Happy Me Skincare

Looking for a less-harsh alternative to Proactiv? Happy Me is a PETA-certified, cruelty free, vegan beauty brand targeted at acne sufferers (like myself). All products are paraben, sulfate and dye-free.

I have been using the Natural Acne Wash daily. It’s strong enough to exfoliate and kill skin bacteria, but not so harsh that you get dried, flaky skin. It’s made with 2% salicylic acid, olive leaf extract (to kill germs), willow bark extract (to reduce inflammation), acai pulp oil (antioxidant), carapa guaianensis seed oil (contains omega 3’s and has antibacterial properties) and balsam copaiba resin (reduces inflammation and fights bacteria). It also has essential oils such as tangerine, rosemary, bergamot and lavender.

The Natural Acne Healing Moisturizer has SPF 15 to be used daily. It’s non-greasy and helps to even out skin tone while fighting acne. It has willow bark, lavender oil, rosemary oil and bergamot oil to heal, calm and exfoliate. It also contains 1% salicylic acid – which, in my case, is just the right amount to exfoliate and keep acne at bay without drying out my skin.

I also use the Overnight Pimple Eliminator when I see a breakout coming on. It dries a bit, but not too much (like a lot of other spot treatments out there). It reminds me of the Mario Badescu spot treatment – it comes in a glass bottle and you apply a small dot of the white liquid directly to the areas that need it. Since it’s white, this is best used for nighttime. Sulfur, zinc oxide and tea tree oil kill bacteria and in most cases I have seen my zits either disappear faster or disappear before they even break out!

The prices are very reasonable too! You can buy Happy Me products online or at Duane Reade, CVS or Kinney Drugs.