I Tried the Acne Cream From Musely To See if It Could Help With My Adult Breakouts

I’ve always had breakouts, but my skin cleared up quite a bit in my 20s, and there were long periods where I don’t remember it being much of an issue. Even through three pregnancies and post-partum periods, I had some acne, but it was always pretty manageable. I mean, everyone breaks out sometimes, right?

Over the last few years, things changed. In my late 30s, I started getting hormonal breakouts worse than I remember ever having. My jawline on both sides (but mostly the right side) would break out around the same time every month (if you get it, you get it). As soon as those breakouts started to clear up, the next round would start, and it seemed like I never got a break.

Throw in scarring and dark spots from previous breakouts and the fact that I was nearing 40, and it was very disheartening. One of my kids also included my pimples on a picture they drew of me for school…so, that was great. 

Enter Musely. A rep reached out about a sample, and I gladly accepted. She set me up with enough to cover a few months, and I diligently applied it according to the directions every night. After a month, I hadn’t seen a lot of improvement, but the instructions make it clear that you’ll likely see results after consistent use for six to eight weeks, so I kept going. I’m so glad I did!

Musely The Acne Cream

$60.00 from Musely

About Musely

Musely originally began as a community app where people could share DIY tips and tricks. It ended up morphing into a place where users shared tips for beauty, skincare, and health. I got to speak with Jack Jia, the founder, and his excitement and love for the products that Musely produces was very clear. 

When one of the app’s users, Dr. Marie Jhin, shared a tip about prescription skincare and the wonders of tretinoin, Jack sat up and paid attention, as his wife, Cherry, was struggling with melasma, a condition that presents as brown spots on the face, forearms, and neck, and she had tried everything.

The company launched in 2021, and according to their website, Musely has now helped over 900,000 patients treat their skin and hair conditions. Here are some of the features.

Board-Certified Dermatologists

The dermatologists, according to Jia, aren’t just writing the prescription, they’re also seeing the patients in real time. They’re also researchers, so they get really good at identifying certain conditions. Jia says that, “They know what chemical and what medication works, what has side effects and what doesn’t have side effects, all through a massive feedback loop.”

Freshly Compounded Medications

Because the medications use key ingredients like tretinoin and azelaic acid which are volatile, according to a Q&A with Jia on the website, they oxidize quickly and lose half of their efficacy when products are pre-made for traditional pharmaceutical use. Musely FaceRX medications are freshly compounded, meaning they mix the products after you order them, which makes them 10x more potent than products that are compounded and then sit on a shelf for months.

A Supportive Patient Forum

I haven’t used the Patient Forum, but I read through a lot of the posts and there’s a very supportive community with over 450,000 active members. One user recently posted pictures of her face with acne and blemishes noting that while the acne hasn’t gone away, her skin texture has improved. Quite a few people added encouraging comments, telling her that it often seems worse before it gets better, but also noting that her sun spots had faded and that the texture was much better. There are also lots of before and after pictures that are pretty incredible!

Always Improving

Jia says that Musely is constantly changing their formulas to improve them: They’ll introduce a new formula or improve an existing formula to make sure the treatments are up-to-date and as effective as possible. 

Let’s Take a Closer Look

Obviously, I love that Musely has improved my skin. After years of feeling like I was in a constant battle with my hormones and cyclical breakouts, things feel like they’ve really leveled out. Here’s a closer look at what Musely has to offer, what I loved, and the one hiccup I had.

Browse Products Based on Condition

Each product description includes a list of conditions that it treats, so you can choose the one that works best for the issues you’re having. You can choose from treatments for:

• Dark spots.
• Anti-aging.
• Aging hair.
• Body/private.
• Redness/breakouts.
• Menopause.
• Enhancers.

The Doctor Weighs In

Musely does a really good job explaining which medications treat which conditions, so you can choose the one you think will work best. Then, you send your photos to the doctor and they’ll weigh in and offer a different recommendation if necessary. The doctor will ultimately decide on the best formula. 

HSA and FSA Supported

Because these are prescription treatments, you’re able to pay for them with an HSA or FSA. This lets you take advantage of your HSA account rather than using money from your monthly budget to pay for treatments. 

Mix-and-Match Treatments

All of Musely’s treatments can be used in conjunction with any of the others. So, if you have multiple conditions, you can choose a treatment for each one. 

The 60-Day Results Guarantee

Musely offers a 60-Day Results Guarantee, so if you’ve used Musely consistently for 60 days and aren’t happy with the results, you might be eligible for your money back. In order to get your money back, you have to complete the eNurse Check-Up program which consists of answering a few questions on certain days and uploading pictures periodically.

The only issue I had with the process was that the app didn’t notify me about the eNurse visits, though this may have been something on my end. There’s a button to push to get a notification about the next check-in, but even though I checked it, I never got a notification. 

To remedy this, I just put a notification in my own calendar, but I forgot a few times and missed a few check-ins. Since I had started seeing results, this wasn’t a big deal, but if you’re concerned about whether or not it will work, just make sure to complete each visit.

My Routine

When I started using The Acne Cream, I also bought The Cleanser and The Day Cream (their SPF), but you can use any cleanser or sunscreen that you want. Here’s my current routine and what I’m using alongside The Acne Cream right now:

Morning

• Cleanser: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser.
• Ice roller: The Skinny Confidential Hot Mess Ice Roller.
• Serum: Whatever I have on-hand at the moment.
• Moisturizer: Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating SA Lotion.
• Eye cream: Whatever I have on-hand at the moment + Jones Road Oil Stick.
• SPF: The Skinny Confidential Caffeinated SPF.

Night

• Cleanser: CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser.
• Treatment: The Acne Cream.
• Moisturizer: The Nakery Night Tox (Musely recommends using a thick moisturizer like CeraVe Moisturizing Cream or Aquaphor Healing Ointment).
• Eye cream: Whatever I have on-hand at the moment + Jones Road Oil Stick.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, I’m so thankful for this product. I feel like I’ve tried everything, and Musely is the first thing that I’ve trusted. I hate tying my confidence to my skin, but it can be really uncomfortable to walk through the world with giant, painful blemishes. So, not only does my skin look and feel better, but I feel more relaxed knowing that I’m not going to be constantly fighting breakouts.

Musely The Acne Cream

$60.00 from Musely

If you struggle with acne or uneven texture, I highly recommend trying Musely out for yourself. Because I haven’t tested it for other conditions, I can’t say for sure how their treatments work for conditions like night sweats, hair changes, hot flashes, etc., but after talking with the founder, it was clear that their mission is to help people feel good in their skin and body. Because they offer a guarantee, you’re not out anything if it doesn’t work. But, if it does, then you can enjoy more comfort and better skin on a daily basis.