Comedogenic is an important word to know when dealing with acne and cosmetic products. Its definition is "tending to produce or aggravate acne". Therefore, a comedogenic ingredient or product is one that will serve to aggravate your acne problems.

For this reason, it is a good idea to read the label of your skin care and cosmetic products before buying them. If you find any comedogenic ingredients, stay away from that product. If you have already purchased a product containing these types of ingredients, throw it out.

Acne Formation

Our skin's sebum is complex, made of 6 or 7 main ingredients, including triglycerides and squalene, a precursor of cholesterol. The triglycerides are degraded on the surface of the skin by microbes to free fatty acids, which cause acne episodes in genetically predisposed families. As we will see, many cosmetics also include these acids. Unfortunately, some cosmetics include esters of fatty acids such as isopropyl mystrate or butyl stearate which are more likely to boost the generation of some acne lesions. These cosmetics can interfere with traditional adult acne treatments.

Before we discuss cosmetic ingredients, we should consider the purpose of sebum. We could assume that sebum is vital to our skin's health. However, there is no evidence to that effect. Apparently, the discharge of sebum is just a vestige whose usefulness has been lost in the path of evolution.

Sebum doesn't avoid wrinkles either. Wrinkling, or aging of the skin, is a reflection of accumulated sun exposure, and no moisturizer in the world is capable of reversing the natural, aging process.

Harmful Ingredients in Acne Treatments

Three main groups of offending ingredients

Lanolins Lanolin is, perhaps, the most common ingredient in cosmetics. Lanolin is simply sheep skin oil taken from wool. The fatty acids in lanolin, just like fatty acids in our own oil, tend to accentuate some acne in the skin of individuals with genetic tendency towards acne. Many lanolin by-products commonly being used in cosmetics are harmful to acne-prone people, i.e., etoxylated lanolins and acetylated lanolins. The partially synthetic lanolins are able to penetrate skin pores even better than natural lanolin. Lanolin oil, itself, is acceptable.

Isopropyl Myristate and its Chemical Cousins

One of the strongest products is a penetrating oil called isopropyl myristate. It is the main component in penetrating rust remover called Liquid Wrench. Isopropyl Myristate helps cosmetics go on more softly and have a slicker feel. This particular penetrating oil is so aggressive that if left over night in a beaker, it will actually move over the top, down the borders and onto the table top. There are several chemicals similar to isopropyl myristate in cosmetics. The most common are: isopropyl palmitate, isostearyl neopentonate, decyl oleate, octyl palmitate, myristyl myristate, putty sterate, isopropyl isothermal, octyl sterate and isocetyl stearate and PPG myristyl propionate. All must be avoided, as must other surfactants such as laureth-4.

Drugs As Acne Treatments

Maybe one the most disturbing recent findings about acne-causing potential is the red tints used in blushes. Some of the red dyes used in drugs and cosmetics are comedogenic. This discovery is not surprising considering they are coal tar by-products. Ever since doctors realized that acne was an occupational illness of chimney sweeps, coal tar has been known for its acne-causing properties. An acceptable substitute for red color is carmine, a dye derived from insect wings and discovered by the Aztecs.

Always be on the look out for these comedogenic components. To keep your skin healthy, remember to read product labels. This simple tip can mean the difference between beautiful and damaged skin.