Acne Magazine

Going back to the days when there were fewer cosmetic choices, and there seemed to be a lot of common “no no” ingredients in the cosmetics we had to use as teens (at least I’m speaking for myself, maybe I’m the oldest one here though:), whereas today there is such a wide range of non-irritating makeup for us acne sufferers to choose from that we can easily choose one that is good for our skin and won’t clog us up so we can keep clear pores, which is one of the keys to avoiding acne postules such as whiteheads and blackheads.

One of the worst ingredients that can be found in foundations and other makeups that might cover the entire face, such as primers for foundation or heavy powders like pressed ones that really grind into the skin’s pores, in my opinion, is mineral oil.  Now don’t get me wrong, mineral oil can be ok when it’s found in trace amounts in makeup today, but mineral oil used to be used as a heavy base for many of the foundations and makeups of yesteryear, and I always found that not only did it feel cakey and heavy going on, but it also caused me to break out.

Not only did it cause the smaller irriation-type bumps of acne, but it also would cause periodic lesions that were more serious and took more time to heal, and of course I couldn’t put two and two together until my dermatologist told me that I had to stay away from makeups that had a lot of mineral oil in them because it was a comedogenic substance that was not good for those with acne, but instead was really an ingredient that was meant for totally clear skin or aging skin.

Mineral oil should not be confused with the light mineral powder makeups of today like Bare Minerals though.  These are in powder form and are much lighter and are supposedly made to be noncomedogenic because they are so light and airy that they do not absorb into the pores and clog them like mineral oil can in it’s liquid form. 

However, there are some readers who have shared with AcneMagazine that they have not had good experiences with mineral powder makeup and in fact have broken out from it, so there may even be some truth to the fact that some of us cannot even use minerals in their powder form.  When reading the labels of your foundations and other makeups that stay on the face all day and inhabit the areas where you typically break out, look for water based makeups, and if mineral oil is in the list of ingredients, it shouldn’t be listed toward the beginning. 

Neutrogena is one product that comes to mind that is noncomedogenic, but there are also several other foundations by L’Oreal and other top names that have lines that  are made for sensitive and acne prone skin that still have good coverage but also keep the pores clear of debris and irritants that lead to breakouts.