Natural Acne Treatments

BEWARE: Reading this article may dramatically change the acne treatments you put on your face…

Your skin is not an impenetrable barrier as what was thought years ago. Dermatologists and Scientists now agree that all chemicals that come in contact with your body can penetrate the skin in varying degrees and enter your blood stream.

This is bad news for misinformed acne sufferers, because…

Many of the ingredients used in acne products are toxic!

In 2004, the Environmental Working Group evaluated the ingredients in 7,500 personal care products for safety. They found that:

  • “One of every 120 products on the market contains ingredients certified by government authorities as known or probable human carcinogens, including shampoos, lotions, make-up foundations, and acne treatments.”
  • “Fifty-five percent of all products assessed contain ‘penetration enhancers,’ ingredients that can increase the product’s penetration through the skin and into the bloodstream.”
  • “Nearly 70 percent of all products contain ingredients that can be contaminated with impurities linked to cancer and other health problems.”
  • And nearly all the products (99.6%) “contain one or more ingredients never assessed for personal health impacts by the CIR.”

The skin care industry is very poorly regulated. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act does not require acne products, or their ingredients, to be approved before they are marketed and sold to customers.

FDA regulation starts after they are already in the marketplace! Manufacturers may use whatever ingredients they choose in the products they produce without approval from the FDA.

Buyer Beware!

The FDA’s attempt at establishing official definitions for specific terms like “natural” and “hypoallergenic” were overturned in court. Consequently, companies can use these terms on cosmetic labels to mean anything they want. Mostly, the value of these terms lies in promoting acne products to the consumer rather than any real medical meaning, according to dermatologists.

Beware of products claiming to be:

  • Natural – suggests that the ingredients are derived from natural sources rather than being produced synthetically. However, there are no industry standards for what natural means. The product may contain all natural ingredients, just a few natural ingredients added to a synthetic product or even no natural ingredients at all.
  • Hypoallergenic – means that the manufacturer believes the product is less likely to cause allergic reactions. But there are no standards for classifying a products hypoallergenic. the manufacturer may actually test the product before classifying it as hypoallergenic,  or simply remove fragrances and call it hypoallergenic. The manufacturer is not required  to prove this claim. Also, the terms “dermatologist-tested,” “sensitivity tested,” “allergy tested,” or “nonirritating” do not guarantee they won’t cause allergic reactions.
  • Alcohol Free – generally means the product does not contain ethyl alcohol (or grain alcohol). The product may contain fatty alcohols like cetyl, cetearyl, stearyl, or lanolin.
  • Fragrance Free – means that the product has no detectable odor. Fragrance ingredients may still be added to mask offensive odors from the materials use to make the product.
  • Noncomedogenic – implies that there are no pore-clogging ingredients that may cause acne in the product. The product can still be shown to cause acne, as long as it is shown not to clog the pores. We know that clogged pores is only one step in the ladder of acne causes.
  • Cruelty Free – suggest that there has been no animal testing of the product. In reality, the majority of ingredients have been tested on animals at some point. A more accurate statement would be “no new animal testing,” if indeed this were the case.
  • Shelf Life (Expiration Date) – gives the length of time a cosmetic product is good if handled and stored properly. Expiration dates are approximate, and in reality, a product may expire long before the expiration date.

Synthetic vs. Natural Acne Products

There are no standard definitions within the acne product industry for natural or synthetic. However, the National Organic Program (NOP) does have definitions that are accepted within the organic food industry.

Since many people are interested in knowing if ingredients in their products are natural or synthetic, the NOP definitions were used to define and classify these ingredients.

Synthetic

“A substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extract from naturally occurring plan, animal, or mineral sources, except that such term shall not apply to substances created by naturally occurring biological processes.”

Nonsynthetic (natural)

“A substance that is reived from mineral, plant, or animal amtter and does not undergo a synthetic process as defined in section 6,502(21) of the Act (7 U.S.C. 6502(21)). For the purposes of this part, nonsynthetic is used as a syonym for natural as the term is used in the Act.”

Choosing Safe & Healthy Products

The products recommended below were chosen because they are the best I found on the market. I personally examined every label of every product in this list to make sure that it only included the safest products out there.

I am in no way affiliated with any of the mentioned companies. This page was created to make it easier to make smart skincare choices.

The products recommended below DO NOT contain:

Amino acids
Ammonium laureth sulfate
Ammonium laurly sulfate
Benzophenones
Benzylhemiformal
BHT or BHA
Carrageenan
Coal tar derivatives
DEA (diethanomlamine)
Diazolidinyl urea
DMDM hydatonin
Fluorides
Formaldehyde
Germall 1 15
Germall II
Homosalate
Hydrolyzed protein
Hydrogenated oils
Imidazolidinyl urea
MEA (monoethanolamine)
4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)
Micronized minerals
Mineral Oil
Nayad
Octyl-dimethyl-PABA
Octyl-methoxycinnamate
Padimate-O
Parabens (butyl-, ehtyl-, methyl-, propyl-)
PEG
Petrolatum
Propylene glycol
Processed proteins
PVP/VA copolymer
Quarernium-15
Quaternium-18
Silicones
Sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate
Sodium laureth sulfate
Sodium lauryl sulgate
Stearalkonium chloride
Synthetic fragrance
Synthetic color, FD&C, D&C, Ext. D&C colors
Tale
TEA (triethanolamine)
Yeast extract

The Official List of Natural Skincare & Acne Products

Blemish Care Preparations

Affusion Skin Care
Tea Tree Essential oil
Tea Tree and Rosemary Essential oil
Aroma Bella
Acne Gel
Botanical Skin Works
Acne Treatment Gel
Burt’s Bees
Herbal Blemish Stick
Miessence
Purifying Blemish Gel
Natures Brands
Herbal Choice Body Care Facial Spot Treatment
Paul Penders
Blemish Away
Terra Naturals
Acne Gel

Facial Masks

Affusion Skin Care
Refreshing Clay Mask
Aroma Bella
Deep Pore Facial Masque
Moisturizing Lemon Grass facial Masque
Stimulating Mint Facial Masque
Dr. Hauschka
Facial Steam Bath
Cleansing Clay Mask
Rejuvenating Mask
Miessence
Mineral Mask (all)
Nature’s Brands
Herbal Choice Body Care Natural Facial Mask
Terra Naturals
Facial Mask
Terressentials
100% Organic Flower Therapy Flower Acid Facial
Masque
The Organic Make-up Company
Dead Sea Mud Mask
The Vital Image
Clay Masque

Moisturizers

Aroma Bella
Ultra Rich Moisturizer
Ultra Light moisturizer
Vitamin A Moisturizer
Plantagen Moisturizer
Plantagen Night Cream
Avonique Oil
Dr. Hauschka
Moisturizing Day Cream
Rose Body Moisturizer
Paul Penders
Hydrating Control Serum
Terra Naturals
Floral Actives Moisturizer
Hydrating Lipids
Floral Face Mist
Terresentials
100% Organic Fragrance-free Moisture Cream
The Vital Image
C-serum + MSM
Lipid Complex

Shaving Creams

Affusion Skin Care
Shaving soap
Botanical Skin Works
Bay Lime Shaving Gel
Bay Lime Beard Conditioning Oil
Bay Lime Soothing After Shave
Silk’N Shea
Gentle After Shave
Simmons Natural Bodycare
Aloe Vera Shaving Soap

Soaps, Scrubs and Skin Cleansers

Affusion Skin Care
Castile Soap with 100% Olive Oil
Lavender and Germanium Liquid Soap
Hand and Body Scrub
Alchemy Soapworks
Castile Soap
Sensitive Skin Soap
Luxury Soap
Aroma Bella
Gentle Emulsion Skin Cleanser
Citrus Gel Skin Cleanser
Candy Mint Facial Scrub
10/15% Exfoliating Facial Scrub
10/15% Fruit Acids Serum
Aubrey Organics
Rosa Mosqueta Moisturizing Cleansing Bar
Evening Primrose & Lavender Skin Care Bar
Honeysuckle Rosa Vegetal Soap
Meal & Herbs Exfolitation Skin Care Bar
A Wild Soap Bar
Handcrafted soaps
Blue Moon Herbals
Bath Brews
Botanical Skin Works
Hand Craft Soaps
Liquid Hand Soap
Herbal Foot Scrub
Herbal Foot Wash
Tropical Salt Scrub
Bay Lime Shower Gel
Bay Lime Body Bar
Burt’s bees
Peppermint Shower Soap
Citrust Spice Exfolitating Shower Soap
Common Sense Farm
Fresh Mint Body Scrub
Sweet Berry Fruit Scrub
CWS
Bar Soaps
Bar Goat Milk Soaps
Aloe & Castile Liquid Soap
Shower Gels
Dr. Hauschka
Lavender Bath
Lemon Bath
Rosemary Bath
Sage Bath
Sprue Bath
Ecco Bella
Big Bar Soaps
Elysian Dream
SuperMild Liquid Soap
Castile Soap Bar
Castile Liquid Soap
Morrocco Method, Int’l
Celtic Sea Salt Lavender Shea Scrub
Celtic Sea Salt Bath Crystals
LAvender Celtic Sea Soap
Rosemary/Lemon Celtic Sea Soap
Natural Health Supply
Olive Oil Liquid Soap
Olive Oil Vegetarian Oval Soap
Natures Brands
Herbal Choice Body Care Handmade Beauty Soap
Herbal Choice Body Care Natural Facial Scrub
Herbal Choice Body Care Natural Facial Wash
Herbal Choice Body Care Natural Body Wash
Herbal Choice Body Care Foot Scrub
Simmons Natural Bodycare
Oatmeal Soap
Mountain mint Soap
Orange Spice Soap
Milk & Honey Soap
Aloe Vera/Kelp Soap
Sweet Almond Oil Soap
Apricot Poppy Soap
Mtn Rose Facial Scrub
Terra Naturals
Daily Facial Cleanser
Tea Tree Shampoo & Body Wash
Terressentials
Flower Therapy Detoxifying Facial Cleanser
Flower Therapy Exfoliating Facial Toner
Real Soap for Hands – Organic Lovin’ Lavender Tea Tree
Real Soap for Hands – Organic Zingin’ Citrus Tea Tree
Real Soap for Hands – Organi Jammin’ Spice Tea Tree
Lavender Garden Body Wash
Cool Mint Body Wash
Left Coast Lemon Body Wash
Sultry Spice Body Wash
Fragrance-Free Gentle Bath Gel
Natural Unscented Glycerine Soaps
The Vital Image
Face and Body wash
Grime Fighter
Waterless Cleaner Toner
Skin Oxygenator
Oily Skin Cleanser
Young Living
Lemon Sandalwood Bar Soap
Melaleuca Geranium Bar Soap
Morning Star Bar Soap
Peppermint Cedarwood Bar Soap
Sacred Mountain Bar Soap
Thieves Bar Soap
Valor Bar Soap
Lavender Rosewood bar Soap
Evening Peace Shower Gel
Morning Start Shower Gel
Sensation Bath & Shower Gel