Do you really know what you are putting on your skin?

I can't remember the number of times I have bought a product - lotion, moisturizer or make up - thinking, it's oil-free so it's not going to give me more zits, only to find out after a couple of weeks that indeed, yes, this new product IS giving me pimples and I am both aggravated and disappointed. I mean if you suffer from acne, the last thing you want to do is use a product that will make your acne worse.

So why is that? Well, it's all in the label...if only we take the time to read it, and understand a few things about labels and ingredients.

First of all, "oil-free" does not mean "non-comedogenic". Your lovely foundation that's a perfect match to your skin tone may be oil-free, but it does not mean that somewhere in the ingredients there isn't a little something waiting to turn your carefully maintained clear skin into a pimplefest zone.

Second, the order in which the ingredients are listed, and whether or not your product contains active ingredients, is very important. The active and main ingredients are listed first. The active ingredients are also very often listed as such, then the other ingredients. Salicylic Acid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Titanium Dioxide to name a few, are active ingredients.

The ingredients that are listed first, or near the top of the list are the ones in the highest concentration. So if you are buying, let's say, a green tea moisturizer and green tea is listed towards the end, it means there actually is an extremely low concentration of green tea in your product. It may feel good to the touch or on your skin, but don't count on it to deliver powerful anti-oxidant properties. It's just not going to happen.

OK so now that you have a better understanding of how to read a label - lets take a closer look at the nature of the ingredients themselves. I am writing, of course, from the acne sufferer's perspective. These ingredients can be divided in two categories: the ones that are non-acnegenic/comedogenic - a fancy term for "they aren't going to give you zits" - and the ones that are causing or aggravating acne. These, we want to avoid as much as possible. It's a long list... we have it here for you to consult. Read it. Try to remember the most offending names on that list. The rule of thumb is, if you have acne, or are acne prone, avoid products with a ratings of 3 to 5. Products with a 0-1 ratings are safe, a 2 ratings, proceed with caution but you should be OK for the most part, specially if the offending ingredient is listed towards the end.

The list really help weeding out the acne-causing products out there, and there are many. Now when I go to the beauty counter and the sales person is showing me this new product or makeup that's supposed to make me look fantastic, I always ask to read the label. It takes me a few seconds now (I've been doing that for some years) to spot potential trouble. So learn to do the same. You will save money, disappointment, and most important of all, you'll save your skin.