So if you can’t trust the terms “oil-free,” “non-comedogenic,” or “nonacnegenic,” how do you know if a product will cause problems? Why does it seem so impossible to find products that won’t cause breakouts? The simple answer is that it’s because most ingredients used in cosmetics can cause breakouts, depending on your skin type.
There is evidence that some specific ingredients can trigger breakouts, but there are no absolutes. I wish there were, but there aren’t. Several Web sites that showcase lists of comedogenic ingredients have caused quite a stir for many women. The major source of information for these data appears to be Dr. Fulton’s Step by Step Program for Clearing
Acne, published in 1983 by Harper & Row (though credit is not given on any Web site, it is the exact same information presented in the book). At the time—and 1983 is a long time ago—Fulton’s research on the causes of breakouts was unprecedented. Fulton applied cosmetic ingredients to rabbits’ ears and waited to see what happened. As promising as this research was, it has never been repeated, and is rarely cited in later research, except when it suits a company’s marketing agenda. There are many reasons why lists of this kind are unreliable. (Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, March 2006, pages 507-512.)
First, the methodology involved pure concentrations of the ingredient, not the concentrations that are used in actual cosmetic formulations, which are usually only a fractional percentage. It also didn’t address the issues of usage and application. For example, the exposure risks of specific ingredients are very different for a cleanser, which is left on the skin for a few seconds, and a lotion or liquid that is left on the skin for hours. Beyond this, the research didn’t look at the host of plant extracts or sunscreens in cosmetics that were introduced during the early ’80s. To call this list out of date and inconclusive would be an understatement! (Source: Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2007, volume 26, issue 4, pages 287-292.)
Another point is that lists of this kind can’t account for the thousands and thousands of cosmetic ingredients being used in skin-care and makeup products today! A lot of them are emollients, waxy thickening agents, or irritants that can cause skin problems. Whether they do or not, however, is completely dependent on the amount used and the nature of the individual ingredient (some ingredients cause problems in far smaller amounts than other ingredients, while others cause problems in various combinations). A comprehensive list would not only be impossible, it would also be nothing more than guesswork.
There are no easy answers for this one, but you can understand that trying to research, categorize, classify, and make absolute conclusions about thousands of ingredients with an infinite number of possible combinations is just not humanly possible. So, what’s a woman to do when trying to fend off blemishes and still use skin-care and makeup products? The easiest and most reliable quality for a consumer to consider is the consistency of the product. The thicker the product, meaning those with a high, thick, or creamy viscosity, the more likely it is to cause problems. That means you can feel safer with a gel or serum, since these have a low or watery viscosity.
What about greasiness? It is safe to assume that a product with any plant or mineral oils on the ingredient list, especially if they are listed high up on the ingredient list, can make the skin feel greasy. Greasiness doesn’t necessarily trigger breakouts, but it definitely doesn’t help skin exfoliate and it won’t feel great on oily or combination skin.
Finally, it makes more sense to watch out for irritating ingredients than so-called poreclogging ingredients. It doesn’t take much alcohol, menthol, peppermint, balm mint, eucalyptus, camphor, lemon, grapefruit, or lime to cause a negative skin reaction that can impede the skin’s healing process by stimulating bacteria production—and that won’t help heal blemishes.