"Acne flares occur for a variety of reasons, including what you put on your face as well as what is going on inside your body," said Joshua Zeichner, MD, of Zeichner Dermatology. "Skincare products that contain heavy oils, including some that may be found in organic skincare products, may promote breakouts. Just because the product is labeled as 'organic' does not mean that it won't cause pimples."
As it turns out, there's no one-size-fits-all skincare routine, even when it comes to organic products.
"Just as not all skin types are alike, not all 'natural' ingredients are beneficial for the skin or interact with your skin the same way," said Patricia Ceballos, MD, from Schweiger Dermatology Group. "There are natural ingredients in modern-day products which can cause new acne breakouts or exacerbate acne-prone skin."
Ceballos named three ingredients that have been known to cause "unsolicited" acne:
- Coconut oil, which can clog pores.
- Willow bark extract, commonly included in products as an exfoliating agent.
- Clay (including benonite clay), an ingredient that works to unmask clogged pores.
None of these appear on the list of key ingredients in the products I used, so the mystery thickened.
Image Source: POPSUGAR / Diggy Lloyd