Does Moisturiser Help with Acne & Spots?

Whether you’ve woken up to a surprise spot on your forehead, are tackling pores on your nose that never get smaller, or you have small patches of acne that are a nuisance to deal with, everyone has to deal with acne and spots. Anyone who has said they never get any just isn’t telling the truth.

Here at Skinsider, we love a good K-Beauty moisturiser. We also know that some people dealing with acne issues are often quite hesitant to use a dependable moisturiser in their skincare routine. This is typically due to many people viewing moisturiser as something which undoes all the hard work of exfoliating and cleansing your skin.

The truth is that moisturiser can help with acne and spots, just as long as you know how to use it correctly as part of a wider skincare routine. Let’s unpack moisturiser and acne, and hopefully help you find a product that works for your skin needs by answering common questions surrounding the topic.

Does Moisturiser Cause Spots?

Let’s start by getting the biggest myth addressed. Some people argue that using a moisturiser will give you spots. If that were the case, everyone would be walking around with differing levels of spots and acne. So, that means moisturiser can’t cause spots, right?

Well, not necessarily. You have to remember what moisturiser is trying to do when you use it. Moisturiser is trying to get in your pores and stay there to help hydrate skin. When someone has acne or spots, any splits or tears from spots being squeezed or breaking by themselves leaves pores wide open. So, when you apply a moisturiser over acne, it sometimes gets in there and creates problems for pores which are then producing oil that has nowhere to go.

That can then lead to more spots, and you’re back to square one. The most effective way to tackle this is with a dedicated skincare routine, which you can learn more about here, and having skincare essentials on-hand to treat acne .

So Oil in my Pores are to Blame?

That may be the case, but as we always say, everyone has unique skin, and it can be a case of trial and error to figure out what the problem is and what products will help the most. When someone has oily skin, and is prone to outbreaks, we advise using products that can balance your skin’s pH levels and help unclog pores.

LAGOM Cellup PH Cure Foam Cleanser and Pyunkang Yul Low pH Pore Deep Cleansing Foam would be ideal for helping cleanse and balance before using a moisturising cream like By Wishtrend Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream. LAGOM Cellus Sensitive Cica Cream is also highly effective, with beeswax providing anti-inflammatory properties and Super Cica 4TM soothing skin prone to acne.

Remember, oily skin can become just as irritated as dry skin if you’re tough on it. Skinsider has a range of moisturisers for oily skin, which primarily deal with helping calm skin. We recommend checking them out, especially if you’re someone with oily skin who finds that moisturisers end up feeling tacky or as though they’re “sticking” to your face after application.

Should I Avoid Using Moisturiser if I have Acne?

No. Your skin still needs hydration, even when you have acne breakouts.

Many of the products you’ll find on the shelf that deal with acne and spots will have one goal in mind: dry those pores out so acne has no chance of latching onto oils. You don’t want that. Your skin always needs oil to hydrate and protect. So anytime you hear someone ask whether moisturiser is good for acne, the answer is almost always yes.

Try and Go Fragrance-Free

A lot of acne products will advertise they have amazing fragrances you’ll love the smell of. Do you know why that is? In some cases, the ingredients used to fight acne don’t smell the best (i.e. chemicals used), so it makes sense to add a fragrance when you pop a tub or cream open to have a sniff.

Sadly, fragrances can often irritate the skin, which defeats the purpose of your efforts towards achieving clearer skin. Luckily, Skinsider has a wide range of fragrance-free products which use organic ingredients instead of anything nasty. Some brands we recommend include COSRX & JKosmmune.

Shop for Moisturisers at Skinsider

Remember, when getting a new moisturiser, you want to look at your skin concerns before choosing a product. At Skinsider you can shop for moisturisers by skin concern to find exactly what will help you best - always consider trying mini versions of moisturisers you might have an eye on first though by shopping at our Beauty Mini Bar.

You can shop our selection of acne skincare products here too.