This June is National Acne Awareness Month. Of course, if you have acne, you don’t need a month to make you aware. But this is a good time to examine how you can control your breakouts better to help keep your skin and mind calm and on the road to wellness. As you know, using the wrong products or misusing the right ones can negatively impact the condition of your skin and mood. Too good to be true quick fixes, certain ingredients, DIY products, and random application methods don’t work for everyone. Opinions about what ingredients to avoid if you have acne prone skin and how DIY natural skincare ingredients are the superior choice abound. Before jumping on the latest bandwagon, check out this informative blog explaining what should be avoided for acne prone skin.

Ingredients To Avoid
Got pimples and wondering what ingredients are bad for acne? We could go on and on, but here we will focus on the main ingredients to avoid when you have acne prone skin:

Parabens – Despite the FDA labeling these preservatives as safe, studies do show that they can penetrate our skin and have the potential to negatively impact health. As acne is an inflammatory condition tied to hormonal imbalances, and Parabens tend to irritate and trigger inflammation and estrogen production (according to the latest research), this puts them on the acne no-no list.

Sulfates – Cleansers with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate can irritate and strip the skin of essential moisture. They can cause surface dehydration, resulting in rebound oil production as the skin attempts to restore balance. This can also trap oils further, resulting in more blemishes. Our SLES and SLS free ProCorrective® Clear-Control Exfoliator and Phyto-Gel Cleanser, feature Oat Amino Acids and Coconut-derived cleansing agents that deliver the natural foaming cleanser bubbles you crave without drying the surface of your skin.

Oils & Waxes – While some are considered non-comedogenic, many naturally-derived oils and waxes are comedogenic, meaning they have pore-clogging tendencies unsuitable for pimple-prone folks. Mineral Oil derived from Petroleum is one of the most comedogenic ingredients to avoid if you are prone to clogged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, and bumps. Slugging, which involves slathering the skin in Petroleum Jelly, is a no-no for blemished beauties and a perfect example of how today's viral skin trends aren't trends that are ideal for acne-prone skin.

Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, and Lanolin may cause oil, dirt, and dead skin cells to become trapped inside follicles, creating a breeding ground for breakouts. Reserve the moisturizing and skin-softening benefits of Coconuts and Olives for areas where breakouts don’t occur, like your hands and feet, but skip Lanolin which has the potential for sensitization. Some non-comedogenic exceptions are Tea Tree Oil and Safflower Oil in our ProCorrective® Blemish Treatment and ProCorrective® Clear-Control Moisturizer.

Antiseptic Tea Tree Oil provides anti-free radical properties, plus reduces irritation, discomfort, and dryness while softening skin texture. Unsaturated Safflower Seed Oil is one of the few emollient oils beneficial for acne. It is rich in Linoleic Acid that is lacking in acne-prone skin, which helps balance and moisturize the complexion. Many sources deem Argan, Jojoba, Grapeseed, Hempseed, Neem, Sunflower Seed, and Sweet Almond Oils non-comedogenic and safe for acne. Still, we encourage you to patch test before applying to determine if they will trigger breakouts for your skin. So, to play it safe, the main products to avoid for acne prone skin are face oils and oil-based moisturizers. If you love oil cleansers, you can keep them on board so long as you follow with a cleanser for acne prone skin. And if you wear eye make-up, be sure to use a natural eye makeup remover for the eye contour, not your salicylic acid wash, please!

Alcohols – Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Denatured Alcohol (Ethanol), and Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) dry out the skin’s surface, cause irritation and rebound oil production, leading to more inflammation and blemishes. While it creates appealing, lightweight textures and aids product penetration, we advise skipping toners, mists, and other products with Alcohol and seeking Alcohol free versions instead! Our SpaTeen Blemished Skin Toner is excellent for acne-prone types of all ages!

Oxybenzone – This formerly popular sunscreen ingredient irritates the skin, clogs pores, and worsens breakouts, with some sources linking it with hormone disruption. Cut sunscreens featuring this troublemaker out of your regimen. A better solution is a Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide non white cast sunscreen with bluelight protection or a tinted sunscreen that calms and blurs acne signs.

Isopropyl Myristate & Palmitate – Although these lubricating emollients lock in moisture, they can clog pores, making products containing them acne sufferers’ enemies. Naturally sourced Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide are more ideal moisturizer options that help counteract surface dehydration and promote skin barrier repair. In addition, Niacinamide controls oil and calms redness and irritation to improve acne.

Fragrance – If you have acne, keep away from products with Artificial Fragrances like Benzaldehyde, which can cause unnecessary irritation. Why add insult to injury when you can find plenty of clean scent formulas with no artificial fragrance? All Pevonia acne products are Artificial Fragrance Free, featuring refreshing plant extracts from citrus fruits, trees, and herbs.

DIY Hacks To Avoid
It is tempting to get in the kitchen and create a natural DIY recipe to handle skin challenges yourself and save a little money too. However, the latest DIY beauty tricks taking over social media exemplify how well-intended skincare can go wrong. The “best topical acne treatment” that solves one person’s breakout woes might not be appropriate for your skin. For example, oils are one of the most common DIY natural skincare ingredients, many of which are fabulous for dry skin lacking oil, but not great for oily, acne-prone skin. Where there is an excess of oil, more oil is not the solution. That’s like bringing sand to the desert! Check out these DIY beauty skincare ingredients best reserved for their original purposes:

Lemon & Vinegar – These ever-present kitchen staples make for healthy homemade salad dressings with a splash of Olive Oil, but not so much for use in DIY concoctions for your skin. Due to their acidity, topical application may irritate the skin, causing redness and dryness. Despite Lemon being high in coveted Vitamin C, some have reported blisters after using lemon juice. Vinegar’s anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties sound promising, but wreak havoc with the skin’s pH, causing too much exfoliation and potentially dermatitis.

Baking Soda & Toothpaste – We prefer you use these DIY-er faves for your teeth, grout, and other household purposes – not your skin. The idea is that Baking Soda will exfoliate and help clear pores of excess oil and that the Triclosan in toothpaste will combat acne bacteria. But exceptionally alkaline Baking Soda alters the skin’s pH levels and strips away oil, breaking down the skin’s protective barrier and leaving you vulnerable to environmental aggressors. In addition, the FDA banned Triclosan from anti-bacterial gels, soaps, and acne care products due to evidence that it increases bacterial resistance to antibiotics and disrupts thyroid hormone levels. Choose professionally formulated types of acne treatment options with ingredients like naturally antiseptic Thyme, Cinnamon, Rosemary, and our multifunctional sebo-normalizing complex of Zinc Peptides and other plant derivatives.

Glue – We dislike blackheads as much as anyone, but swiping glue over your nose to eliminate them is as senseless as the schoolyard taunt “I'm rubber, you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you!” Glue is not formulated to be used on your largest organ and isn’t a good idea. It often contains Ethanol (a.k.a Alcohol), Formaldehyde, and other dubious toxic chemicals, which are no-nos, for…well, anyone with skin. Stick to products like a skin-friendly acne mask with purifying Kaolin and Bentonite Clays and other acne-fighters. Once acne is under control, you can incorporate a clean skincare mask with Charcoal, Collagen, or Red Clover that uphold clean beauty principles to keep your skin and body healthy!

Quick Fixes & Habits To Quit
There are many quick fixes to avoid if you have acne prone skin. We understand feeling embarrassed, desperate, and impatient to fix your acne, but as a rule, quick fixes don't work. It’s vital to give quality products time to work. The outermost layer of your skin (the epidermis) has a natural turnover rate of approximately 30 days, give or take, based on your age and other factors. While you may see some instant smoothing and calming, a product must be in contact with the skin for one, two, or sometimes even three cell turnover cycles to fully work its magic. Overdoing it is not the quick fix you hope it will be. Breaking up with excessive washing and over-exfoliating may seem difficult, but a moderate approach will serve you in the long run. You can’t make up for lost time by doubling the product amount or piling on multiple formulas simultaneously. Chances are your acne didn’t develop overnight, nor will it recover overnight.

Jumping from one product to another doesn’t work either. You need to trust the process! If you see no improvement after three months, you can move on, knowing you gave it a complete chance. In today’s skin positivity era, thankfully, acne is not synonymous with ugly, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it, either. Acne is a condition that can be managed, and now, more than ever, you can give your skin and yourself some grace while you repair it with patient and loving acne self care. Gently cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and applying the best topical acne treatment on a daily basis, combined with weekly masking, will pay off. Not following directions by aggressively scrubbing or applying more than the recommended amount may cause irritation, redness, and flaking.

Adding in other products that aren’t part of a set acne skin care routine can aggravate the skin and exacerbate acne. They likely contain actives that don’t play well with each other, or double dip on exfoliating acids, upsetting skin’s balance and impairing the skin barrier. Using harsh face wipes to cleanse your face or remove make-up is another acne skincare mistake. Remember to read their labels too! Pimple patches are great for helping to keep your hands off the pimple and bacteria out while absorbing dirt, oil, and other impurities. But people tend to leave them on longer than the six to eight hours recommended, leading to over-drying the skin and ensuing irritation. That, and the fact that plastic is not earth-friendly leave us a tad ambivalent. Following a picture-perfect routine with acne-causing ingredients in makeup can undo your hard work. Foundations and powders laced with occlusive oils, and ingredients like Lauroyl Lysine, may prevent your skin from breathing, clog pores, and lead to blemishes.

Lauric Acid’s anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties may outweigh its potentially pore-clogging effects. If you have make-up containing it, set it aside for a month and see if you break out. If not, enjoy! Artificial Colors used to give make-up its different hues can be irritating, easily aggravating acne-prone skin. D & C Red, the worst offender, can cause inflammation and make skin sensitive to sunlight, making it a “no for us” across the board. How do you know if a product isn’t right for you? If your pores become clogged, or after an acclimation period, your skin looks flaky, aggravated, or downright oily, it’s time to walk away or revisit how you use it. Still unsure? Visit Find A Spa to boost skin health with an in-depth consultation from a licensed esthetician for your ideal Pevonia products and professional treatments. Ask about our ProCorrective® Clear-Control Treatment, YouthRenew™ Hydra-Glow Peel, Lacto-Flora Peel, Plantomer® Treatment, or SpaTeen® Blemished Skin Treatment.