If your skin is prone to acne and breakouts, you may already know the struggle of finding products that are safe to use and do not flare up your acne. It can be a tough battle sometimes – you might be able to find a good product that you feel suits your skin perfectly but once you use it a couple of times, your acne makes a comeback.
Fortunately, this can be easily avoided by choosing products that do not contain acne-triggering ingredients. High-end brands and beautiful packaging do not mean anything if the product has ingredients that are harmful to your skin type – and considering the exorbitant cost of cosmetic products, wasting money on something that might worsen your acne issues doesn’t make any sense.
If you’re acne-prone, the best thing you can do for your skin is to avoid pore-clogging or comedogenic products. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some common acne-causing ingredients.
- Alcohol
To keep your skin clear and blemish-free you should steer away from products that contain alcohol. Alcohol can cause excessive skin dryness, which can make your sebaceous glands produce more sebum or oil to compensate.
This extra sebum can clog the pores and become the breeding ground for bacteria. To prevent irritable and dry skin, always choose alcohol-free, mild cleansers. Our alcohol-free Deep Facial Foaming Cleanser is formulated with potent ingredients like AHAs, BHAs, and natural plant-derived ingredients like Kalanchoe extract to brighten up your skin naturally.
- Silicone
Another ingredient you need to stay away from is Silicone. Silicones are often added to cosmetic products like makeup primers to provide a smooth and water-resistant finish. When it comes to skin health, Silicones can be pore-clogging and dehydrating. These properties make it one of the worst ingredients for those who have acne-prone skin. Instead, look for hydrating and skin-friendly ingredients like Kalanchoe extract and alpha and beta hydroxy acids to achieve naturally smooth and blemish-free skin.
- Fragrances
Though all types of artificial fragrances in skincare products are a complete no-no for acne-prone individuals, you should specifically keep an eye out for benzaldehyde. This is one of the most common artificial fragrances used in Cosmetics. Like every other artificial fragrance out there, benzaldehyde is a pore-clogging. Another reason why you should avoid artificial fragrance ingredients in your skincare products if you have acne-prone and sensitive skin is that they can be very irritating and cause acne and allergies.
- Lanolin
Lanolin is skin oil or sebum of sheep. Lanolin-containing products should be avoided at all costs if you’re acne-prone. This might be challenging for some people because Lanolin goes by different names. So, you need to be extra careful when reading the labels of your products. Though Lanolin is completely natural, it is a comedogenic ingredient. This means it can clog your pores and can lead to acne and breakouts.
Also, keep an eye out for other names that are commonly used in place of lanoline. Some of these include ethoxylated lanolin, acetylated lanolin alcohol, solulan 16, and PEG 16 lanolin.
- Petrochemicals
These compounds are not mentioned as petrochemicals on the product label, but they are frequently used in the skincare and cosmetics industry. These are usually present under the guise of mineral oil, petrolatum, or paraffin wax. They are added to increase the shelf-life of our products, but they can cause breakouts by clogging your pores.
- Parabens
Understanding each and every ingredient in your cosmetics and skincare products can be challenging for an average user. But, the one group of ingredients you should avoid in every product is parabens. These are a group of compounds that are added to preserve the products and improve their shelf life. You can find them with different names such as methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, and propylparaben.
Though parabens are FDA approved and may not directly aggravate the condition, some studies have shown that they have the ability to mimic estrogen. It can disturb your hormone balance, contributing to breakouts and acne.
There you have it – some of the common acne-causing ingredients you should avoid in your skincare products. We hope that this brief guide will help you choose safe and effective products for your skincare needs. Be sure to check our range of skincare products here.
