Why Isn’t My Acne-Safe Skincare Working?
We don’t consider it cheating when clients go to other skincare studios, but it hurts our feelings when they turn to social media, the internet, artificial intelligence, and the endless sea of online pore-clogging ingredient checkers.
We'll let you in on a little secret: even we use pore-clogger checkers sometimes. They can be a helpful starting point – but that's exactly the problem. They're just a starting point. As experts who are familiar with most ingredients already, we sometimes struggle to know for certain whether something is truly acne-safe. So imagine trying to navigate that on your own with Chat GPT, TikTok, and an ingredient checker.
Acne-safe skincare has come a long way, but using products that don't clog pores isn't the same as treating your acne. It takes products that actively treat the pore – and that's where the whole picture matters.
In a perfect world, you'd get a facial every 4-12 weeks and use only Skin MPLS-approved skincare forever. We know that's not always realistic. You might get discounts elsewhere, want to grab something at Target or Sephora, or receive skincare as a gift. We get it. Just remember: the least expensive product is the one that actually works.
How to use acne checkers
Ingredient-checking websites can be useful for flagging potentially pore-clogging products – especially makeup. But we'd caution against leaning on them too heavily, because it's really about the formulation as a whole, not any single ingredient in isolation.
What makes an ingredient pore-clogging?
Back in the 1980s, Dr. Fulton, Vivant Skincare founder, conducted a landmark study rating ingredients on a 0-5 comedogenicity scale – essentially, how likely they are to cause pimples. The catch? No one has replicated that study since, leaving a huge grey area around the many new cosmetic ingredients formulated in the decades since. Most lists you'll find online are based on aestheticians' best judgment, not clinical testing.
We stick close to the original Fulton research and approach everything else with healthy skepticism, evaluating the product as a whole rather than individual ingredients. Take shea butter: applied directly to skin, it can cause breakouts. But properly diluted in a formulation, it may be completely fine. That said, if you're actively dealing with acne, why take the chance? Lines like Vivant Skincare and Face Reality are designed from the ground up to be pore-clogger free.
How to add a new product
One at a time. Adding several products at once – or restarting your whole routine when your Skin MPLS products run out – makes it nearly impossible to know what's working or what's causing a problem. Remember, pimples can take months to form before they ever surface on your skin. Introduce no more than two new products at a time (including makeup), and you'll avoid ending up with a graveyard of products you're afraid to use.
What to choose yourself vs. leave to a professional
There are two categories of products: actives and non-actives. Non-actives – hydrators, moisturizers, masks, SPF – can make your skin look better temporarily without actually treating it. If you want to pick up something nourishing on your own, run it by your aesthetician first or check the label carefully. Some may clog pores beneath the surface.
Actives are a different story. These products work at a molecular level and should be chosen based on your specific skin. When it comes to exfoliants and vitamin A products, stick with what your professional recommended for you. On average, acne-prone skin benefits from a vitamin A product and/or an AHA exfoliant daily (read more on that here), plus a light physical exfoliant a few times a week – but everyone is different.
The bottom line
We want you to feel empowered and confident in your skin. Whether you want to leave it entirely to the professionals or become your own skincare expert, following these guidelines will help you stay clear along the way. Skincare is a skill – and like any skill, it gets better with practice.