By Sophia Ruiz — Founder/CEO of Sana Haus, 3x Published Dermatology Researcher, & Integrative Esthetician

“If you have acne or acne-prone skin, you should only use oil-free skincare.”

If you grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, this was most definitely something you believed (or at the very least, heard) — probably because your dermatologist, facialist, or rep at a department store said so.

These beliefs originally stemmed from research findings showing that acne was correlated with our skin’s natural oil production (a.k.a sebum). And twenty to thirty years ago, this may have been a totally valid recommendation based on a totally valid, research-based conclusion about the skin.

But today, our understanding of breakouts and their causes has advanced far beyond those initial findings. Studies now show that it’s not our sebum that is the problem — instead, it’s changes in its composition (what our sebum is made up of) that are the problem. Even more importantly, when our oil is balanced, it’s not only beneficial, it’s necessary for optimal skin health.

In other words, yes, there is an oil balance that contributes to breakouts. But, there’s also an oil balance that is deeply healing for the skin and even fights acne. In fact, without a healthy amount of the right oil, our skin can’t properly heal.

The same goes for oils we apply in our skincare routines. Oils, being made up of very similar substances to the natural oils produced by our skin, can have a composition that contributes to acne or one that actually helps heal breakouts.

Naturally, this discovery brings up a lot of questions:

• What exactly is it about some oil that makes it fuel for breakouts?
• What is it about healthy oils that makes them so healing for the skin? 
• And how do we know which skincare oils we apply will help or harm the skin?

Those were the questions I had, too. And after years (literally) of researching this topic, I want to share the answers with you!

Why do some oils cause breakouts?

To better explain why oil can either fight acne or cause it, it’s helpful to note what oils actually are. This way, we can actually properly unpack the composition changes that happen in acne-prone skin and why they can be such a problem.

The composition of oils: a primer

All oils are what we call fats. But, not every fat is an oil. There are many different kinds of fats and oils are often a mixture of many of these different fat compounds.

These fat compounds (or lipids, to be more correct) include, but aren’t limited to:

• Sterols (like cholesterol)
• Hydrocarbons (the popular skincare ingredient, squalane, is a hydrocarbon!)
• Triglycerides, which are made up of fatty acids
• Free fatty acids (what triglycerides break down into)
• Fatty esters (also made of fatty acids)
• Ceramides (also derived from fatty acids)
• Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, and K)
• + more (but these are the most relevant to our skin)

When we’re talking about skincare oils or sebum, we’re usually referring to triglycerides. Our sebum and skincare oils are generally mostly triglycerides with a smaller amount of free fatty acids, sterols, hydrocarbons, fatty esters, and fat-soluble vitamins. This goes for both the oils we apply to our skin and the sebum our skin naturally produces.

When applied topically, the major fraction of these oils, triglycerides, and the minor fractions — the sterols, free fatty acids, esters, and vitamins — all influence skin health.  But, the triglycerides are the most important determinants of whether our sebum or a skincare oil will either help or harm acne-prone skin.

But, triglycerides themselves aren’t necessarily active. As I touched on briefly, triglycerides are made up of fatty acids. For them to be active within the skin, they actually first need to be broken down into the fatty acids that make them up. Those fatty acids are then what influence our health — whether that be by consuming fatty acids in our dietary fat or applying them topically.

Triglycerides, fatty acids, and acne

Just to make things (necessarily) more complicated, fatty acids can also be further broken down into different classes of fatty acids. This is important because the type of fatty acids inside the triglycerides of oils vary greatly from oil to oil. These variations in fatty acid composition determine whether an oil is healing or harmful for the skin.

Fatty acids can be broken down into four general categories and all have different properties:

• Omega-3 fatty acids. This includes EPA, DHA, and ALA, mostly, alongside some other lesser-known intermediate fatty acids. EPA and DHA are potent anti-inflammatories, whereas ALA is mostly a precursor to EPA and DHA. Although, ALA has some anti-inflammatory properties of its own. By and large, omega-3s are extremely beneficial for the skin, especially acne-prone skin.
• Omega-6 fatty acids. This includes linoleic acid (LA), GLA, and arachidonic acid (AA), mostly, again — alongside some other lesser-known intermediates. Linoleic acid is the most important fatty acid for the skin, which we’ll unpack later. GLA is highly anti-inflammatory and helps support the skin microbiome. AA, while necessary for the immune function of the skin, can be highly inflammatory in high quantities. This is why omega-6s get a bad rap — even though it’s just arachidonic acid that’s the problem, not LA or GLA.
• Omega-9 fatty acids. This includes oleic acid, erucic acid, and gondoic acid. Although these omega-9 fatty acids are generally beneficial when taken internally, they are some of the most harmful and comedogenic for the skin, especially acne-prone skin.
• Saturated fatty acids. This includes lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, behenic acid, caprylic acid, and capric acid. Caprylic acid and capric acid, two medium chain fatty acids primarily found in MCT oil and (to a lesser degree) coconut oil, are great for supporting skin cell health, fighting inflammation, and balancing the skin microbiome. On the other hand, lauric, myristic, stearic, and palmitic acid are generally inflammatory, including for the skin. It’s worth noting, though, that small amounts of saturated fats are still necessary for immune health.

Each of these fatty acids have different effects on different aspects of skin health and the acne formation process. We’ll break down each one so you have a better understanding of the impact these fatty acids (and the oils that they make up) can have on our skin and breakouts.

Fatty acids and the skin barrier

Another way fatty acids can impact skin health and breakouts is through the function of our skin barrier — also called the acid mantle, the epidermal permeability barrier, and the stratum corneum.

A healthy skin barrier is arguably one of the most important aspects of skin health. A strong skin barrier keeps good things in — like hydration — and bad things out: pollution, allergens, and irritants.

When the skin barrier breaks down, our skin becomes dehydrated. This makes it harder for our natural exfoliation mechanism, called desquamation, to work properly. This means we can experience a build up of dead skin cells, which can contribute to breakouts. Our skin may also become dull, dry, and flaky.

A broken down skin barrier also paves the way for inflammation. With pollution, allergens, and irritants having greater access to the deeper layers of the skin, these compounds can then cause inflammation, which we already know can be an acne trigger. This inflammation also contributes to redness, post-acne red marks (called post-inflammatory erythema, or PIE for short), and more.

So, what does this have to do with fatty acids?

Well, our skin barrier is made up of three important lipids: cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides. Fatty acids we obviously know are present in oils, but our ceramides are also made from fatty acids. Without the right fatty acids, ceramides can’t be produced. 99% of skincare oils don’t contain cholesterol, unless they’ve been added to a formula.

So, the application of oils directly contributes to the fatty acid and ceramide pool that is required for skin barrier function.

But, here’s the most important thing: even though fatty acids are necessary for barrier repair, not all fatty acids or the ceramides that they make are actually good for the skin barrier.

This is where the inflammatory effects of omega-9 fatty acids comes in. Oleic acid is hugely disruptive to the skin barrier, as is its derivative, erucic acid. Part of the skin barrier-disruptive effects of erucic acid may be because it is converted to oleic acid by cells. Gondoic acid, like the other omega-9s, also seems to interfere with barrier health.

On the other hand, linoleic acid is the most important barrier-repairing fatty acid. Without linoleic acid, barrier repair is dramatically reduced. GLA can also increase the production of ceramides.

Saturated fats like palmitic acid and stearic acid can also be used to make ceramides, however, they don’t produce ceramides that are the healthiest for the skin. Linoleic acid and GLA ceramides, on the other hand, are extremely beneficial for the skin. Our skin also makes its own palmitic and stearic acid, whereas it requires an external source of linoleic acid and/or GLA for its supply (although, the skin can make its own GLA from linoleic acid).

Overall: Linoleic acid and GLA have positive effects on the skin barrier (and as a result, many other aspects of skin health), with linoleic acid being the most important. Saturated fats can contribute to ceramide production, although the ceramides they produce aren’t the healthiest. Omega-9s, on the other hand, are highly disruptive to the skin barrier.

Comedogenic fatty acids, non-comedogenic fatty acids, and acne

The last important aspect to consider when it comes to oils and acne is the comedogenicity of a fatty acid. Some fatty acids are comedogenic (a.k.a pore clogging), while others actually prevent the clogging of pores.

Studies have shown that oleic acid, lauric acid, stearic acid, and palmitic acid are comedogenic, meaning they have the ability to clog pores and contribute to acne development. On the other hand, linoleic acid actually decreases the formation of comedones, preventing acne formation.

Erucic acid is also likely to be comedogenic because it can be converted into oleic acid, which is then comedogenic. It can also inhibit the absorption of linoleic acid, which is crucial for the prevention of acne.

The jury is still out on gondoic acid — but, given its probable effects on the skin barrier, it still doesn’t seem to be an ideal fatty acid for the skin anyway.

Fatty acids, sebum, and the development of acne

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork to understand the active fatty acids within both the sebum our skin produces and the oils we apply to our skin and their effects on the skin, we can now better understand the changes in acne-prone sebum and why they cause acne.

We’ve established that linoleic acid, GLA, and MCTs are beneficial for acne-prone skin while saturated fats and omega-9s disrupt the skin barrier, clog pores, and trigger inflammation — all contributing to breakouts.

Interestingly, several studies have shown that changes in acne-prone sebum closely mirror the understanding of fatty acids we just unpacked. In acne-prone skin, the changes that accompany breakouts are a decrease in linoleic acid and omega-3s and an increase in oleic acid and saturated fatty acids.

This makes sense — the fatty acids that are the most disruptive, damaging to the skin barrier, and comedogenic are elevated, whereas the fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory, skin barrier-supportive, and non-comedogenic (and even fight pore blockages) are decreased. As a result, the balance of fatty acids in acne-prone skin favors an inflammatory, disruptive skin environment that then favors the formation of acne.

The opposite also seems to be true — a balance of fatty acids in the opposite direction (increased linoleic acid and ALA, decreased saturated fats and oleic acid) is associated with clear skin and probably contributes to acne prevention.

Since skincare oils are the primary delivery vehicles for these fatty acids, and different oils contain different balances of these fatty acids, it stands to reason that different skincare oils can either be beneficial or harmful for acne-prone skin.

Naturally, we can conclude that we should prioritize oils rich in the acne-fighting fatty acids and avoid oils rich in the problematic ones.

Oils for acne-prone skin: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Now that you know what exactly in certain oils causes problems, avoiding skincare oils that aren’t suitable for acne-prone skin may seem simple enough. But, you would be so surprised by how many products — both skincare and makeup — contain oils with fatty acid profiles that aren’t suitable for acne-prone skin. Unfortunately, they’re just about everywhere!

And to make things more complicated, there are huge misconceptions about what oils are safe for acne-prone skin and which ones are not.

Believe it or not, the worst offenders are comedogenic lists! As a result, many skincare products, makeup products, or skincare oils can be mistakenly labeled as “non-comedogenic”, while other oils that are perfectly fine and even beneficial are wrongly classified as comedogenic.

Although we’ve already mostly unpacked how to decipher whether an oil is safe for acne-prone skin or not, I find that it’s also helpful to clarify why comedogenic ingredient lists often get things wrong — just to clarify the confusion.

The truth about comedogenic lists and comedogenic oils: why they’re usually wrong

You may be surprised to find out that we have next to no data on the comedogenicity of oils, despite the fact that many oils on comedogenic lists have actually been given a formal comedogenic rating.

The truth is that there are very few oils that have actually been formally tested for comedogenicity in the context of a research study. That includes:

• Blackcurrant Seed Oil: non-comedogenic
• Cocoa Butter: strongly comedogenic
• Hazelnut Seed Oil: moderately comedogenic
• Squalene (not squalane, two different compounds that are not interchangeable), when oxidized: strongly comedogenic
• Mink Oil: mildly comedogenic

So, if you see an oil outside of these five oils on a comedogenic list, the comedogenic rating is not actually from a real study — it’s a rating that the person compiling the list has decided on or has taken from an informal list published somewhere else.

Because oils are combinations of lipids and these are their active components that influence the skin, the basis of our hypotheticals should be based on their lipid composition. But, that doesn’t seem to be a basis for some of the decisions on determining how comedogenic an oil is.

For example, an oil like cherry kernel oil might get a “2 / mild-moderate comedogenic” rating with 35% oleic acid, whereas argan oil will get a “0 / non-comedogenic rating” with 40% oleic acid. It has more oleic acid than cherry kernel oil, the most likely culprit behind the “comedogenicity” in the oils, and yet argan oil (often) gets a non-comedogenic rating, whereas oils with similar amounts of oleic acid will get a comedogenic rating.

As a result, you have many different products that are marketed as “non-comedogenic” that may be causing you issues.

My general recommendation is to steer clear of comedogenic lists giving subjective ratings of ingredients that haven’t actually been tested, unless they explicitly list their reasoning for why they’ve decided to add it to their list. Otherwise, I feel like it just adds to information overload and decision fatigue!

Comedogenic oils vs. non-comedogenic oils for acne-prone skin: classification based on fatty acid profiles

Now that you’ve heard a bit of the research on fatty acids, oils, and acne, and you have a general idea of how I think about them, I’m going to give you my list of oils that I believe research would support are comedogenic and non-comedogenic!

Comedogenic oils: avoid for acne-prone skin

Keep in mind that not every oil on this list will be strongly comedogenic, but I like to take a very conservative approach to the oils that I use for acne-prone skin. At a bare minimum, I believe the hypothetical risk of comedogenicity with these oils outweigh their potential benefits.

This list also isn’t necessarily exhaustive! There are new oils being popularized all the time now, so you might be using one that you don’t see on this list. I’m more than happy to take a look at any specific oil (or any product, for that matter!) for you, just shoot me an e-mail! :)

• Any butter (cocoa butter, mango butter, cupuacu butter, etc.)
• Any wax (beeswax, caranauba wax, 
• Açaí berry oil
• Almond oil
• Amaranth oil
• Amla oil
• Apricot kernel oil
• Argan oil
• Abyssinian oil
• Avocado oil
• Babassu oil
• Baobab oil
• Broccoli seed oil
• Buriti oil
• Camelina oil
• Castor oil (good for hair growth, not for skin due to its high omega-9 content)
• Cherry kernel oil
• Coconut oil
• Date seed oil
• Hazelnut oil
• Linseed oil (flaxseed oil and linseed oil are from the same seed but not the same thing, linseed oil is chemically modified and likely contains impurities that are comedogenic)
• Jojoba oil
• Mink oil
• Macadamia nut oil
• Meadowfoam seed oil
• Marula oil
• Olive oil
• Palm oil
• Peanut oil
• Psoralea corylifolia (Bakuchi or babchi oil)
• Plum oil
• Pomegranate seed oil
• Pumpkin seed oil
• Sunflower oil (high oleic only, the high linoleic varieties are fine)
• Seabuckthorn pulp/fruit oil (seed is fine)
• Squalene (not squalane; when oxidized)
• Soybean oil
• Tamanu oil
• Tallow

Non-comedogenic oils: safe for acne-prone skin

These are the oils that I consider safe for acne-prone skin. They provide healing fatty acids to the skin that help to restore skin barrier function, fight inflammation, and more! This makes them ideal for not only nourishing and moisturizing acne-prone skin, but also for addressing some of the most important root causes of breakouts.

• Blackcurrant seed oil
• Borage oil
• Black cumin seed oil
• Camellia seed oil
• Chia seed oil
• Capric/caprylic triglycerides / medium chain triglycerides
• Cucumber seed oil
• Flaxseed oil (there are no studies on the comedogenicity of flaxseed / linseed oil, contrary to popular belief)
• Evening primrose oil
• Grapeseed oil
• Hemp seed oil
• Kalahari melon seed oil
• Milk thistle seed oil
• Maracuja oil
• Raspberry seed oil
• Rosehip seed oil
• Sacha inchi oil
• Sunflower oil (high linoleic only)
• Safflower oil (high linoleic only)
• Sea buckthorn seed oil
• Strawberry seed oil
• Squalane (not squalene)
• Watermelon seed oil

How to start a skincare regimen with non-comedogenic oils for acne-prone skin

Fatty acids are just one part of the skin’s necessary “nutrition”. They can be profoundly healing through their support of skin barrier function, balancing the microbiome, and ability to quench inflammation — not just for acne-prone skin, but for all skin types.

At the same time, just like you couldn’t expect your body to thrive on a single nutrient, neither can our skin. Singular nutrients are never supposed to work in isolation — they work in a harmonious synergy with many other nutrients for optimal health. That’s why all of our Sana Haus products are formulated with nutrient synergy in mind, for truly holistic skin nutrition.

You’ll find a wide array of non-comedogenic oil extracts, including ultra-potent supercritical CO2 extracts, in our oil serums alongside the nutrient co-factors necessary for optimal skin nourishment. Our Clarity serum is specifically tailored to address the needs of acne-prone skin, powering your skin’s natural healing process.

It’s also important to keep in mind that our skin must be in an acidic pH (4.5-5.5) to properly utilize fatty acids we apply to the skin. If your skin is outside of that pH range, oils will sit on top of the skin and not properly absorb. For this reason, you’ll need a pH-balanced cleanser and ideally a pH-balancing toner as well!

A basic cleanse-tone-oil serum routine is a great way to get started with taking advantage of all the healing properties oils truly have to offer the skin. If you’d like to build out a more robust regimen, I recommend our holistic skincare regimen, The Sana Method!

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