There’s nothing quite as exasperating as trying a wildly popular beauty product, just to find out there’s secretly an ingredient in it that causes acne or clogged pores.
It’s even more upsetting when the viral product in question is beloved by beauty influencers who rave about the brand on social media.
Whether you’re testing out a friend’s setting spray, recently purchased a luxurious name-brand foundation, or invested in an expensive blush, it’s possible the ingredients aren’t safe for sensitive skin.
While some popular products are completely good to go (like Nars Orgasm blush and Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick) other viral favorites can actually cause pimples and clogged pores.
Some of the priciest products with the biggest cult followings might secretly have components that aren’t safe for sensitive skin, including the Armani foundation and Huda Beauty’s fan favorite powder.
Thankfully, the anti-aging and acne safe skincare brand Clearstem provides a pore-clogging ingredients list checker on its website and app, which allows people to see exactly what might be breaking them out… and the results are surprising.
Danielle Gronich, the co-founder and CEO of Clearstem Skincare, warned the Daily Mail that ‘high-end, expensive brands can still use these ingredients.’
In fact, they often do, since they’re not catering to people with sensitive skin. But that doesn’t mean that clean beauty products are the way to go, as they can oftentimes have tricky ingredients as well.
Danielle Gronich and Kayleigh Christina founded Clearstem Skincare which provides a pore-clogging ingredients list checker to address both acne and aging concerns
Gronich (seen) warned the Daily Mail that ‘high-end, expensive brands can still use these ingredients’
‘The most common pore-clogger in makeup is Ethylhexyl Palmitate,’ Gronich explained, adding that the second most common is coconut oil or coconut alkanes, and the third is talc.
‘These are generally considered to be extremely pore-clogging and will be problematic for most people who are acne-prone,’ the acne guru advised.
Here are the popular products that could actually be detrimental to your skin.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation
This Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation is a hit with influencers like Alix Earle.
The University of Miami grad has been open about her acne struggles but calls it a holy grail product in many of her Get Ready With Me videos, where she takes her millions of followers through her pricey beauty routine.
On Sephora, the $48 natural glow foundation has more than 6,000 reviews, where hoards of beauty lovers praise its coverage.
However, some reviewers had issues, with one writing, ‘I am one of those lucky people who have great skin… After a few uses of this I noticed pimples under the skin all over.’
The Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation contains Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate and Hexyl Laurate, which can lead to congestion of your pores
On the Reddit Makeup Addicts forum, beauty lovers have had similar issues.
One person wrote, ‘I feel like I am going crazy every time I see hundreds of rave reviews [but] a foundation has literally never made my skin look worse. It settles into every little wrinkle, enhances my pores, and genuinely makes me look 10 years older.’
Unfortunately, it does contain Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate and Hexyl Laurate, which can lead to congestion of your pores. Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate helps blend oil and water in cosmetics.
‘In general, liquid foundations tend to be the most problematic, along with really thick liquid concealers,’ San Diego Acne Clinic owner Gronich said, adding that if someone is dealing with issues like blackheads all over, it is likely from a product that is going everywhere, like their makeup, moisturizer, or sunscreen.
Chanel Rouge Coco Flash Lip Color
The $50 Rogue Coco Flash hydrating vibrant shine lip color by Chanel contains a whopping three pore-cloggers: Diisostearyl Malate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate and Tribehenin
Chanel lipstick might seem like the ultimate glamorous indulgence, but it’s actually not the best investment.
The $50 Rogue Coco Flash hydrating vibrant shine lip color contains a whopping three pore-cloggers: Diisostearyl Malate, Ethylhexyl Palmitate and Tribehenin.
‘People with sensitive skin will be better off avoiding things with synthetic fragrance and focusing on allergens,’ Gronich cautioned.
She explained that ‘sensitive skin does not equal acne skin.’
Instead, she said folks with sensitive skin tend to turn red, get itchy, develop rashes, or even deal with hives.
Dior Lip Glow Oil is another high end lip product that has received rave reviews, but isn’t necessarily safe. With more than 3,000 Sephora reviews, this best-selling $42 lip gloss has been a smash hit, especially with Gen Z.
The luxe oil sold out time and time again after it went viral on TikTok, but it contains both ethylhexyl palmitate and diisostearyl malate.
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Blurring Loose Baking & Setting Powder
Huda Kattan’s Easy Bake Blurring Loose Baking & Setting Powder isn’t completely safe for acne-prone folks, as it contains talc and diisostearyl malate
YouTube beauty guru Huda Kattan has a legion of devoted fans, but her Easy Bake Blurring Loose Baking & Setting Powder isn’t completely safe for acne-prone folks, as it contains talc and diisostearyl malate.
On Sephora, the $39 powder has received 13,000 reviews, and beauty gurus flock to TikTok and rave about how it makes their beauty routine look picture perfect.
Shoppers call the setting powder a ‘dream’ and say it’s the best at brightening skin and making makeup last all day.
While many of the reviews on Sephora are positive, one person wrote, ‘I NEVER EVER BREAK OUT. WORSE, this caused my SKIN TO BURN!!!!’
On Reddit, women with sensitive skin have also had issues with the product. One reviewer complained, ‘I have a problem with heavily scented products and this one gave me a horrible sinus headache plus made my skin itch.’
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Awakening Concealer Click Pen
The $40 Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Awakening Concealer Click Pen has talc in it, which absorbs oil and can lead to bumps on the skin
The $40 Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Awakening Concealer Click Pen has been a fan favorite for years as people use it to brighten up their under eyes, but unfortunately, it does contain talc.
While talc absorbs oil, if someone is ultra sensitive it can break them out, leading to unsightly bumps underneath their eyes or anywhere else they attempt to conceal.
The 4,500 Sephora reviewers are mostly satisfied, although some complain bitterly about having allergic reactions.
Some people swear by the drugstore dupe, preferring Maybelline Instant Age Rewind, which is available at Ulta and pharmacies and is called an affordable rival.
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer
The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer has been a bestseller since it was released in 2001, but it does contain magnesium myristate
The Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer has been a bestseller since it was released in 2001, but it does contain magnesium myristate.
It’s not the only bronzer with an ingredient that could potentially cause congestion.
Gronich said that ‘as a rule, we stay high vibe and don’t shade on other brands, but I will say that it’s nearly everybody’s bronzer’ may be secretly leading to breakouts, because it’s the ‘hardest’ product to find that’s acne safe.
While you might be tempted to find a ‘clean’ brand instead, that’s not always the answer.
Gronich explained that clean skincare products are ‘designed to avoid hormone disruptors, and it has nothing to do with acne,’ which ‘shocks many people.’
Gronich even experienced it herself ‘due to natural pore-cloggers like coconut oil and certain seaweed or algae derivatives.’
Another tricky ingredient to watch out for? Isopropyl myristate, which is even in the white version of Retin-A.
‘I have seen a ton of my clinic patients break out like crazy from that product, and the acne never goes away because their pores are being re-clogged faster than the product can exfoliate them,’ Gronich explained.
