5 Skincare ingredients to avoid when you're addressing acne

Acne is one of those skincare concerns that affects people from all walks of life. Cameron Diaz, Lady Zamar, Chrissy Teigen and even local export Nkhane have all battled with uncontrollable breakouts, and this particular skin issue certainly doesn’t spare those of us on the other side of the red carpet either. 

If, like many of us, you’ve tried to address the situation at home, you may be at the point where you feel like you’ve tried every single facial cleanser, moisturiser and mask on the market, to no avail. Here’s the thing though – many of those products could have contributed to the issue without you knowing.  

Jeanine Giot, owner and skincare therapist at Jentl Health & Skin Care in Cape Town, is here to share which skincare ingredients should be avoided when addressing acne concerns. 

Lanolin

“Lanolin is an ingredient in many facial wipes. It is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals and known to be highly comedogenic (i.e. it tends to cause blackheads by blocking the pores of the skin),” explains Jeanine. “It is added to the formulation of facial wipes because it has excellent moisturising properties, but it will almost definitely worsen the condition of an acne-prone skin that suffers from inflammation.”

Sodium laureth sulfate

“There are many facial cleansers on the market that contain sodium laureth sulfate. I am not a fan of this ingredient because it can really damage the natural barrier of the skin. Instead, I recommend that people with skin concerns look out for cleansers that contain root extracts or products that are soap-free,” says Jeanine. 

Coconut oil

“Coconut oil is one of the big 'it' ingredients at the moment. We use it for everything from cooking to hair masks. However, if you have problematic skin it is best to steer clear of using it anywhere near your face – it's very thick in consistency, and also known to be comedogenic,” recommends Jeanine.  

Denatured alcohol

“Alcohol is used in a lot of toners and exfoliators, so keep an eye out! It dehydrates the skin and your dermis can not produce water, but it can produce oil, so if you dehydrate your skin it will try to 'fix' the problem by overproducing oil,” cautions Jeanine. 

Exfoliating beads

“Scrubs and exfoliation products that contain exfoliation beads, or even a natural product like apricot kernels, can harm an acne-prone skin quite a bit,” says Jeanine. “Those beads and kernels have jagged edges that cut into the skin microscopically and spread any existing infection.”

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