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Post in Acne-Prone Skin
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Face wash ingredients

Hey so I have a lot of questions. I am a oily skin type with acne almost everywhere. First off I went to sephora many times and each time everyone gives me a different piece of advice or product recommendations. I am currently using the Kate Summerville acne wash with the Peter pads for acne. I have not seen results but then again I have only used it for two days. How long should I wait till I see results. On the other hand I was recomended tge boscia charcoal wash and a oil balance toner that comes in a green bottle. None of the two had acne medicine in them but i saw some results. Overall idk if I should opt for a acne treatment with heavy acids or something that doesn't. Overall I just feel as though I do not know which way to go with my skin. I would really appreciate some advice on what to use how often to use it. All I want is no acneee!!! Also is there a website where I can check ingredients of face products? Thank youuu!

Re: Face wash ingredients

@azanm I know you've already gotten lots of responses, but wanted to weigh in with my experience as well.  I am oily and acne-prone.  Not severe acne, no cystic pimples and maybe 3 or 4 at a time on my face at once.  I tried the Ole Henriksen Balance products which are for oil control and they made me break out terribly.  I had heard a lot of good things about Paula's Choice, so I gave their acne line a try.  It's the CLEAR system with comes with a cleanser, exfoliant (BHA) and benzoyl peroxide lotion.  It cleared up my pimples in 3 days and I've had much fewer since I started.  I have heard this can be drying but it hasn't been for me.  I think it cleared up my face more quickly than it has for other people.  It's $48 for the full set on the Paula's Choice website.  There's a travel size there and on Amazon for $13.  The travel size lasted about 2 weeks.

 

I cannot recommend this highly enough.

 

https://www.paulaschoiceDOTcom/skin-concerns/acne

Re: Face wash ingredients

@azanm I also rec the Ingredient Dictionary that Paula's Choice has.  Another BICer recently posted a rec for COSDNA; I haven't tried it, but it sounds promising.

 

I also really like to read reviews of skincare products on beautypedia.

 

Since you've been getting conflicting information and are getting frustrated trying various products, you may wish to speak with a derm.  Good luck!  🙂

Re: Face wash ingredients

@azanm As a couple others have mentioned- you really need to be careful of coconut/comedogenic products (lists are relatively easy to google) and not over drying your skin.

 

 

I personally like charcoal masks every now and then to help suck up/out any excess oil and dirt but I wouldn't use a charcoal wash everyday because it would be way too drying for me. My favorite masks are Caudalie Pore Minimizing Instant Detox Mask 2.5 oz/ 75 mLand BIOSSANCE - Squalane + Tea Tree Detox Mask. I think the biossance one is better all-around since it also isn't over-drying and provides some exfoliation, but the detox is a more "true" mud mask. I would say it performs similarly to the origins recommendation below.

 

Trial and error is an unfortunate journey for all of us, but I have generally found exfoliating acids and retinol work best for my acne problems. I use the Exfolikate cleanser daily and the drunk elephant A-passioni retinol once or twice a week. The Ordinary has a retinoid emulsion that's a much cheaper intro to retinols if you're interested.

 

 

I'm allergic to some of the sulfur components in the eradicate line, though they did work for me. I would say you'll start to see improvement in breakout number/frequency/size in a week but I only used it for two weeks before it was clear my skin was not reacting well so I can't say how well it will work overall.

RE: Face wash ingredients

I have very oily skin and get acne absolutely everywhere. What’s really helped me is the ordinary blemish product and their glycolic acid and lactic acid. As far as cleansers go I’ve seen people have luck with Charcoal but I don’t personally like it. I like any balancing cleanser. Salicylic acid for spot treatments. Hope this helps!

Face wash ingredients

As far as product's ingredients checker try checking out It breaks the ingredients down by what they do and if they're irritating, comedogenic, something to avoid, etc. I also reiterate staying away from products with denatured alcohol (alcohol denat.) I have extremely oily skin with large pores and bad acne. I find using a mild cleanser 1-2 times a day is best. I have found that medicated cleansers are too harsh and irritating in my skin so I try to avoid them. It's really going to be trial and error as everyone's skin is different and reacts differently. As far as seeing results, I would say 2-3weeks is pretty average for me. For my PM routine I do a mild cleanser like CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser or Paula's Choice Oil-Reducing Cleanser followed by a few facial oils/serums like Rosehip oil for my acne scarring, Niacinamide with Zinc for large pores, and 2-3 times a week with a chemical exfoliant with salicylic acid (BHA) and AHAs such as Glycolic Acid and Lactic Acid. Us oily skin people can get a build up of dead skin from the oil on our skin that causes everything to stick together and clog pores. The acids break down and "eat" through the dead skin to help clear pores. After that, I put on any topical acne treatment I might have (such as differin gel) and then a moisturizer

Re: Face wash ingredients

@azanm Hey! I totally get it - it’s so hard to figure out what to do with skin, and admittedly, a lot of it trial and error. I have combo-oily skin and recently have been suffering from some issues with acne and closed comedones. I find for my skin personally, I do best with a milder cleanser (no acne medication). If you do too much, your skin may actually be stripped of all its oils and produce more, which can cause even more acne! I would also highly suggest avoiding anything that contains “alcohol denat” as an ingredient, as that will totally strip your skin. After a more mild cleanser, you can try a toner for oil control, and then a treatment that has an active ingredient, like salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide (this is quite drying, so you may have to adjust your moisturizer accordingly).

 

of course I don’t know enough about tour skin to give you a fool proof routine, but some product recommendations I have are OLEHENRIKSEN Balancing Force™ Oil Control Toner 6.5 oz/ 193 mL

First Aid Beauty Deep Cleanser with Red Clay 4.7 oz/ 134 g

CAUDALIE - Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Serum

CAUDALIE - Vinopure Natural Salicylic Acid Pore Minimizing Toner

ORIGINS - Clear Improvement® Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores

 

you May also benefit (I certainly did!) from makeup that can help your skincare goals! I use the COVER FX - Mattifying Primer With Anti-Acne Treatmentit helps control my oil throughout the day, and does have some salicylic acid in it, which can help spot treat.

Thank you so much @cianni. I appreciate all your help and...

Thank you so much @cianni. I appreciate all your help and will try your recommendations. Currently I use a lot of acne medicated items and they seem to work but it's very slow progress.

Face wash ingredients

If you're using Eradikate face wash, I would watch your skin carefully. There are coconut-derived ingredients in there and coconut tends to be problematic for acne-prone skin (I get the worse breakouts from coconut). My favorite evening face wash is the Glycolic Foaming Cleanser from Mario Badescu and for mornings, I use the Acne Facial Cleanser also by MB. I've used this combo for 10 years now (I'll be 24 in 2 months) and my skin cleared up and stayed clear, except for one or two pimples during my period. You shouldn't use acids in higher concentrations daily, but I do it anyway. I just make sure to use a good hydrating and mosituring cream/lotion after. During winter, I use Facial Wash by PCA since using glycolic nightly is too drying. Depending on how bad your acne is, you're going to want to use either salicylic acid (BHA), benzoyl peroxide, and/or glycolic acid, or other AHAs, occasionally. Salicylic is better if you have zero to mild acne. Benzoyl peroxide for mild to moderate. Moderate to severe, see a dermatologist. Glycolic acid and other AHAs are good for exfoliating 2-3x a week. BHAs are better for daytime and benzoyl peroxide and AHAs should be used at night. Benzoyl peroxide and AHAs are stronger and encourage sun damage when used in the day. All acne products are "aggressive" which is why it's important to wear sunscreen, even if it's cloudy. Paula's Choice has an "Ingredient Dictionary" but always look to other sources since her website tends to show bias and product pushing. I like SkinSafe Products' website because I can look up cosmetics and skincare and it quickly breaks down to me what products are free of (like coconut). Look up comedogenic ratings tables too so you have have an idea of which ingredients have higher rates of clogging pores and causing acne.

RE: Face wash ingredients

Good to know! Very helpful. Thanks so much!
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