Sunscreen can clog pores and cause acne, depending on what’s in it. Therefore, you must be cautious and go through the ingredients list carefully when selecting a sunscreen. To learn more about the link between sunscreen and acne, keep reading! Your skin is not sensitive to the active ingredients in the sunscreen. These ingredients do not really make your skin break out. Then, which ones do? The breakouts are mainly due to other ingredients in the sunscreen, such as preservatives, fragrances, and emollients. Moreover, improper storage of sunscreen can also break down the chemicals and ingredients and cause acne breakouts. For instance, if you leave your bottle or tube of sunscreen inside a hot car or under the sun by the beach or poolside, the heat makes the ingredients in the sunscreen ineffective and breaks them down. When you apply it the next time, you will get breakouts. Certain chemical UV filters used in sunscreen can also cause skin allergies and breakouts. Let’s take a look at the ingredients that might cause acne.
What Ingredients In The Sunscreen May Cause Acne?
Certain pore-clogging ingredients in the sunscreen may cause acne. However, remember that excess build-up of dirt, oil, sebum, and dead skin cells, along with bacterial growth, causes pimples and acne. Applying products with pore-clogging ingredients that cause further congestion can worsen the situation. Hence, before buying sunscreen, make sure that it does not contain these ingredients:
1. Comedogenic Oils And Butters
A lot of sunscreens contain ingredients like cocoa butter, wheat germ oil, soybean oil, and coconut oil. Although they are natural ingredients, they tend to clog skin pores. If you have acne-prone skin, these ingredients can aggravate your breakouts. Hence, avoid them. Instead, you can pick sunscreens that contain sunflower, jojoba, sea buckthorn, rosehip seed, and grapeseed oils.
2. Mineral Oils And Silicones
These are the two most common ingredients you will find in sunscreens. Mineral oils and silicones do not let the sweat escape through your skin pores. As a result, sweat and dirt are trapped inside the pores, which ultimately causes irritation and breakouts.
3. Benzophenones
These are UV filters that you will find in a lot of sunscreen creams and lotions. The most common ones are oxybenzone and avobenzone. A study found that oxybenzone might induce erythematous papulovesicular eruption and cause photoallergy. It concluded that benzophenones could induce such skin responses (1).
4. PABA And Other Chemicals
A few ingredients, such as para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and methoxycinnamate (commonly found in waterproof sunscreen), can cause acne and breakouts if you have sensitive and acne-prone skin. Try to avoid sunscreens containing:
Butyl stearate Decyl oleate Isopropyl myristate Isopropyl isostearate Isopropyl neopentanoate Myristyl myristate Isopropyl palmitate Octyl palmitate Myristyl propionate Octyl stearate Peppermint oil or propylene glycol-2 (PPG-2)
All these chemicals can irritate acne-prone skin and cause breakouts (2).
5. Beeswax And Other Plant Waxes
Plant waxes and beeswax are extremely beneficial for skin, and most skin types can tolerate them. However, if you have sensitive and acne-prone skin, these waxes may clog your skin further. These ingredients can clog the already clogged pores, making it difficult for the skin to breathe. Remember, all of these ingredients may or may not suit your skin. Some skin types can easily tolerate these ingredients, and others may not. Hence, it is important to pick your sunscreen wisely. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while picking a sunscreen.
Tips To Choose The Right Sunscreen For Your Skin
1. Check for Sunscreen That Says “Non-comedogenic” And “Oil-free”
Noncomedogenic is the word you should focus on if you have acne-prone skin. It means the sunscreen doesn’t contain any ingredients that can clog your skin pores and cause breakouts. Oil-free sunscreens help to keep away excess oil from the skin.
2. Avoid Oxybenzone And PABA
If you have acne-prone, sensitive, or rosacea and eczema-prone skin, stay away from these two ingredients. If you have ultra-sensitive and acne-prone skin, it is best to stick to mineral sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or/and titanium dioxide, which do not irritate the skin.
3. Pick A Day Cream With SPF
Moisturizing is crucial for all skin types, and if the day cream contains SPF, your skin is going to love it. Instead of layering your skin with a moisturizer and an SPF, pick a product that offers both. There are a lot of moisturizer-sunscreen combos available on the market that have SPF 30 or higher along with broad-spectrum protection. Check them out.
4. Choose A Tinted Sunscreen
This is for those who have oily skin and use makeup. Instead of layering your skin with foundation and sunscreen cream, pick a tinted sunscreen and finish it off with loose powder with sunscreen ingredients. If you are confused about what type of sunscreen you should pick for your skin, the American Academy of Dermatology Association has a few tips (3):
If you have dry skin, pick sunscreen creams for your face. For other parts of the body, gel-based sunscreens work best. For the sensitive area around the eyes, sunscreen sticks work best.
The American Academy of Dermatology also has guidelines on how much sunscreen you need to apply and the frequency of application.
Adults usually need about 30 mL of sunscreen to cover every part of their body. Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before stepping out in the sun and reapply every two hours or as per the directions on the bottle. Do not forget your lips! Apply lip balm or lipstick with SPF while going out.
We hope that you now have answers to all of your doubts. If you have any more questions, post them in the comments section below, and we will get back to you. Does sunscreen make pimples worse? No, sunscreen will not worsen your pimples if you wear the right one. Also, not wearing it may make pimples worse. Follow the buying guide above and choose the best sunscreen for your skin. Should I wear sunscreen every day? Yes, sunscreen is an essential part of your skin care routine. Wear it whenever you go out into the sun and reapply every 2 hours. You can also wear it even if you are indoors.
