Ance is no joke and can be a constant stressor in people’s lives espeifally young adults. No matter what they might try, they feel hopeless with their skin condition. Sometimes acne can boil down to things you can control in the most pleasant of cases, which can include entirely what you place on your skin.
Active ingredients are a natural and safe way to treat skin conditions, and this might just be one small part of the healing journery but it is imperative to know how to make these adjustments to your routine to help soothe active acne and prevent additional breakouts.
What Are Active Ingredients
Active ingredients can be described as a specific component in medicine, skincare or pesticides responsible for their intended physiological, therapeutic or chemical effect. Therefore, it’s beyond skincare but can be ingested safely.
There are hundreds of thousands of key ingredients that all target something different or a combination of things. For example, there are different key ingredients that are more beneficial for pregnant women and those who are generally trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Active Ingredients Good For Acne
- Salicylic Acid (BHA): The “pore vacuumer.” Because it’s oil-soluble, it dives deep into the follicle to dissolve the “glue” holding dead skin cells together.
Best for: Blackheads, whiteheads, and oily skin.
- Benzoyl Peroxide: The “bacteria killer.” It introduces oxygen into the pores, which kills C. acnes bacteria that can’t survive in oxygen-rich environments.
Best for: Inflammatory acne (red, painful bumps and pustules).
- Adapalene (Retinoid): The “cell regulator.” It speeds up cell turnover so that skin cells don’t get a chance to clog the pore in the first place.
Best for: Long-term prevention and improving skin texture/scars.
- Azelaic Acid: A multitasking hero that is finally getting its due. It is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and helps fade the dark spots (PIH) left behind after a pimple heals. It’s gentle enough for rosacea and pregnancy.
- Niacinamide: While not a direct “acne killer,” it regulates sebum (oil) production and calms the redness associated with active breakouts.
- Hypochlorous Acid: Often found in facial mists, this is a naturally occurring molecule in our white blood cells. It’s incredibly effective at “purifying” the skin and killing bacteria on the go without any stinging.
- PHA (Polyhydroxy Acids): The “cousin” to AHA/BHA. It exfoliates only the very surface of the skin, making it a great alternative for those who find Salicylic Acid too harsh.
Where To Find These Ingredients
While skincare has become a major market over the past few years, it’s hard to trust that these products are labelled as ‘niacinamide’ rich, that they also have a list of other skin-friendly ingredients that work and the active ingredients work together.
The best solution is not only researching into medical-grade skincare brands but install apps that do all of this work for you. There are apps available that scan barcodes and hold information on hundreds of thousands of products, and will give them a score in effectiveness, but they are also useful in explaining the good and bad products clearly.
Be Mindful
Active ingredients don’t just start and end at skincare, but be mindful of what you eat and the makeup products you use. You could be investing thousands into your skincare, but all that money can be put to waste if you are putting incompatible makeup ingredients on top and eating processed and greasy foods.
Do your research on makeup brands such as REFY beauty that are really forward thinking with incorporating active ingredients such as hylornica acid into their products and prioritising whole foods alongside good skincare.