Oil-free, non-comedogenic, and Dermatologist-tested are all phrases I used to look for when I’d buy products to help with my acne. By reading The Beauty Bible - Paula Begoun,
I found several sites that listed ingredients that could clog your pores or irritate your skin. I cross-referenced the ingredients to the products I was currently using and found almost every single one of them had either extremely pore-clogging (comedogenic) ingredients, or irritating ingredients. Even “acne” products had both irritating ingredients, and pore-cloggers, thus making my skin extra dry, and extra breakout-prone. From my estimate, 75% of the products on the market could potentially clog my pores. Now some people can use any product they want and they won’t have problems, but I can’t, and neither can anyone that is prone to acne. Here are the fabulous websites I found, from which I compiled a spreadsheet of ingredients to avoid: Zero Zits - become an acne detective, Comedogenic effects of cosmetic raw materials, DERMADoctor - Comedogenicity, Skin care ingredients to avoid, and there was one other site I referenced that is now gone. After checking out all my products for their ingredients, I threw them all out, except for maybe one or two, and I started over. Some of the sites contradict themselves a little bit, and not every bad ingredient out there is on the list, but below is the list I compiled. Here is how to read it: An ingredient is based on a scale of 0 (meaning it won’t clog your pores at all) to 5 (meaning it will clog your pores a lot). Anything that is a 3, 4, or 5 is an ingredient to avoid, if it’s listed as one of the first 8 or so ingredients in a product. I have listed a few ingredients that will not clog your pores, however their names are similar to ingredients that will, so they are just there for reference. When I first went over the Zero Zits list, I tried not to buy any products that were even listed with a 2 for comedogenicity, but it was nearly impossible to find anything that met that criteria. If there is a second number listed by an ingredient, that is the number for how much the ingredient will irritate your skin. 0 (meaning not irritating at all) and 5 (extremely irritating). Again, avoid all ingredients listed 3, 4, or 5 for irritation.
Skin care ingredients to avoid if you have acne-prone skin:
0…5 Acetone
4 Acetylated Lanolin
4 Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
0…5 Alcohol
0…5 Alcohol Denat.
5 Algae Extract
4 Algin
3 Butyl Stearate
2…3 Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
2…4 Cajeput Oil
1…3 Caprylic Acid
5 Carrageenan
4 Ceteareth 20
4 Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20
4 Cetyl Acetate
4 Cocoa Butter
4 Coconut Butter
4 Coconut Oil
3…4 Colloidal Sulfur
3 Cotton Awws Oil
3 Cotton Seed Oil
3 Crisco
3 D & C Red # 17
3 D & C Red # 21
3 D & C Red # 3
3 D & C Red # 30
3 D & C Red # 36
4 Decaglyceryl decaoleate
3 Decyl Oleate
3 Dioctyl Succinate
4 Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2-Sulfo
3 Ethoxylated Lanolin
4 Ethylhexyl Palmitate
0…3 Flowers of Sulfur
2 Glyceryl Stearate
3 Glyceryl Stearate SE (NSE ok)
4 Glyceryl-3-Diisostearate
4 Grape seed oil
5 Hexadecyl Alcohol
3 Hexylene glycol
3 Hybrid safflower oil
4 Hydrogenated lanolin
3 Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
4 Isocetyl Alcohol
5 Isocetyl Stearate
4 Isodecyl Oleate
3 Isoparaffin C13-16
3 Isoparaffin C9-11
0…4 Isopropyl Alcohol
5 Isopropyl Isostearate
4 Isopropyl lanolate
5 Isopropyl Linolate
5 Isopropyl Myristate
4 Isopropyl Palmitate
4 Isostearic acid
3 Isostearyl alcohol
4 Isostearyl Isostearate
3 Isostearyl Neopentanoate
3 Laneth-10 acetate
5 Lanolic acid
2 Lanolin
2 Lanolin Alcohols
1 Lanolin Oil or Wax
3 Laureth -23
5 Laureth 4
4 Lauric Acid
0…4 Menthol
3 Mink Oil
5 Myreth 3 myristate
3 Myristic Acid
4 Myristyl Lactate
5 Myristyl Myristate
5 Myristyl propionate
3 Octyl dodecanol
4 Octyl Palmitate
5 Octyl Stearate
5 Oleic Acid
5 Oleth-3
4 Oleyl Alcohol
4 Peach kernel oil
4 PEG 16 Lanolin
3 PEG 200 Dilaurate
3 PEG 8 Stearate
3 PG Monostearate
4 Polyglyceryl-3-Diisostearate
5 Potassium Chloride
4 PPG 15 stearyl ether
4 PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate
4 PPG 5 Ceteth 19 Phosphate
4 Propylene Glycol Monostearate
2 Propylene glycol stearate
0 Propylene glycol
5 Red Algae
0…5 SD Alcohol 40
3 Shark Liver Oil
0…4 Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
5 Sodium Chloride (Salt)
3 Sodium Laureth Sulfate
5 Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
4 Solulan 16
3 Sorbitan Oleate
4 Sorbitan Sesquinoleate
3 Soybean Oil
4 Steareth 10
2 Stearic acid
3 Stearic Acid Tea
4 Stearyl Heptanoate
3 Sulfated Castor Oil
3 Sulfated Jojoba Oil
3 Sweet Almond Oil
4 Syearyl Heptanoate
0…3 Tridectyl Neopentanoate
3 Wheat Germ Glyceride
5 Wheat Germ Oil
4 Xylene
I know it’s a long list, but I printed it out, and would actually carry it around to the store with me. I’d also try to find the list of ingredients in a product I was interested in before I’d even go to the store to save time. Notice anything missing from the list? How about Mineral Oil. That ranks a 0 for being pore-clogging. Now there is all sorts of controversy about Mineral Oil, but I am not afraid to use it on my skin. On the list, you will find Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Those are usually the main ingredients in shampoo, and I know some people use shampoo to wash their face. SD Alcohol 40, also known as Alcohol or Alcohol Denat, is a huge irritant, but it’s in most toners, and a lot of acne products. Isoproply Palmitate and Isopropyl Myristate are the main ingredients in a lot of moisturizers, and they are also huge pore-cloggers. There is a website that freaks me out because it claims that just about every ingredient in skin care products will give you cancer or cause some sort of horrible toxic reaction in your body: Environmental Working Group . At this point, I’m more worried about the harm from pollution, global warming, and second-hand smoke than I am about all the ingredients in products, but I should look more into what the EWG has to say.
Despite this list, I’ve still bought products I thought were “safe” that totally made my face breakout - La Roche-Posay Anthelios W Gel SPF 40 comes to mind. I have to assume it’s the actual sunscreen ingredient - Mexoryl XL - that causes the problem, but I don’t know for sure, which is why I didn’t put Mexoryl XL on the list. Finally, before I buy a product, I read reviews about it on MakeupAlley to see if a ton of people say something has made them breakout. I take reviews with a grain of salt, since every product listed will have at least one person say it gave them cystic acne. Overall, the great thing about this “list” is that it’s saved me a lot of skin problems and money in the long run since I don’t really have acne anymore, I’m now happy with most of the products I use, and most new wrinkle creams have pore-clogging ingredients, so there are few new products I even want to try.
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August 1st, 2007 at 7:32 am
You should definitely avoid the Isocetyl Alcohol… it’s found in a lot of mainstream products that are sold off the shelves.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:33 am
Wow, thanks for the heads up on skin products!
August 10th, 2007 at 4:43 am
The EWG is not a reliable source for your chemical information. The collect their data in such a way to scare people into thinking everything will give them cancer. A better source would be something like the CTFA (cosmetics, toiletries, and fragrance association). It’s where the EWG gets most of their data anyway.
August 10th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Thanks! That’s good to know! The EWG has me so scared, that I have told myself what they say can’t all be true! Pretty much every product I own is “horrible” according to them. I will check out CTFA. Thanks!
Jeni
August 20th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Thanks! this list is very helpful!
September 8th, 2007 at 8:31 am
This list is so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to compile it and post it. I’m glad I stumbled upon your site. At 41, I began suffering through the worst skin problems in my life. Differin, Yasmin and spiro seem to be my solutions, but avoiding aggravating chemicals will certainly help too.
September 16th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Thanks for the great information. Your site is very helpful.
November 4th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
thank you! this helps a lot. A LOT!!
November 20th, 2007 at 1:01 am
Hey that was really helpful but it doesnt actually help if you are suffering from cosmetic acne and how to treat it… :S
November 20th, 2007 at 1:21 am
Hannah,
If you have acne caused by cosmetics, then you must eliminate all products that contain any of the ingredients I listed above. If your acne is solely caused by cosmetics or products, then that alone will solve the problem!
If your acne is not just caused by cosmetics, I have an article that I will be posting this week that will be a complete guide to get rid of acne.
December 8th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
The Jane Iredale pressed powder I just started using has algae extract as one of the ingredients. I’ve been getting little bumps under my skin, but I didn’t think it was caused by the foundation since there’s so much talk about how great mineral makeup is for you. I’m surprised that algae extract is on the list (and that it scored a 5!), since it’s in so many products marketed for acne-prone skin. I’ve always thought that it was one of those magical sea ingredients that was hydrating without clogging pores. Isn’t the entire Biotherm line based on algae extract?
Thanks for the list! It’s kind of scary list, because I’m pretty sure almost all of my skincare products has an ingredient or more from the list.
December 9th, 2007 at 3:18 am
Jen,
I didn’t realize Jane Iredale pressed powder has algae extract in it! That was the line of makeup we sold when I worked at the Medical Spa, and I remember it having Bismuth Oxychloride in it, which a lot of people have problems with. I have looked at its ingredients several times, but maybe I missed the algae extract. http://www.savvyskin.com/can-mineral-makeup-be-bad-for-your-skin is a post I wrote about mineral makeup. I know Prevage (the wrinkle cream) has algae extract in it too. I’m not sure about Biotherm.
That seems ridiculous that algae extract is in acne products. I have seen it in a few! When I was trying to get rid of my acne, I had to throw out almost every product I owned. For people that don’t have acne problems, or any problems with products irritating their skin, then they can ignore this list, but for everyone else, it makes sense to stay away from these ingredients.
December 26th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
So, What makeups are left to use that do not clog pores and cause more acne? I would love to know because I think my makeup is what causes me to breakout. And when I breakout I need makeup. So, It’s just a vicious cycle.
December 27th, 2007 at 6:50 am
Rebecca,
There is still lots of makeup out there that won’t clog pores, but it’s just a little harder to find! The only makeup I use on my skin right now are Maybelline Pure Makeup (a liquid) and Neutrogena Healthy Skin Pressed Powder. If you look at this list, and check it against your current makeup, hopefully you will find some stuff that is safe to use that doesn’t contain these pore-clogging ingredients.
I haven’t looked for new makeup for a year or two, so I don’t know of that many “safe” makeups off the top of my head. What I did was decide if I wanted to use liquid or powder foundation, and then decided if I wanted to try drugstore stuff first, or start at Sephora or department stores. For drugstore products, you can look at drugstore.com and they list the ingredients of everything, so you can read it before you go to the store. For other products, you can go to Sephora and read the ingredients on the packages while you are there. I would estimate 20% of makeup is “safe” for acne-prone skin.
December 27th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Thanks for your info. I was using Maybelline Pure Makeup for a long time. But then I found a website that talked about makeup becoming contaminated with germs. And I noticed when I would buy that particular makeup that there is no seal or anyway to make sure it hasn’t been tried out in the store (Walmart). And alot of people do that because I noticed when I checked out certain ones that the bottle was pretty messy from the makeup that had been squeezed out of it by someone else.
December 30th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Well can someone pls reccomend a good facial moisturizer that is for very dry skin and doesnt cause ance?!?! names please!!
January 1st, 2008 at 11:21 pm
I have been a medical aesthetician for a dermatology/acne clinic that has been in business for over 25 years. The original founder of this clinic did ingredient research, and I just want to say GREAT JOB on publishing this site and ingredient reference list, you are correct. Also, keep in mind even if a product is 4-5, if it is at the bottom of the list, generally there is so little in the formula it usually isn’t a high enough concentration to cause a breakout. Still, try to avoid these ingredients if you can. I also search makeupalley.com, and I finally found the only foundation besides Mark Lees (which is really just bad foundation, it looks horrible on the skin) that is non pore clogging. It is from QVC.com, and it is called Diane Young foundation of youth. Hope this helps!
Kelly
January 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Kasey,
I would recommend Clinique Moisture On-line. It works great on my really dry skin, and it doesn’t clog my pores. I’ve been using it for several years and love it.
January 12th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Wow…with a list that long, there’s really no product you can buy on the shelves of any store. You would have to spend A LOT of time just searching. :(
I have used Clinique powder and happened to notice acne bumping up the very next day. I’m not sure if I’m allergic or if it’s the cosmetic acne effect this blog entry describes. I’ve never really used makeup, except for like 4 times in my life, literally.
I’ve seen the infomercials for Bare Minerals & Youthful Essence. Do you think they are worth the investment?
January 12th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Aquafina,
If you follow this guide and are able to get rid of your acne, then the good news is that you won’t get acne scars in the future. My acne red dots took about two years to go away, but it will probably be faster for most people. I don’t know the ingredients in the Clinique powder, but there’s a good chance it does contain ingredients that aggravate acne (since from my experience 75% of products make acne worse).
A lot of people like mineral makeup, and it is usually good for acne. However, for some people it does aggravate acne: http://www.savvyskin.com/can-mineral-makeup-be-bad-for-your-skin
January 25th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Is there a difference between cetyl alcohol and isocetyl alcohol? My face wash has the cetyl alcohol in it. Thanks!
January 25th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Marissa,
Yes there’s a difference between cetyl alcohol and isocetyl alcohol. If I remember correctly, cetyl alcohol is a 2 out of 5 when it comes to clogging pores, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
February 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
do you know anything about the ingredient Mica? I have been reading that cornsilk powder is really good, and its main ingredient is mica…
February 24th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Tory,
Mica is a mineral (I believe) and it’s usually used in products to give them shimmer. I haven’t included it on my list, but I tend to stay away from products that are based on cornstarch, since they can breed bacteria more easily than some makeup, and they are probably not best for acne for that reason. Cornstarch is sometimes used in powders, instead of talc.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:50 am
This article is very helpful. I have suffered from cosmedic acne for years. I also have dry skin and am having trouble finding a moisturizer that doesn’t cause breakouts. Do you know of any daily facial moisturizers that are free of the ingredients on your list? Thank-you so much!
February 26th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Hi. What does it mean when it has 0….5 infront of the ingredient?? I have just bought clearasil pore cleansing pads & the 2nd ingredient on the tub is alcohol denat. Should i throw them out???
February 28th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Karen,
The first number (0) means on a scale of 0-5, it’s a 0 when it comes to clogging your pores. The second number is how irritating the ingredient is to your skin. Alcohol denat. is extremely irritating to your skin - it will dry it out, and just make your skin worse as a whole. I highly recommend staying away from products with alcohol denat. (or SD alcohol) because they will not help your skin at all.
It makes me so mad that companies make acne products with alcohol in them! If you are having problems with acne, have a look at http://www.savvyskin.com/guide-to-cure-acne
February 28th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Kris,
My favorite acne-safe moisturizers for dry skin are Clinique Moisture On-line, Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Cream, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Nivea Creme, and Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask (which can also be used as a moisturizer).
March 1st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Hi Jeni, Can you recommend a good moisturizer and a good exfoliater for normal skin prone to breakouts?
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Ro,
The moisturizers I like for normal, acne-prone skin are: Clinique Moisture On-line, or Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Cream. The Olay is light moisturizer, and the Clinique is a bit more hydrating.
A good weekly (or twice-weekly) exfoliator is Philosophy Microdelivery Peel. Also, use of products with retinol, glycolic acid, or salicylic acid are good for exfoliating acne-prone skin. Here is my post about good products for acne: http://www.savvyskin.com/guide-to-cure-acne
March 7th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Great list, however please add BISMUTH OXYCHLORIDE to it! This is a bad bad thing for acne prone skin. It is in Bare Minerals which after using it for 2 months hoping it would help clear my skin as they claim, gave my cystic acne. I mean deep, painful, under the skin, scarring cysts. Completely stopped within 2 days of quitting Bare Minerals. Now, 3 weeks later, still much clearer, just trying to heal the scars this horrible ingredient left behind. Many people are allergic to Bismuth Oxychloride. And some are not. I just wished they would put out a warning abou this filler they use. Be careful out there…
March 25th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I’ve been using Bare Minerals for a while now, and have terrible skin. I’m not sure if it’s a result of Bismuth Oxychloride or using tons of different products. But what makeup would you suggest that covers as well as Bare Minerals?I have oily skin. I’m on a vicious cycle: Can’t go without the makeup, but the makeup is what may be causing the blemishes…
March 31st, 2008 at 6:16 am
is tinosorb pore clogging ingredient?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Lovy,
I don’t know if tinosorb is pore clogging or not. On my post about Mexoryl, I wrote that the one sunscreen I used with Mexoryl made my face totally break out, but since I’ve only used that one sunscreen, I haven’t figured out if it was the Mexoryl or something else. I haven’t tried Tinosorb yet. I haven’t read anything about either of these ingredients being pore clogging, but after my horrible experience with Mexoryl, I really don’t know yet.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Alexis,
I would first check out all of your makeup and skin products, and eliminate everything that contains pore-clogging ingredients. I don’t have a lot of experience with makeup that gives a lot of coverage. I know there are mineral makeups out there that don’t contain Bismuth Oxychloride. I don’t know if the coverage is as good as Bare Minerals, but in the comments of this post - http://www.savvyskin.com/can-mineral-makeup-be-bad-for-your-skin people have listed some alternatives to Bare Minerals.
Otherwise, there are liquid foundations that give good coverage, without pore clogging ingredients. Unfortunately I don’t know of any off-hand, but if you check the ingredients, you should be able to find some without bad ingredients. I use Neutrogena Healthy Skin Pressed Powder over foundation, because it is safe for acne.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Thanks for the info.
I’m just curious… How is salt (sodium chloride) comedogenic?
Aren’t they used to sterilize like alcohol?
Also, does that apply to sea salts as well then?
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 am
Michelle,
Yeah it seems really weird that sodium chloride would be comedogenic, but it shows up as a 5 out of 5 on different comedogenic lists. I don’t know if something is done to the ingredient in cosmetics to make it problematic. I just stay away from any face skin care product that lists “sodium chloride” as one of the first 8 or 10 ingredients just to be safe. I don’t know if sea salt would be the same thing or not - that’s a very good question! And when you go to the beach and go swimming, it’s not like it causes breakouts.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Hi, um i got this mask that has algae and plant dna living cells..its not algae extract but would it be comedogenic? I used the mask once but i dont think i got any breakouts from it.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Any advice on safe products, such as cleanser, eye cream, tinted moisturizer for sensitive acne/oily prone skin? I looked at Paula’s choice and one of the 2 cleansers I looked at for my skin type have sodium laureth sulfate as the 2nd ingrediant and the other cleanser has another major inrritant as the 2nd ingrediant. I thought for sure that her products would be safe to avoid cosmetic acne.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I suffer from acne and I always check the ingredients …..here is a list of products that I use and work for me, some of them can have 1 comedogenic ingredient but it will be at least the 9th ingredient
one step gentle cleanser-neutrogena, fresh foaming scrub-neutrogena, ddf aloe vera complex, olay complete (sensitive skin), environmental repair hydrating gel-peter thomas roth, olay daily regenerating serum (I use it as an eye cream) and I do not use tinted moisturizer and personally I have found that foundation powder works best on me, not mineral makeup though it was the worst decision I made when I bought bare minerals it gave me horrible cystic acne, i didn’t know much about ingredients and the mineral veil contains cornstarch!…what I use now is true match concealer from l’oreal it is not the best and I have to mix a couple but no zits so I will keep using it, a creamy concealer gives better coverage but gives you acne so it is a no no for me and for powder foundation I use lorac oil free wet/dry powder with a non latex sponge
to find these products was not easy, it took me quite a while, and it is a headache to check the ingredients all the time but it is the only way to help your skin