If you have blemish-prone skin and don’t identify as a teenager, don’t worry, you’re not alone! But stop being so harsh on your skin. There are plant-based, non-toxic ways to repair, reduce and protect against blemishes whilst also balancing out all of your skin, soothing and calming it. We all know there is enough stress in life, we don’t need to be stressing your skin out any further!

Here is your all-round guide on things to avoid in a blemish cream, ingredients to hide from in any skincare if you have blemish-prone skin, but also, what the bloody hell to put on that misbehaving skin to get it to ‘calm it’s farm’! Here's a hint...

3 things to avoid in acne creams

If it’s not plant-based, if it’s toxic to the environment or unsuitable for sensitive skin, should you really be using that acne cream? Pimples are a sign that your skin is already upset with you, so why apply a harsh cream to upset it even more. Even if it does get rid of the blemish for now, it’s not supporting healthy skin and could actually be damaging to your skin.

1. Benzoyl Peroxide: most people know that peroxide can cause mild reactions such as; burning, dryness, itching, peeling, redness, and slight swelling. The FDA are now monitoring cases of severe allergic reactions including tightness of breath, low blood pressure and fainting and have issued a drug safety commission.
2. Glycolic Acid: while it’s considered a safe ingredient, glycolic acid is very harsh, which can stress your skin out more. It works by exfoliating at micro levels and speeding up cell-turnover, but we have much gentler ingredients that can do that instead. So, don’t risk the side effects of a glycolic reaction because the claims that it will lighten scars are just not proven. Side effects can be; redness, tightening, dryness, rough skin texture.
3. Mineral Oil: it’s said to improve the skin barrier function and be a lightweight moisturiser, some even say it exacerbates acne (yet no human trials have confirmed this). While this may sound great, it coats the skin sealing it off to everything, ultimately causing clogged pores, more blemishes and/or blackheads. Also, it’s derived from petroleum, which can be contaminated with carcinogens, and we don’t want to risk that for our skin or yours! An environmental toxicology study found that some petroleum-based products can produce estrogenic effects – we can’t even continue to talk about this one!

5 ingredients to avoid in any skincare if you have blemishes

Okay, if we were to really write a full list of ingredients in skincare to avoid it would be pages long, so we’ve focused just on the most common ones we see in skincare for the blemish-prone.

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): usually found in cleaners, can irritate the skin.
2. Isopropyl Myristate: a penetration enhancer which can lead to clogged pores or bumps
3. Alcohol: sure, it removes oil, but it’s drying your skin out too much when it needs balance. It also can irritate all areas of the skin, meaning it can strip and irritate those areas where you don’t have pimples too.
4. Coconut Oil: while it’s a great product to hydrate the skin and we use different types in our products, pure coconut oil isn’t suitable for some acne-prone skin types. So, we choose to use a small amount of ‘fractioned’ coconut oil instead which is much less comedogenic – it’s basically coconut oil that’s been distilled allowing the long-chain fatty acids to solidify and be removed meaning that it is lighter, remains a liquid at cooler temperatures, is absorbed by the skin better, has a longer shelf life and is less likely to clog your pores).
5. Algae Extract: while it’s said to regulate oil production and is anti-inflammatory, it’s also very clogging for blemish-prone skin. This is another one of those sneaky ingredients that can be hard to identify as it can be listed as carrageenan, laminaria digitata, brown seaweed, or plankton extract.

Add this one product to ban blemishes!

Okay, so what should you use if you’ve got acne-prone skin and want to fight those blemishes?! A Bit Hippy Blemish Banning Moisturiser, of course! Here are the facts…

Soothe & Clear.

Gently clear your blemish-prone skin with oils that won’t clog, but will work to balance and repair;

Grapeseed Oil: a research review of grape seed oil tells us this oil is in good supply of linoleic acid to help strengthen cell membranes and improve skin health. Its antioxidant properties prevent pores from clogging and it will hydrate without leaving residue. Its anti-inflammatory properties prevent the outbreak of acne and help existing acne problems, reducing swelling. Oh, and it’s a by-product from winemaking, waste-not-want-not!

Apricot: a review of several studies on plant oils for topical application across the world suggests that apricot oil reduces inflammation and kills the damaged/unwanted cells while leaving the ones we need for healthy skin.

Starflower: Starflower or borage oil is one of the richest natural sources of Omega 6 fatty acids which are not produced by our bodies but can only be obtained through diet (lucky, it’s in most vegetable oils) or supplements. It has soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, its enzymes regulate water loss, protect the skin from damage and encourage skin regeneration. This is why it is commonly used in treating an array of skin disorders or irritations.

Vitamin E: a common moisturizing ingredient. It’s beneficial for acne-prone skin as it absorbs so quickly into the skin which leads to faster healing of blemishes and scars. We hear some concerns about Vitamin E clogging pores, but there are eight types of Vitamin E and synthetic ones out there too. We use Tocopherol as it’s the most active natural form which our skin likes the most and absorbs it better. It also works to control the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, helping with elasticity and hydration (cause even if you’re oily your skin still needs to stay hydrated!).

Reduce & protect against blemishes.

Quite a few of our ingredients chosen in our blemish cream will work to protect against breakouts in a way, but the star is Allantoin.

Allantoin will help repair the skin but is also an awesome skin protectant that works to reduce the signs of blemishes in a sustained way over time leading to less and less breakouts. It’s extracted from comfrey root and its main goal is to get your skin back to normal as fast as possible!

Calm & Replenish.

Calm your blemish-prone skin with aloe vera and revive it with Japanese knotweed.

Aloe Vera: known for it’s soothing and calming properties is also antibacterial which can help control acne bacteria.

Japanese Knotweed: an anti-inflammatory and the most potent plant source of Resveratrol - a antioxidant which is proven to inhibit the growth of acne production.

Struggling for a routing? Try Ours.

Morning:

1. Cleanse with Anti-Irritation Cleanser
2. Exfoliate with Powder Exfoliant
3. Moisturise with Blemish Cream
4. Treat with Rescue Oil to heal

Optional extra: Use our Face Mist before moisturising to help the key ingredients travel into your skin.

Night:

1. Cleanse with Oil Cleanser
2. Double Cleanse with Anti-Irritation Cleanser
3. Exfoliate with Powder Exfoliant
4. Moisturise with Night Cream
5. Treat with Rescue Oil to heal

Optional extra: Use our Face Mist before moisturising to help the key ingredients travel into your skin.