What ingredients to avoid for acne prone skin?

So, you’ve got some acne, huh? Don’t worry, pal. You’re not alone. In fact, acne is one of the most common skin issues out there! But despite how many people deal with it, nobody actually wants it. And while some cases are more severe than others (shoutout to my cystic-acne-havin’ homies), there are plenty of ways to help manage and prevent breakouts.

One way is by being mindful of what we put into our bodies — including the ingredients in our skincare products! This can be tough because every person’s skin reacts differently to different things. However, here are some general ingredients that acne-prone folks might want to steer clear from:

1) Comedogenic Oils

“But wait,” you may ask as you dip your fingers into a jar of coconut oil for the fifth time this week… “what even ARE comedogenic oils?”

Well my dear reader, allow me to explain: comedogenic basically means pore-clogging. And when we slather thick oils onto our faces (coconut oil included), all that gunk can sit in and clog up our pores like nobody’s business.

Here’s a handy chart showing which oils have higher/lower levels of comodogenicty:

Higher Chance Lower Chance
Coconut oil Argan oil
Soybean oil Sunflower seed oil
Wheat germ extract Jojoba oil

Now obviously, just because an oil has a “higher chance” doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will react poorly to it. After all, jojoba Oil still appears on both lists! However if you find yourself breaking out after using certain products containing these ingredients , comedogenicity could be the culprit.

2) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (or SLS for short) is a surfactant that can be found in many different types of products — from shampoo to toothpaste. It’s primary purpose is to create suds of cleanser, but it has also been known cause irritation and dryness for some folks.

For people with acne-prone skin especially, the last thing we want is more irritation. While we might love seeing big ol’ bubbles float around our shower stall, switching to an SLS-free product could bring benefits like softer skin and fewer breakouts.

3) Fragrance/Perfume Infused Products

As much as I enjoy smelling like a cotton candy factory explosion at all times…fragrances and perfumes aren’t always great for sensitive or acne prone skin!

These additives are often used both in skincare products themselves AND as part of packaging materials. So while we may not think we’re actually putting anything “in” our face…our fancy-scented lotions may still wind up causing trouble.

If you find your skin getting angry after using a new product with added fragrance/perfume,headache-inducing flowery scents down the drain!

4) Alcohol Denat.

Alcohol denat (short for denatured alcohol), IS A Type ALCOHOL THAT IS OFTEN FOUND IN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS TO HELP THIN THEM OUT OR GIVE THEM THAT TINGLY FEELING ON YOUR FACE.

While this ingredient CAN help make formulas more lightweight, it’s also notorious FOR being drying AF — And when our faces feel too parched, they tend to overcompensate by producing even more oil! This can lead us down alllll sorts of acne-causing paths.

Of course not all alcohols are created equal- Cetyl alcohol or Stearyl alcohol can be found in many moisturizing formulas, and are fine for most acne-prone skin.

5) Silicones

Last but not least on our list of trouble ingredients? Silicones! This blurs the lines a bit because some people actually love silicones for keeping their makeup from sliding off their faces all day. However…these sorts of benefits can often come at the cost of clogging pores (precious precious pores!!).

For those with acne prone skin, they’re better to avoid prouducts that contain silicone so that their brilliant natural complexion shines through without obstructions.

Are there OTHER ingredients out there to watch out for if we’re trying to nix pesky pimples once-and-for-all?

You betcha — However these five should kick things off quite nicely! WHENEVER CHOOSING A NEW SKIN CARE PRODUCT OR INGREDIENT FOR ACNE PRONE BODY PARTS LET’S GIVE THESE GUYS AN EXTRA SCAN BEFORE ADDING THEM INTO OUR ROUTINES.

And remember – no ingredient is universally bad or good; it’s all about finding what works best FOR YOU AND YOUR FACE

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