I have been asked a lot recently on social media what I think about 47 Skin.
So if you’ve been searching up 47 Skin acne reviews and wondering ‘is 47 Skin legit?’, I’ll give you my brutally honest thoughts.
Table of Contents
- What does 47 Skin do?
- How does 47 Skin work?
- The silver chitoderm complex
- Why so many 5-star reviews?
- Does 47 skin work for hormonal acne?
- 47 Skin serum vs retinol
- My overall conclusion on 47 Skin for acne
What does 47 Skin do?
Or rather, what does it claim to do?
For the purpose of this blog post, I’ll mostly be talking about the Anti Blemish and Scar Repair Serum.
This is the most popular product they sell, and it claims to:
- Work as an effective spot treatment: reducing pimples and big spots from first application
- Reduce the amount of acne you’re getting
- Reduces the appearance of acne scars, old and new
- Leave skin ‘rejuvenated’ and hydrated
How does 47 Skin work?
To find out if these claims could be true and if 47 Skin truly works for acne, we need to take a look at the formula.
Here is where I become a little skeptical…
47 Skin Serum ingredients
There are 20 ingredients inside the 47 Skin serum, which is neither a good or bad thing.
What stands out to me immediately are the large amounts of fruit oil, AKA essential oils.
Including: oil citrus tangerina peel oil, bergamot fruit oil, grapefruit oil and orange oil.
For someone trying to clear moderate acne and acne scarring, these are not good things to include.
Whether you have sensitive skin or not, these can cause skin irritation.
Anything that has the potential to cause skin irritation, even on a microscopic level, can make acne scarring more likely to occur.
This directly contradicts their claims for reduced inflammation and scarring.
The silver chitoderm complex
The unique formula of silver chitoderm is really the key ingredient supporting all of 47 Skin’s big claims.
Silver has a long history of being using in healthcare, because it is anti-bacterial.
So the idea of 47 Skin’s serum being an ‘anti-bacterial shield’ makes some sense on first glance.
If you’re googling 47 Skin acne reviews, you’ll most likely find people wondering if this Silver Chitoderm has any scientific backing.
I could only find one study – a comparative trial of a similar silver gel and 1% clindamycin gel when used in combination with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide.
My summary of the study is as follows:
- They tested a combination of silver combined with benzoyl peroxide against clindamycin with benzoyl peroxide
- Clindamycin is the traditionally used anti bacterial topical used with benzoyl peroxide
- Overall, they found that the silver gel worked slightly better when combined with benzoyl peroxide
My conclusion on 47 Skin silver chitoderm
My conclusion here is that, since both clindamycin and silver are both anti bacterial, they both work well with benzoyl peroxide.
It feels like 47 Skin have simply stumbled upon an alternative to clindamycin.
It’s also worth noting that this study shows how silver/clindamycin work in combination with benzoyl peroxide.
Benzoyl peroxide is also a highly effective at treating acne, so it’s possible that benzoyl peroxide did a lot of the heavy lifting.
The complex also contains lactic acid, a known exfoliant and fader of dark spots.
I think describing this as a ‘powerful combination’, as they do, is a little punchy, but I don’t doubt it has some effect.
Other 47 Skin ingredients
There are a few other 47 Skin ingredients we should mention, namely hydrating ones.
There is a large percentage of glycerin, which is pretty much always helpful for all skin types.
We also have dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane – both silicones that divide opinions!
Silicones can be hit or miss for stubborn acne, but if they work for you they are helpful to trap moisture within the skin.
Lastly, there is also shea butter – something I prefer to avoid.
This works fine for lots of acne prone people, and also aggravates acne in others.
Really, you just have to experiment to find out.
Why so many 5-star reviews?
So.. why are so many 47 Skin acne reviews glaringly positive?
I think there are a few possibilities here.
47 Skin acne reviews on Amazon and the 47 Skin website
Firstly, I don’t really trust reviews on a brand’s own website – they’re far too easily manipulated.
Lots of brands prefer to refund a customer than leave a bad review up, especially when they’re in control of their own site.
This is the same for Amazon – who is really trusting Amazon reviews anyway?
Next I looked at the review on Boots – which look alarmingly suspicious.
There are eight reviews and they are all five star.
They also all sound exactly like a fake review – ‘Miracle product’, ‘Wonder serum’, ‘Life changing’.
This alone leaves a sour taste in my mouth, personally.
47 Skin reviews on Reddit
If you’re into skincare, you’ll know that Reddit remains the best source of honest skincare reviews.
However, recently some brands have been seen posting from fake accounts to generate fake hype.
One of these brands is Anua, and lots of subreddits have banned the discussion of them.
The 47 Skin acne reviews on reddit seem to be quite a mixed bag – some happy with results, some disappointed.
In conclusion, I find it quite suspicious when all the positive reviews are only on TikTok and the brand’s own site.
That’s just my observation, doesn’t mean the skin care products are rubbish in and of itself.
Does 47 skin work for hormonal acne?
Now for the big question, and something that I think is a little controversial.
Will the 47 Skin serum provide a significant reduction in, if the acne is hormonal?
Bacterial vs hormonal acne
There’s quite a huge difference between bacterial acne and hormonal acne.
Acne treatments that work for bacterial often don’t work so well on hormonal acne.
This is why treatment plans for hormonal acne often include both oral and topical medication.
Skin products alone don’t impact your hormones, which is the internal factor driving most adult acne in women.
Medication like oral Spironolactone and birth control are powerful actives for hormonal acne.
Bacterial acne is more of a surface-level chain reaction happening on the skin.
It’s often more common in those with oily skin, as C acnes ‘eat’ this which in turn can cause inflammation and pimples.
This is why acne treatments often tackle either oil production, bacteria reduction or both.
What does this mean for acne prone skin?
Not all acne prone skin is the same, especially if you’re female.
It’s worth noting that the founder of 47 Skin, whose story forms the basis of their marketing, is male.
Therefore his acne might respond to different things than a female’s hormonal acne.
This isn’t to say it won’t help a little bit, but if your acne is truly hormonal it’s unlikely to be the ‘miracle cure’ they claim.
47 Skin serum vs retinol
One of the only products to be tested thoroughly for acne is a retinoid, of which there are a few.
When you visit a dermatologist, they may give you adapalene, tretinoin, epiduo or a few others.
These are basically variations on the same thing – a retinoid.
They’re also the only skincare product, other than SPF, that are proven to have ageing benefits.
When comparing the 47 Skin serum vs retinol, the easy winner is retinol.
We’ve studied retinoids for so long now that their benefits have been well documented and tested for efficacy and safety.
After using one consistently for a while you should notice:
- A reduction in the appearance of fine lines
- A smoother overall skin feel
- Improved skin tone, less dark marks
- Acne fades quicker and occurs less often
- Clearer skin with time
Honestly, the real ‘miracle serum’ is a retinoid!
If you’re interested in trying one, check out my post on the best retinoids for acne prone skin.
My overall conclusion on 47 Skin for acne
All in all, I can see how the 47 Skin Anti Blemish and Scar Repair Serum might work for you if you have a specific kind of acne.
I don’t think this is going to be revolutionary for hormonal acne in women.
The issue that’s occurring with hormonal acne in adult women is not particularly targeted by the 47 Skin serum.
It’s like choosing to clean a toilet with drain unblocker – it’s not the right tool.
This is what I’d recommend for hormonal acne:
- Using a retinoid to help reduce comedone formation, fade marks and possibly reduce oil production
- Consider an oral treatment from a dermatologist to pair with this
- If not interested in an oral treatment, consider looking into the link between high glycemic foods and acne and making some diet and lifestyle changes
This was 47 Skin Acne Reviews: is 47 Skin Serum Good for Acne? You may also like:
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