With the dawn of social media, there are so many Acne "Life Hacks" and advice that is proven to do more harm than help. More and more of my new clients have come to me, using coconut oil as part of their current skin care routine. They were wondering why their skin was getting so much more acne, many black heads and their skin becoming more sensitive & irritated.
The answer is simple…. PORE CLOGGING INGREDIENTS and POOR EXFOLIATION ROUTINE!
Natural oils like cocoa butter and coconut oil, which are found in many “organic” skin care lines, will wreak havoc with acne-prone skin.
Also, many professional skin care products, natural skin care products, organic skin care products and even acne skin care products can have pore-clogging ingredients.
Since no government agency oversees this, any skincare company can claim that their products promote clear skin and still have pore clogging ingredients.
Another interesting fact… Some prescriptions like Retin-A in cream form contains isopropyl myristate - a potent pore – clogger. But, many other prescription products also contain comedogenic ingredients as well.
And don’t get me started on 'over- the-counter' acne medications. Yes, they also have pore clogging ingredients. Oh, and “Oil-free” products? they are not necessarily safe either.
As if this was not hard enough to keep track of. Unfortunately there are also many hair care lines that contain ingredients like sodium Laureth Sulfate or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, both of which are high on the comedogenic (pore-clogging) scale. They are found in a multitude of shampoos and hair care products. Oils such as jojoba, olive and lanolin are mildly comedogenic (pore clogging) and can be a problem if formulated with other comedogenic ingredients.
So, before trying out a new skin care or hair care product, check out their ingredients first. Even if it says “non-comedogenic”, “oil free” or “won’t clog your pores” on the bottle that doesn’t mean it’s safe to use on your acne prone skin.
If you are tired of keep wasting more time and money on buying products trying to find the one that will work, schedule a skin care consultation at my studio. Together we can device a plan to help you achieve clear skin.
Here is a list of some pore clogging ingredients you should be avoiding as much as possible:
Acetylated Lanolin
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Algae Extract
Algin
Argan Oil
Butyl Stearate
Bismuth Chloride Oxide (causes irritation but not acne)
Carrageenan
Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20
Cetyl Acetate
Chlorella
Chondrus Crispus (aka Irish Moss or Carrageenan Moss)
Coal Tar
Cocoa Butter
Coconut Alkanes
Coconut Butter
Coconut Oil
Colloidal Sulfur
Cotton Awws Oil
Cotton Seed Oil
D & C Red # 17
D & C Red # 21
D & C Red # 3
D & C Red # 30
D & C Red # 36
Decyl Oleate
Dioctyl Succinate
Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2- Sulfosuccinate
Ethoxylated Lanolin
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Glyceryl Stearate SE
Glyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Hexadecyl Alcohol
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Isocetyl Alcohol
Isocetyl Stearate
Isodecyl Oleate
Isopropyl Isostearate
Isopropyl Linoleate
Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl Palmitate
Isostearyl Isostearate
Isostearyl Neopentanoate
Kelp
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Laminaria Saccharina Extract (Laminaria Saccharine)
Laureth-23
Laureth-4
Lauric Acid
Mink Oil
Moroccan Oil
Myristic Acid
Myristyl Lactate
Myristyl Myristate
Octyl Palmitate
Octyl Stearate
Oleth-3
Oleyl Alcohol
Olive Oil
PEG 16 Lanolin
PEG 200 Dilaurate
PEG 8 Stearate
PG Monostearate
PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate
Plankton
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Potassium Chloride
Propylene Glycol Monostearate
Red Algae
Sea Whip Extract
Seaweed
Shark Liver Oil-Squalene
Shea Butter
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Solulan 16
Sorbitan Oleate
Soybean Oil
Spirulina
Steareth 10
Stearic Acid Tea
Stearyl Heptanoate
Sulfated Castor Oil
Sulfated Jojoba Oil
Wheat Germ Glyceride
Wheat Germ Oil
Xylene