Best Moisturizer for Acne Prone Skin
If you’re trying to clear up acne prone skin, don’t be tempted to skip the moisturizer.
We all know how frustrating it can be trying to tame acne breakouts on your face. And if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you might even be skipping your moisturizer altogether as an effort to manage breakouts and keep your skin oil-free.
However, drying out your face can actually worsen your acne.
It may sound counterintuitive, but in order to effectively manage oily skin and combat breakouts, you actually need to use a moisturizer.
The key is to use the right kind of moisturizer for your skin.
Why it’s important to use a moisturizer for acne-prone skin
Let’s take a closer look at why you need to moisturize, even if you're struggling with acne.
Acne is caused by excess sebum, clogged pores, inflammation and acne-causing bacteria that builds up in your pores. In order to treat acne, you might be using prescription acne cleansers and other acne-fighting products that deep clean your skin, but leave it feeling dry and tight.
If you’re not moisturizing in an attempt to reduce the amount of oil on your skin, your dry skin will try to balance things out by producing even more sebum in response, which can lead to excess oil and more breakouts. Not to mention, drying out your skin can cause more irritation and inflammation as well. All together, this creates a never ending cycle.
A moisturizer is designed to help protect your skin’s natural barrier and balance oil in your skin. Your skin's barrier, aka the lipid barrier, is what keeps good things like water and moisture inside your skin, and bad things like bacteria and dirt out. When your skin barrier has been compromised from harsh products, over-cleansing, or over-exfoliating, it can leave your skin vulnerable to dry patches, bacterial infections, and acne breakouts.
That’s why it’s so important to use moisturizer daily. When your skin is moisturized and your skin barrier is protected, it will lead to healthier skin and, ultimately, clearer skin.
However, not all moisturizers are meant for acne-prone skin. In order to treat your acne without worsening your breakouts, you need to use products that are hydrating and non-comedogenic, which means it doesn't contain ingredients that clog your pores.
Below, we’ll learn about some of the best moisturizing ingredients for acne-prone skin that protect your natural skin barrier without causing breakouts.
Mānuka Honey For Acne-Prone Skin
Mānuka honey has been called a holy grail skincare product thanks to its powerful ability to combat the acne-causing bacteria that lives on your skin while boosting hydration and reducing irritation.
If you have acne prone skin or if your current acne treatment is drying out your face, you’ll definitely want to add mānuka honey to your skincare lineup.
Mānuka honey is produced from the nectar gathered from the mānuka tree that grows in New Zealand. What makes mānuka honey so impressive is the presence and concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and methylglyoxal (MGO). These compounds give mānuka honey its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Authentic mānuka honey will have a MGO or UMF rating listed on the front label. The higher the rating, the more concentrated the bioactive compounds in the honey. Mānuka honey with a high MGO rating (500+) has strong antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
So in order to experience the benefits of mānuka honey for acne-prone skin and ensure that you’re getting the highest quality of mānuka honey, you’ll want to look for the MGO or UMF grade. The UMF rating system is another way to measure the potency of mānuka honey, and includes the concentrations of Leptosperin and Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) as well as MGO. So make sure your mānuka honey has an MGO number of 500 or higher, or a UMF of 15+.
Some of the benefits of mānuka honey for acne-prone skin include:
- Antibacterial properties. Mānuka honey can rid your skin of acne-causing bacteria without the drying effects of traditional acne-fighting products.
- Improves skin texture and complexion. Mānuka honey was originally used for wound care and that’s no surprise with its nutrients, vitamins, and antimicrobial properties These amazing benefits are what make mānuka honey so special in the treatment of acne-prone skin. Not only has it been known to improve uneven skin tone, but mānuka honey is particularly helpful if you’re hoping to treat post acne scars and marks.
- Gentle enough for sensitive skin. Mānuka honey has anti-inflammatory properties, making it gentle enough to use for sensitive skin types. So if your current acne treatment is drying out your skin, you’ll love the soothing relief that mānuka honey provides.
Hemp Seed Oil For Acne-Prone skin
Another game changing ingredient for acne-prone skin? Hemp seed oil. Now, if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you might be wondering: is it okay to add more oil to my face?
But don’t worry, hemp seed oil is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your pores. In fact, hemp seed oil has been shown to regulate your skin’s oil production, which means it can help manage oily skin and keep breakouts at bay. Hemp seed oil contains the perfect ratio of essential fatty acids, which are the building blocks of your skin's lipid barrier. Replenishing these fatty acids strengthens compromised barriers and signals to your skin that it does not need to produce as much sebum in response. Hemp seed oil is light weight, fast absorbing, and doesn't leave a greasy feeling on your skin.
Hemp seed oil has also been shown to:
- Replenish and strengthen your lipid barrier
- Calm inflammation and stressed skin
- Reduce the appearance of redness
So if you’re looking to clear and soothe your acne-prone skin, you’ll definitely want to use a skincare product with hemp seed oil in it's ingredient list.
Best Moisturizer For Acne-Prone Skin
For people with acne-prone skin, it’s recommended that you moisturize twice a day so that you can support your skin barrier and keep acne-causing bacteria at bay.
Below are the best moisturizers for acne-prone skin that you can use in your morning and/or evening skincare routine. If you have sensitive skin, you may want to consult with your dermatologist or do a patch test before using a new skincare product.
Deep Hydration Face Cream. We love our Deep Hydration Face Cream for its ability to replenish your skin with much-needed moisture without feeling heavy. Thanks to ingredients like mānuka honey, hemp seed oil it’s a great moisturizer for acne-prone skin. It also contains niacinamide (Vitamin B3) which helps reduce large pores and diminish dark spots, and sea kelp bioferment for oil-free moisturization.
And the best part? The Deep Hydration Face Cream soothes current breakouts while helping to erase the marks and scars left behind by past breakouts.
Renewing Night Elixir. When you want to improve your skin while you sleep, reach for our Renewing Night Elixir. It has mānuka oil and anti-inflammatory plant derived oils which combat acne-causing bacteria while also soothing irritated and inflamed skin. It’s lightweight and fast absorbing, won't clog your pores, and strengthens your lipid barrier as you sleep.
