Makeup & Acne: Truth and Myths

Truth: If you are an acne sufferer, wearing makeup is one of the worst things you can do. The vast majority of compact foundation and liquid make-up are not good choices.

Myth: Popular make-up brands that promise to hide blemishes work. This is so false! All it does is add to the problem. Applying make-up containing pore-clogging ingredients (which exists in almost all major make-up brands) only aggravates acne by clogging the pore again!

Truth: If you’re going to wear make-up anyways, stick to water-based or glycerin-based products.

Myth: Once you find a make-up product that works, it will always work! Unfortunately, make-up manufacturers are always changing the ingredients in their products. Ask your acne specialist for a list of pore-clogging ingredients, and before you purchase that same old product, double check the label to make sure nothing has changed.

Truth: Loose mineral powders are your best option for coverage. They help eliminate oily shine, and if you purchase a high quality mineral make-up, they have anti-inflammatory properties which helps with redness of acne. Loose mineral powders also provide great coverage. There are a lot of videos on the internet on how to build coverage with loose minerals.

Myth: Eye make-up is not usually a problem for acne sufferers.

Some Other Tips:

Most blushes are filled with pore cloggers.

Eye make-up is not usually a problem for acne sufferers but be aware of make-up removers and skin wipes. The majority of skin wipes on the market contain pore clogging ingredients.

Lip products can cause problems for acne sufferers. They usually contain many comedogenic (pore clogging) ingredients. The problem with lip products is that they travel from the lip area. The wax in lip products is not the problem, it is the oils. Make sure the oils in your lip products are something simple like castor oil, mineral oil or petrolatum rather than isopropyl myristate. A good choice is petroleum jelly or Aquaphor.