Cosmetic Acne: How to keep your skin spot-free

There's nothing worse than a breakout when you're over 30. According to medical research twenty-five percent of men and fifty percent of women are affected by adult acne. Causes of adult acne vary. One out of three adult women and one out of five adult men have Adult Cosmetic Acne, the acne caused by or aggravated by cosmetics.  To avoid or reduce the problem, use products that are free from parabens/mineral oil. Besides being carcinogenic, mineral oil and parabens are comedogenic meaning they clog pores, which leads to infection and breakouts. 

Other common comedogenic ingredients are: 

Ranking:
High	Acetylated Lanolin
High	Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
High	Algae Extract
High	Algin
Medium	Almond Oil
Medium	Apricot Kernel Oil
Medium	Arachidic Acid
Medium	Ascorbyl Palmitate
Medium	Avocado Oil
Medium	Azulene
Medium	Behenic acid
Medium	Benzaldehyde
Medium	Benzoic Acid
Medium	BHA
High	Bismuth oxychloride may cause cystic acne
High	Butyl Stearate
Medium	Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Medium	Cajeput Oil
Medium	Camphor
Medium	Capric Acid
Medium	Caprylic acid
High	Carrageenans
Medium	Cetearyl Alcohol
High	Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20
Medium	Cetyl Alcohol
Medium	Chamomile
High	Coal tar
High	Cocoa Butter
High	Coconut Butter
High	Coconut Oil
High	Colloidal Sulfur
High	Corn Oil
High	Cotton Aws Oil
High	Cotton Seed Oil
High	Crisco
High	D & C Red # 17
Medium	D & C Red # 19
High	D & C Red # 21
High	D & C Red # 3
High	D & C Red # 30
High	D & C Red # 36
Medium	D & C Red #27
Medium	D & C Red #40
High	Decyl Oleate
High	Dioctyl Succinate
High	Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2-Sulfosuccinate
High	Ethoxylated Lanolin
High	Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Medium	Evening Primrose Oil
High	Glyceryl Stearate SE -MUST have SE after the stearate
High	Glyceryl-3-Disostearate-(MUST have a "3" with it)
Medium	Grape Seed Oil (extract is OK)
High	Hexadecyl Alcohol
Medium	Hexylene Glycol
High	Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
High	Isocetyl Stearate
High	Isodecyl Oleate
High	isoproply linoleate
High	Isopropyl Isosterate
High	Isopropyl lanolate
High	Isopropyl Myristate
High	Isopropyl Palmitate
High	isostearic acid
High	isostearyl acid
High	Isostearyl Isostearate
High	Isostearyl Neopentanoate
High	lanolic acid
High	Laureth 23
High	Laureth 4
High	Lauric Acid
High	Linseed oil
High	Mink Oil
High	Myreth 3 myrstate
High	Myristic Acid
High	Myristyl Lactate
High	Myristyl Myristate
High	Octyl Palmitate
High	Octyl Stearate
Medium	Octyldodecanol
High	Oleic Acid
Medium	Oleth-10
High	Oleth-3
High	Oleyl Alcohol
Medium	Olive Oil (but Olive Oil Extract is OK)
Medium	Palmitic Acid
Medium	Peach Kernel Oil
Medium	Peanut Oil
Medium	PEG 100 Distearate
Medium	PEG 150 Distearate
High	PEG 16 Lanolin
High	PEG 200 Dilaurate
Medium	Peg 75 lanolin
High	PEG 8 Stearate
Medium	Pentarythrital Tetra Isostearate
Medium	PG Dipelargonate
Medium	PG Dipelargonate
High	PG Monostearate
High	Polyglyceryl-3-Disostearate (the "3" must be present)
High	Potassium Chloride
High	PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate
High	Propylene Glycol Monostearate
High	Red Algae
Medium	Sandalwood Seed Oil
Medium	Sesame Oil
High	Shark Liver Oil
High	Salt - Table Salt or Sodium Chloride
High	Sodium Laureth Sulfate
High	Sodium Lauryl Sulfate-leaves a film on skin-clogs pores
High	Solulan 16
High	Sorbitan Oleate
High	Sorbitan Sesquinoleate
High	Soybean Oil
High	Steareth 10
Medium	Steareth 2
Medium	Steareth 20
Medium	Stearic Acid
High	Stearic Acid Tea
Medium	Stearyl Alcohol
High	Stearyl Heptanoate
High	Sulfated Castor Oil
High	Sulfated Jojoba Oil (Jojoba beads are OK)
High	Syearyl Heptanoate
Medium	Tocopherol (Tocopherol Acetate is OK)
Medium	Triethanolamine
Medium	Vitamin A Palmitate-(ONLY this form of Vitamin A)
High	Wheat Germ Glyceride
High	Wheat Germ Oil
High	Xylene
	Mild- May be used in diluted concentrations:
	avocado oil
	castor oil
	corn oil
	d & c red number  4, 6 7 or 8
	glyceryl stearate
	lanolin
	lanolin alcohol
	lauryl alcohol
	mineral oil-fine for makeup
	safflower oil
	sunflower oil

Unfortunately all the cheap toiletries and cosmetics are full of these compounds.  Check the label of your make-up products, toiletries or moisturisers. See if ingredients like propylparaben, ethylparaben and butylparaben are listed. Instead, try using organic products or paraben-free skin care and cosmetics, Clinique makes some very good moisturisers and makeup specific for acne-prone skin.

To treat blemishes use Tea Tree Oil. It is a mild disinfectant that will dry spots without irritating your skin.