Bella Thorne's 'dangerous' natural acne treatment is receiving backlash

29 August 2019, 17:00 | Updated: 14 October 2019, 16:01

Jazmin Duribe

By Jazmin Duribe

"She is so misinformed on so many things."

Bella Thorne is receiving backlash for her "cringeworthy" all-natural skincare regime. The Assassination Nation actress shared her cleansing bedtime rituals with Harper's Bazaar for their YouTube series Go to Bed With Me. In the clip, Bella revealed that she exfoliates hers face with a scrub containing lemon juice.

READ MORE: Bella Thorne says she was molested her "whole life" in emotional poem

In the video, Bella explained that she's struggled with cystic acne for years and tried every possible treatment including Accutane, a strong medicine used to treat severe cystic acne. However, nothing worked, which led her to go down the all-natural route.

"I came across this one woman, Jennifer, she's just so amazing and she changed my skin and she's designing my skincare line," she revealed. "It's the only thing that was a huge difference in an insane, short amount of time."

Bella Thorne is seen in Chelsea on July 23, 2019 in New York City.
Bella Thorne is seen in Chelsea on July 23, 2019 in New York City. Picture: Gotham/Contributor, Harper's Bazaar via YouTube

Bella then produced a pre-made tub of face scrub containing a mix of olive oil, sugar and lemon, which she works into her skin daily. She then follows it up with a hydrating mask made from fresh cherries, honey and coconut oil.

Lemon has long been used for its antibacterial properties on mild acne and scarring, but it can also cause irritation to the skin and even blisters if you're exposed to the sun.

Watch Bella's Go To Bed With Me here.

Bella Thorne's All-Natural, DIY Nighttime Skincare Routine | Go To Bed With Me | Harper's BAZAAR

"Lemon is one of the most common irritation-causing ingredients due to fact that with sun exposure it makes your skin photosensitive," dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban told Allure. "The oil can react with the sun giving you blisters, or it can just be irritating on its own."

It's not just dermatologists who advise against the use of lemon either (and don't even get them started on coconut oil for acne-prone skin...) many were advising against Bella's regime on YouTube and Reddit, and accusing her of spreading dangerous misinformation.

YouTube Comments.
YouTube Comments. Picture: Harper's Bazaar via YouTube

"Oh yikes. She is so misinformed on so many things. And she’s actually working with a derm?! And they told her scrubs are good? Wtf," one YouTube comment read. "Just Bella teaching you how to torture your skin," another added. A third wrote: "Lemon and sugar? Arghhhhhh!!! my face would breakout. You don’t even use moisturiser?! That’s why you have dehydrated skin sis." While another said: "A sugar scrub with lemon is highly aggressive and will scar and burn your skin in the long run."

It's worth saying, Bella doesn't just use lemon juice on her bare skin. The scrub contains other ingredients which will dilute the citric acid. So, if you're looking for a new way to clear your skin it's probably best to seek a professional.

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