Non-Comedogenic Products
Why are there still so few on the market?
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I was in high school when I started to get acne. At this point, I was already a make-up addict, and had an extensive collection of Bare Minerals products. I always thought the brand was meant to be clean and natural, and could not possibly be the cause of my acne. However, when my mom took me to the dermatologist I was told that I would have to stop using the brand products, as they were not non-comedogenic. What the heck is non-comedogenic you may ask? It irks me that to this day, the complicated word is educated on media and social platforms so rarely. It simply means non-clogging. However, there is no standard way that brands measure it, besides being a five point scale.
She gave me a topical prescription, EltaMd sunscreen, only allowed Purpose face wash and CereVe/Cetaphil lotion, told me to lay off of dairy, and said I could only use non-comedogenic make-up. The only two brands on the market at the time were Jane Iredale and a just launched brand called Ilia (at the time). With a heavy heart, I had to clean out all of my Bare Minerals products and invest in a new collection. Luckily, Jane Iredale was carried at a beauty boutique near me and I was able to be matched for their bb cream liquid foundation. I have used the Jane Iredale brand line for 12+ years, until the bb cream foundation formula was recently discontinued this year. I currently use Ilia’s liquid foundation and Jane Iredale’s face powders. Since getting my acne under control in college, I am not so strict on myself in using only non-comedogenic eye, skin, and body products, but I always use a non-comedogenic liquid foundation and face powder no matter what.
I have seen in recent years a surge in “clean beauty”, especially with Gwenyth Paltrow’s GOOP, Kourtney Kardashian’s launch of POOSH, and the clean beauty product badges on Sephora’s website. Even Bare Minerals, who once was the cause of my acne, has launched non-comedogenic products in the past decade. The first phase in the industry was looking for products with no animal testing, then now we are still in the phase of clean beauty. Though these are very important, I think there is still a missing element of educating non-comedogenic products through influencer marketing. A product can be “clean” and still give someone acne, which is very deceiving to the modern day consumer. I have included links below of products and brands that are non-comedogenic. I still think there are not enough on the market today, but hopefully this saves someone a trip to the dermatologist office and helps spark conversation amongst my readers.
Jane Iredale: Cruelty-free, sensitivity tested, dermatologist tested, no synthetic fragrances, non-comedogenic.
Ilia: Cruelty-free, safe for sensitive skin, dermatologist tested, fragrance free, non-comedogenic, vegan.
Ciele: This brand looks just launched! It looks very promising and its products are cruelty-free, vegan, fragrance-free, no talc, no phthalates, no parabens, no sulfates. Double check individual products for non-comedogenic statements, but it seems like most of their skincare products are.
For anyone struggling with bacne, I have also done research on non-comedogenic hair products (which can be a main cause). Unfortunately, the market is much bleaker for hair products. However, there is a brand called SEEN that I have used before. It is the only non-comedogenic hair brand I was able to research that works well with hair, and has good reviews. It is a solid product for when you are serious about improving your skin. Another cause could also be a pH inbalance with your skin. My doctor recommemded Sebamed as a body wash, which works really well. I currently use Drunk Elephant’s body wash, which is also pH balancing. I would start with Sebamed as it is made for very sensitive skin.
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