Here’s yet another reminder to remain skeptical before you buy acne products from the web.
I recently stumbled across two dubious ones: Zyporex and Pronexin. Buyers beware as I have a good reason to believe this is a scam.
The scam looks very similar to Acnetix and Acnexus scams by Garret Devore Labs I reported about last year. However this scam involves a larger number of products, such as Zyporex, Pronexin, Acneticin and Acnepril, and they are sold by a company called Experimental Nutrition Research Llc.
The way this scam works is so similar to Acnexus and Acnetix that I believe the boys from Ohio (GD Labs is registered in Ohio) have been busy again; though I can’t be sure about this.
Here’s how the scam works:
- Create an acne product with impressive looking list of ingredients, fancy bottle and weird name. This is very simple and anyone with little bit of cash can do this. It’s not that hard to find companies that do contract manufacturing. You just tell them what you want in the bottle and the label to print on it. Even I get few emails from companies proposing to create my own line of skin care products and supplements.
- Create “independent” review sites that praise your products. The more of such sites you can create the better it looks.
- Hire Indians for $5/hour to create fake testimonials and posts to acne forums, Yahoo! Answers and other places. This creates the illusion buzz that gets people interested.
- Cook up another product and repeat the process.
- Move into other lucrative markets; such as weigh loss pills, fat burners, wrinkle creams, anti-aging creams and pills, night creams and muscle building supplements.
Sometimes you can just bottle the same stuff under a different name and call it good. For example the ingredient lists for Acnepril and Acneticin are identical.
Paying attention to website design also seems optional. Take a look at the so-called review sites below and tell me if they seem strangely similar. And if you are looking for real fun, check out the posts at their blogs. Some really… hmmm, interesting posts.
Here’s a list of websites involved in the scam (not conclusive):
- http://www.avecix.com/
- http://www.acnepril.com/
- http://www.pronexin.net/
- http://www.blackheadstreatment.net/
- http://www.acnetreatmentsreview.net/
- http://www.topacnetreatment.org/
- http://www.besthairlossproducts.org/
- http://www.sybervision.com
- http://www.pronexinconsumerreviews.net/
- http://acnecuresrevealed.net
- http://acnetreatmentguide.org
- http://www.fastweightloss.net/
- http://www.clinicallix.com/
- http://www.zyporex.com/
- http://muradreviews.net/
- http://skinidconsumerreviews.net/
- http://acneproductratings.org
- http://acneprilconsumerreviews.net/
- http://www.acneticin.com/
- http://topwrinklecream.org/
- http://www.topwrinklecream.org
- http://hamchoslim.com/
- http://assobar.com/
- http://www.nightcreams.org/
- http://12hourmiracleacnetreatment.com/
Why you should think twice before buying these products
I want to make it clear that I haven’t used any of these products and know very little about them. Using topical solutions is a bit like going into a casino. You roll the dice and see if you get lucky. If you are lucky the product works, tough luck if it doesn’t.
Given that their business model is based on lies and deceit (creating fake review website and posing them as independent) raises questions of their commitment to customer satisfaction.
You really don’t know what’s in the bottles. The ingredient lists look impressive, but that’s not the whole story. You could fill the bottle with cheap stuff and add miniscule amounts of impressive looking ingredients. That way your list of ingredients looks impressive without actually having to pay for all that expensive stuff.
Also the promised money back guarantee may be less solid than advertised. Heck in some cases people haven’t even received their products, as these complaints show.
This company ripped me off. I was suspicious they were conn artists and the company was a scam but was dumb enough to order anyway. It has been a month and a half and I still have not recvd my order. I called the company (of course their # is no longer listed) atleast 5 times, left 3 voice mails and also sent 4 emails. Still have heard nothing back. I used Paypal and am trying to get my money back but it doesnt seem to be working. I have spent so much time on this its ridiculous. Dont be a sucker and order anything from this ENR company, they’ll just take your money!!!! Im bitter and I want that company out of business!!!
Zyporex - Finally Reviewed… (scroll down to reader comments)
Zyporex is supposed to be a product that helps clear acne. This company is not real. Both the webiste and the testimonials are fake. I think the person or people behind this also made the other webite comparing the best acne treatments. I ordered the product, unfortunately without doing sufficient research, and never got it in the mail. They took $29.99 for the product and $7.99 for shipping. There is no contact info, except for a defunct email. I tried calling the number on my bank statement and I was immediately tansfered to a voice mail box that was full and not accepting new messages.
This one is about Lipofuze, one of their weight loss products.
Elinalla,
You are lucky than me. I am staying in Singapore and ordered Lipofuze on July 16, 2009 via LLC. I still received nothing from them but they credit my visa more than US100 already.LipoFuze by Experimental Nutrition Research LLC Complaints - Quality of product is negative
Better Business Bureau doesn’t think much of Zyporex and rates it as F. BBB Reliability Report for Zyporex Here’s what F means.
Company Rating F
Our opinion of what this rating means:
We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.
In case you run into trouble with Zyporex, Pronexin or any other of their products here are their contact details (as listed in the LA Times Yellow Pages).
Experimental Nutrition Research Llc
(213) 389-9044
3580 Wilshire Blvd Ste 1190
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Stop believing in magic and miracles and save yourself tons of trouble
Here’s easy way to avoid all such scams in the future: stop believing into magic and miracles. The reason these scam wagons keep rolling is because people buy into the idea they can just apply some cream or take a pill and get over their acne. Some may get lucky, but for most people it’s not that easy.
Acne is an internal problem and is a result of bad diet and lifestyle choices and, in many cases, emotional health. Start treating it as such and you can forget all these stinking creams and have clear skin for life.
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Clear for Life - The lifestyle for health, happiness and clear skin
Give me your email address and I'll take the mystery out of curing acne.
For immediate access just fill in this simple form, and start on the road to clear skin already today.
October 20th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Everyone is looking for a shortcut and easy solution. That is a recipe for getting ripped off in any area.
The guys pulling the rippoff above seem to have ran with the lessons in the book “The 4 Hour Workweek”. That bullsh*t artist author teaches how to do this.
Keep drinking fruit juices, and eating carbohydrates you’ll have acne forever.
Below are 2 articles by a great doctor who also suffered from acne as well.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/12/25/bread-acne.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/08/23/acne.aspx
October 20th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Hey Seppo,
Great post, everything you said is absolutely rite about these companies, they fakers and quite frankly scammers.
I fell for the Zyporex cleanser about a year ago, I used it probably 3 weeks before stopping, it is just a random mix of ingredients and is a dark green colour, and has lots of bits in it which will just cut your skin easily as the formular does not foam at all, so it is like sanding your face with a smelly liquid.
Thankfully though, these kind of scammers will be facing a tougher time in regards to using fake testimonials and hype, as I’m sure you may well of heard, the FTC are introducing new regulations to clamp down on this.
I made a post on my blog (one I set up ages ago for fun) you and your readers can view it here.
Hopefully this will put a stop to most if not all of these scammers messing people about, and they will get what they deserve if they continue ripping people off.
All The Best
James
October 20th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Hi James,
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear that you fell for Zyporex, but we all have to pay our dues. You live and you learn.
I believe the new FTC regulations are really good development for the internet. Finally they get some tools to prosecute companies that willfully mislead customers. And hopefully within 5 years or so people can start trusting what they read on the web again.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I have Pronexin and my acne has not changed. I understand that, which is why I have purchased the Clear for Life book and am trying to follow it. Anyway, Pronexin did not help my acne in any way, but I still like it. I mean, even if I understand that acne cannot be cured with a topical solution, if I do not use witch hazel or some kind of wash, I feel like I’m missing something. I thought the ingredients were natural and good, if in fact they are the ingredients. It smells natural and I do like it still. You get a huge bottle for $30 so it lasts and I do not regret buying it.
October 20th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
LOL Some of these are pretty funny. I like the first one that has “5% Tea Tree Oil” in it. You can get the 100% stuff pretty easily, and just dilute it a little bit. I doubt the 5% Tea Tree Oil will do much of anything.
I like to use (100%) Tea Tree Oil because it does calm the face after I wash with a mild soap. As far as preventing acne, I don’t know. There might be some antiseptic qualities to it, but again, I just like that it calms my skin. Oh, and you can get it cheaper than $14.99!
October 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
Good post Seppo!
The ugliest thing about this is that they feed the desperation of the people who are willing to dig every magic bullet the scammers offer.
Also people’s psychology is they expect good things to happen to them instantly and magically since they usually don’t put the effort.
And of course scammers exploit that to no limit (and many recent launches of quick fix/ get rich products/something fast).
Well, being naive is a good thing actually, the problem is with so much beating people lose this trait.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
hey seppo,
“Acne is an internal problem and is a result of bad diet and lifestyle choices and, in many cases, emotional health”. i absolutely agree with u bcoz this thought has changed my life, your free lessons have been a gr8 help to me to be clear…i had a good lifestyle b4 i got married but later i shifted to the lifestyle of my husband n hence acne…i was blaming all to to hormonal imbalance caused after marriage until i came across ur site then i started working on my lifestyle again…started working on the 6 elements of health as recommended by u n now all my acne r clear just the scars are left but m sure even they will vanish in a matter of few weeks…
my whole approach towards acne changed after reading ur lessons…
i can’t buy ur book as of now, but i believe it will be gr8 use even if one does’nt have acne anymore, as it is helpful to improve one’s overall health n not just acne, n i will buy it whenever i can…now, all i can say is THANKU n GOD BLESS U..
October 21st, 2009 at 1:45 pm
@xochitl
Glad to hear you had a positive experience with Pronexin. I’m not saying that topical solutions are evil or bad in anyway. They can be helpful in addition to diet and lifestyle changes. Though many of my customers say they get better results after they dropped all topicals.
If you have a topical regimen you are happy with please stick to it.
@Jessica
They probably use 5% tea tree oil because there have been few studies that show it’s as effective as 5% BP.
@Veso
Thanks for the comments. I’ve noticed that people have to ride this “scam wagon” for some years before they are open to looking at diet and lifestyle solutions. I guess we all have to pay our dues.
@pooja
Of course it’s a great health manual if you are interested of further improving your health.
Congratulations for getting clear! Since you are already clear I’m not sure why you would buy my book anymore
October 21st, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Thanks, Seppo. I actually do not have a skin regimen that I stick with or feel helps, but I remember the days when I had clear skin (including high school!) and I would wash my face with just water and sometimes use a cotton ball with witch hazel. I would like to go back to not worrying about washing my face and with what and how often, and not leaving the house without makeup and cover up, and just live normally… I hope this becomes a reality but have to admit that I have to fight pessimism constantly.
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 am
I stopped washing my face altogether, only water. I just use aloe vera as a leave in moisturizer after shaving and do over night oil treatments. All the acne/folliculitis on my back is basically gone, it’s just the hyper pigmentation left over. I’m gonna try coacoa butter to speed up the fading and in case anybody was wondering, my diet is that which can be considered vegan/gluten and soy free.
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:21 am
@xochitl
As I’ve been writing in some of my posts that deal with mental aspects on getting clear, it’s possible to leave a house without make up and live a normal life even before you get clear. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s possible. All that stress happens in your head.
More than anything it’s a self-esteem problem. Regular meditation is probably the simplest solution to this. That’s why Clear for Life comes with meditation audios.
@36GoldenFist
Congratulations! Must feel pretty good to finally get over acne.