-loving nature of benzoyl peroxide to help the clindamycin (an antibiotic) dissolve into the fatty cells of your skin. [2]

In this new Burt's Bees Natural Acne Solutions, the active ingredient comes from the "Willow Bark Extract," Salix, spp. Another name for such product, is called, "aspirin." [3]. The line advertises that this acne solution "penetrate pores to reduce acne and prevent future breakouts." According to my quick research on the subject, salicylic acid works as an "exfoliant, promoting the sloughing away of dead skin cells, and it has the "ability to penetrate the follicle... [reducing] the number of pore blockages and breakouts on the skin. " [4] To me, it sees like salicylic acid can only be used to substitute tretinoin, sloughing off the cells physically, but not dissolving into the fatty cells with antibiotic chemically. The root of the problem are these overly populated bacteria called "Propionibacterium acnes" [5], so simply sloughing off dead cells doesn't seem like, theoretically, an effective way of treating acne.

I started wondering about the rest of the ingredients, since many organic products I use has a mixture of ingredients that are good for the purpose in different ways, which leads me to this list of inactive ingredients [6]:

Water, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Sunflower), Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Sucrose Distearate, Salix Nigra Bark Extract (Willow), Sucrose Stearate, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract (Lemongrass), Hamamelis Virginiana Water (Witch Hazel), Humulus Lupulus Extract (Hops), Equisetum Hiemale Leaf Extract (Horsetail), Hydrastis Canadensis Extract (Golden Seal), Epilobium Fleischeri Extract (Gravel Willow), Lecithin, Chrondrus Crispus Extract (Carrageenan), Fragrance, Glucose, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Borate, Sodium Chloride, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase

• Sunflower oil: Topically, [people use it] for poorly healing wounds, skin lesions, psoriasis, arthritis, and as a massage oil. However, there are not enough data to rate the effectiveness. [7]
• Willow bark: No documented use topically.[3][8]
• Lemongrass: Topically, lemongrass and its essential oil are used for headache, stomachache, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal pain. However, there are not enough data to rate the effectiveness. [9]
• Witch Hazel: Topically, witch hazel is used for itching, skin inflammation,skin injury, mucous membrane inflammation, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, bruises, insect bites, minor burns, and other skin irritations. Witch hazel is proven to relieve mild skin irritation, but less than hydrocortisone. [10]
• Hops: Topically, hops are used for leg ulcers and as an antibacterial. However, there are not enough data to rate the effectiveness. [11]
  
• Horsetail: Topically, horsetail is used for treatment of wounds and burns, it also has some analgesic and antiviral activities. However, there are not enough data to rate the effectiveness. [12]
• Golden Seal: Topically, goldenseal is used topically for skin rashes, skin ulcers, wound infections, itching, eczema, acne. However, there are not enough data to rate the effectiveness. [13]
• The term "Gravel Willow" and "Epilobium Fleischeri" didn't give me practical search results. I believe another term is "Alpine Willowherb" which I also can't find its application on the skin.
  
• Lecithin: Topically, lecithin is used as a moisturizing agent for dermatitis and dry skin. [14]
• Carrageenan: Topically, carrageenan is used for anal and rectal symptoms. However, I think it is used as a binder, emulsifier, thickening agent, and as a stabilizer in the Burt's Bees product. [15]

Currently The Nursing Mother's Herbal (The Human Body Library) By Sheila Humphrey see related