1 What are comedogenic products?
Comedogenic products are products that can cause acne and other imperfections.
2 How to explain this comedogenic effect?
Some cosmetics prevent the evacuation of sebum (secretion of the sebaceous glands). sebum has problems evacuating, remains trapped, and accumulates in the skin pores, which promotes the appearance of acne.
3 How to know if the cosmetics are comedogenic?
Some brands add the term "non-comedogenic" to their packaging.
The term "non-comedogenic", is not 100% reliable.
Indeed, this designation is unregulated and does not depend on defined, precise, and measurable criteria. There are no official controls that check whether the product is "non-comedogenic".
Unlike organic cosmetics that are regulated by serious labels (read our article on organic labels), there is no label that controls whether a cosmetic is non-comedogenic. The brands can add the term non-comedogenic without performing any tests.
This "non-comedogenic" claim is an indication to consider with ATTENTION!
4 What should we do?
If you're lucky enough to have flawless acne-free skin, there's no need to worry.
If you have acne problems, it may be due to a hormonal problem or the use of products that are not suitable for your skin.
In either case, you will need to read your cosmetics labels and look for the presence of highly comedogenic ingredients.
There is a list of cosmetic ingredients on this blog. Each ingredient has a comedogenic potential, ranging from 0 to 5.
- 5 characterizes the most powerful comedogenic ingredients, those the most likely to cause acne.
- 0 characterizes the least powerful comedogenic ingredients, which cause the least acne.
It is not possible to have cosmetics with all the ingredients comedogenic potential= 0. But it is better to avoid using cosmetics with a lot of ingredients whose comedogenic potential= 4 or 5.
It is also important to know that the ingredients mentioned at the beginning of the list mean that the product contains large quantities.
The ingredients mentioned at the end of the list mean that the product contains very little.
- If you see ingredients with comedogenic potential= 4 or 5, at the top of the list, be careful the product is not good for your skin.
- If you see ingredients with comedogenic potential= 4 or 5, at the end of the list, it's not a problem for your skin.
So if you have acne and pimples, you already know that you have to find out the cause.
The first step to having perfect skin: You have to stop the comedogenic products that you apply to your face.