Products to Avoid for Acne Prone Skin

Alright, I think it’s time we get a little personal here. It’s no secret, I am a beauty/skincare junkie. Yup, I have VIB Rouge status at Sephora, I’ve subscribed to several Korean beauty/ skincare websites. . . I love to try new things all in an attempt to have the ever elusive “perfect skin”. Or, in my case, a clear and even skin tone.

As a result, I have spent hours, that probably equate to days, researching and perusing YouTube channel after YouTube channel, reading blog after blog in the hopes for some holy grail products.

My search for great skin has lead me to try products that contain snail mucin and donkey milk. Masks that bubble and foam and there isn’t a charcoal product that I haven’t tried. Sleeping masks, rubber masks, sheet masks, clay masks, peel masks, you name it – I’ve put it to the test.

I like to think I am pretty smart about these things, I will incorporate a new product once a month, just to see if there are any adverse reactions. I should note, that I have acneic skin. I am prone to cystic acne, I also have oily/combo skin. AKA, I won the skin jackpot!

Knowing that coconut oil is comedogenic, meaning it will clog your pores, aka the WORST thing for my skin type, I would never willingly apply it to my face. I was, however, nieve as to just how loose the rules are when listing ingredients.  I didn’t think twice when the ingredients listed it as “coconut extract” or in some circumstances: Cocos Nucifera Fruit Extract (WTF).

These are the products that I wanted to love, that I wanted to work, but wrecked havoc on my skin instead. Why? One common ingredient: coconut oil.

Here is the frustrating part, these products are AMAZING. They work so well, but just not with my skin. So, if you don’t have acneic skin and aren’t sensitive to coconut oil (or other comedogenic ingredients) – then I highly recommend these two. If you’re like me, then I am afraid you will just have to pass on these two products:

Heimish All Clean Balm – I loved this! Click here to read about my experience with it.

Sum:73 Rose Cleanser – This stick cleanser is gorgeous. It has a low PH, is made with fermented damask rose, creates a satisfying lather and smells amazing! Did I mention that there are actual rose petals in this? Yep, there are. This is a swoon-worthy cleanser that I was sad to say goodbye to.

*** After the number that these two products did on my skin, I looked into cleansing balms and found that most contain coconut oil. (insert facepalm) Hello, captain obvious, can’t believe I didn’t put the two together. That is the ingredient that gives it the “balm to oil” texture . I have since returned to using cleansing oils. . . more on that later ***