Note: since this article was written, Lerosett has continually threatened us with misguided legal claims, accused us of slander and threatened to sue us. What they haven’t done, however, is produce a single copy of any of the studies their website claims.
Lerosett is a skin care product / active treatment system made by Gunilla of Sweden (www.gunillaofsweden.com)
Gunilla’s current grade, as calculated by the Better Business Bureau, is an A+. The Better Business Bureau does not review products, but they do access customer complaints and review other areas of business competence. Clearly Gunilla of Sweden is running a smooth operation and Lerosett is not a scam. However, I do believe they make many misleading claims on their website.
As America’s leading anti-Benzoyl Peroxide blogger, I like where the Lerosett website starts: “Only LEROSETT® is truly all natural and oil free with no drugs, chemicals or preservatives. (No benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or sulfur).” While I appreciate that they are selling an acne treatment product without harsh chemicals, they are still making false claims. ”Only Lerosett is truly all natural” They aren’t the only all-natural acne product in the world.
After that, things take a sharp turn for the worse. The product is a heat-treated organic clay mask that contains zinc, among other natural ingredients. They claim to have study after study that proves it is effective in treating acne and healing skin 100% of the time. But where are the links to the studies? Who performed the studies? If it’s such a perfect product (“LEROSETT® is a specially heat treated clay that’s clinically proven 100% effective in multiple “placebo controlled” trials.”) then why isn’t there a single study on pubmed.gov that mentions the word Lerosett. I’m sure that a perfect acne product used by over 10,000 skincare professionals could offer to commission a study. When I see claims like that with no proof behind them, I get skeptical in a hurry. Taking zinc orally has been proven to reduce acne symptoms, so is certainly possible that a topical product containing zinc could help via similar mechanisms.
Here are some bold claims made by the website. If true, this really is a miracle acne cure. But if they are true, where is the proof.
97% Success rate after 23 years of consumer and medical use.
- I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe that 97 out of 100 people who have used this product believe it cures acne.
LEROSETT® has been clinically proven 100% effective in multiple “double blind” placebo controlled studies by Medstat Research using over 400 “normal to severe” acne participants.
- Wow, the claims are getting bolder. I would assume that 100% effective means that all acne is eliminated. They are now claiming that Lerosett completely cured acne in 400 patients, leaving 0 patients with a single blemish.
LEROSETT® is chemical free
Benzoyl peroxide “the #1 acne drug” has been banned by the European Union
- Benzoyl Peroxide is widely available in the European Union, however it does require a prescription.
The FDA has also significantly downgraded the safety rating of Benzoyl peroxide
- The FDA considers Benzoyl Peroxide a safe and effective Acne treatment. ”We, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are issuing this final rule to include benzoyl peroxide as a generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) active ingredient in over-the-counter (OTC) topical acne drug products. In addition, this final rule includes new warnings and directions required for OTC acne drug products containing benzoyl peroxide. We are also revising labeling for OTC topical acne drug products containing resorcinol, resorcinol monoacetate, salicylic acid and/or sulfur to meet OTC drug labeling content and format requirements in a certain FDA regulation. This final rule is part of our ongoing review of OTC drug products and represents our conclusions on benzoyl peroxide in OTC acne drug products.”
I don’t have a strong opinion on the actual Lerosett product because I have not had the opportunity to use it, but I find their marketing material to be dishonest, misleading, and often factually incorrect. If their product was truly what they claim, I find it unlikely they would resort to manipulative marketing techniques. Perusing other websites with Lerosett Acne Reviews from actual product users, I find a range of satisfied and unsatisfied customers, much like most other acne treatment system.