What clues should I check?

Check your skincare, makeup, sunscreen and hair products. Fragrance, oils, butters and comedogenic ingredients can clog pores or irritate skin. A noncomedogenic label makes clogged pores less likely, but some people still break out from products with that label; it is a clue, not a sworn statement from every pore.12

A product is not the only possible trigger. Hormone changes and stress can contribute to acne, and some medicines can cause or worsen it. If you suspect a prescribed medicine, keep taking it and ask the doctor who prescribed it whether it could be involved.3

How do I test which product is breaking me out?

  1. 1Choose one product to investigate, especially one with fragrance, oils, butters or comedogenic ingredients.
  2. 2Remove that product from your routine for two weeks. Keep other products and habits steady so you can tell what changed.
  3. 3Watch whether you have fewer breakouts during the pause. That makes the product a plausible culprit.
  4. 4Before adding a new product, apply it to a small area of your face for a week. If you notice no itching, burning or breakouts, start using it on your face.
1

How long after using a product can breakouts appear?

There is no exact day that identifies the culprit. Use the two week pause to see whether fewer breakouts follow removing one product. For a new product, the one week small area test checks for itching, burning or breakouts before you apply it more widely.1

Should I stop all skincare when I break out?

No. Change one product at a time. Removing several products together makes it hard to identify the cause, and switching acne products every few days can irritate skin and cause new breakouts. Acne treatments also need time: improvement can take four to six weeks, with clearing sometimes taking two to three months or longer.2

Ask a dermatologist for help if acne forms deep cysts or nodules, leaves scars, has not cleared with store bought treatment, or is making you uncomfortable.2

Where this answer comes from

  1. 1Home Remedies for Acne: Do They Work?health.clevelandclinic.org
  2. 29 things to try when acne won’t clearaad.org
  3. 3Adult acneaad.org