4. PREVENT ACNE: PORE CLOGGERS

Stop the triggers, stop the acne. By learning how certain pore cloggers can catalyze this skin disorder, you too can put pimples in their place.

An acne-friendly top shelf. 
When buying makeup and skincare products, it’s a good idea to make sure they don’t contain hidden pore cloggers. Our Skindex is a catalog that identifies common ingredients with a high potential to clog or irritate pores (like shea butter, coconut oil and ethylhexyl palmitate). Using the Skindex, check if your products contain ingredients that may trigger acne. Sure, it takes a minute. But, it’s well worth the effort and could prevent future acne and the scarring that lingers.

You might find the answers above your hairline. 
Makeup and skincare are obvious places to look for and avoid pore-clogging ingredients. What might be less obvious is your haircare – especially if you tend to breakout near your hairline and on your forehead and back. Think about the products you use for body care if you have acne below the neck. 

Pore-cloggers can live in the laundry, too. 
Another less obvious but important category to be aware of is laundry products. If your pillowcase or towels are washed with detergent that has potentially pore-clogging ingredients, contact with your face may break you out. So make sure to check your laundry detergent’s ingredients. We also recommend skipping dryer sheets, as they tend to leave a waxy residue on the laundry which could be irritating to your pores. Try dryer wool balls instead.

Fact: Not every pore clogger clogs every pore. 
What clogs your friend’s pores might steer clear of yours. And what triggers your acne might be perfectly fine for someone else. You see, pore cloggers are nuanced things. Also, the way a product is formulated matters even more so than the individual ingredients. That said, when dealing with temperamental, acne-prone skin, we find it best to avoid potentially pore clogging ingredients all together (at least in the beginning until you break the acne cycle). 

Consider an elimination diet for your beauty cabinet. 
Once your skin is in the clear, you can test the ingredients and products one at a time. Give them at least two months to see if they’re indeed not a trigger for you. It goes without saying that all Cool as a Cucumber products are formulated to be acne-friendly, and tested on consenting acne prone humans. 

PS: Non-comedogenic claim isn’t reliable. 
The “non-comedogenic” claim on some products doesn’t necessarily mean “acne-friendly.” Brands can use this term liberally because non-comedogenic is not an FDA-regulated term. In addition, comedogenicity testing is unreliable as most tests are conducted on non-acne prone people. And not even on their face, most of the time on their backs. No need to spell it out, but a non-acne prone and acne-prone skins will act differently around a pore clogger.