Skincare Sunday: Michael Todd True Organics Acne Discovery Kit

For today's Skincare Sunday, I'll be reviewing one of the Michael Todd True Organics Discovery Kits. This is the Acne Kit, which isn't currently available, but all the individual items along with other kits are available here. I'm still bummed that Michael Todd no longer makes cosmetics, but that's not the point of this post.

To continue reading the review, click the link below.

I've had the chance to use these products for an extended period of time to get a pretty decent idea of how they work for me. Michael Todd True Organics has been the "It" products on the skincare market recently, and I was curious to try them out for myself. The main selling point is that this is an organic skin care line that actually works. Before I go on, I must comment that these products aren't 100% organic, and some are as low as the 70% range. Personally that's not a deal breaker for me especially since it's clearly indicated on the back of the packaging, but a point I wanted to make in case that is a deal breaker for you.

First item in the kit is the Charcoal Detox, which is formulated as a deep pore cleanser that is easy on the skin. It cleans all dirtiness (oil, makeup, etc), while unclogging pores and removing excess oil. This is a 70% organic product. It's a slightly black-ish gel cleanser that needs to be shaken up prior to use (see pic below). It does remove makeup without stripping the skin. It works well without drying the skin. It does have a rather potent tea tree oil smell mixed with some other scent that I can't identify. The smell doesn't linger, but if you're sensitive, this might be a little off-putting. I don't think it did much in terms of decreasing oil production for me personally. I did feel that it cleaned out my skin though. Nice cleanser, but nothing that would make me give up trying other cleansers.

Next item in the kit is the Organic Lemon AHA + DMAE Toner. This toner is meant to firm the skin with DMAE, and improve fine lines and discoloration/unevenness with AHA. It's a toner that maintains the proper pH balance of the skin without drying it out with alcohol. This product is 96% organic. It smells like freshly squeezed lemons. As a whole, it was gentle and nice to use on my skin. However, at times it caused a brief stinging if my skin was already irritated. It did seem slightly drying at times as well, but nothing moisturizer couldn't overcome.

The finishing touch is the Moisture Lite Non-Oily Hydrating Lotion. This moisturizer is specifically formulated for the oilier skin types, but can be used on all. It's 82% organic. It's a very watery textured moisturizer that runs easily if you're not careful. It also seems to have natural air bubbles in it making it even lighter in texture (see pic below). It smells like a lemon creamsicle/other sweet product of lemon flavor. It is truly a light moisturizer that sinks into the skin as advertised, making it great for the summer. I don't think it does too much to control my excess shine/oil, but I feel like at the very least it doesn't contribute to making me shinier. If you're using other products on the skin that can be drying, then this moisturizer will not be enough. I do recommend adding something more emollient to the drier areas if that is the case.

As extras to be used in your skincare routine, there is the Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub that contains jojoba beads and activated charcoal to resurface the skin and encourage cell turnover.  The charcoal helps pull out impurities from deeper in the skin. This is 70% organic. I found this to be a fabulous scrub. The jojoba beads gently exfoliates without  ripping the skin apart (no microlacerations of the skin as advertised). It's truly gentle enough that if I wanted to, I feel I can use it daily, although the recommendation is 2-3 times a week. It left my skin nice and soft. A winner for sure.

The last extra skincare product is the Kaolin Clay Detoxifying Facial Mask. It is meant to be left on the skin for 10-15 minutes in order to decrease excess oil and help unblock and tighten pores. This product contains white and red clay along with sulfur to help detox the skin without causing irritation or dryness. It's meant to be used 2-3 times a week as an adjunct. Well, I found this to be HORRIBLE. My skin HATED it. I felt major stinging immediately upon application, but I figured it would improve with time, so I kept going. The stinging died down after 1-2 minutes. After washing the mask off in 10 minutes, I noticed that my face was bright red, almost as if I got sunburned. I chalked it up to irritation that would calm down in a few minutes. Boy was I wrong. I was still red for the following two days, and in an obvious way that I was asked what I did to my face. I don't think it tightened my pores much, but it did reduce oil production by irritating my skin. Needless to say, this is a product that I can never use again.

Bottom Line: There are good products and bad products as is the case with many skincare lines. The Jojoba Charcoal Scrub was the best of the bunch, and something I would buy again. The Charcoal Detox Cleanser, Organic Lemon Toner, and Moisture Lite Lotion were nice products, just not the best products for me. I hated the Kaolin Clay Mask since it didn't agree with my skin.