The beauty and health of our skin is being threatened by one of the biggest campaigns ever conducted in the history of merchandising. Every day on television, magazine, radio and newspapers, we are prompted to put aside elemental skin care ingredients like soap and water in favor of such complexion "aids" as night creams, daytime moisturizers, face foundations, cleansing creams and rouges.

While some people have skin capable of facing the damaging consequences of cosmetics, an estimated 30% of all cosmetic users have skin which is acne prone. This can be a negative factor when looking for an acne treatment.

Women and men alike, in their teens, twenties and even early thirties, are potential candidates for cosmetic acne. The condition is recognized by several elevated small whiteheads covering the cheeks and chin and sometimes the forehead. While cosmetic acne seldom leaves scars, it can be unsightly, stubborn and troublesome. The skin's pores have a tough time dealing with the skin's normal oil sebum, so rubbing in more irritating oils is one of the worst things you can do.

Even people who are not acne sufferers can actually develop acne through the use of their cosmetics. Since cosmetic acne commonly shows quietly after several months of repeated use of a comedogenic (acne-producing) product, many women do not connect their outbreaks with the given product. The woman with cosmetic acne is in a vicious circle; the more she breaks out, the more make-up she applies to cover it up... which only causes more blemishes.

Advertising confuses the issue. "Oil Free"--the Darling of Madison Avenue.

"Oil free" is fast becoming a popular term of the cosmetic industry. Many cosmetic manufacturers are substituting chemicals which, in legal terms, are not considered oil free simply because they come from synthetic sources rather than from natural sources, i.e., animal, vegetable or mineral.

These artificial products, however, are often more acne producing than a natural oil such as mineral oil. Advertising claims for many cosmetic words such as "oil free," "dermatologist tested" and "hypoallergenic" can be very confusing. Hypo-allergenic can mean the product is perfume-free, yet it could still have ingredients harmful to acne-prone individuals. "Dermatologist-tested" may be accurate but not entirely helpful. The product can have been tested for skin allergy or skin irritancy and its consequences on skin pores may have been missed.

The Oil Migration Test

Not all "oil-free" moisturizers for cosmetics are oil free; some include oil-like synthetics that can provoke acne-prone skin. How to tell? Dab the product on good-quality stationery (imprinted 25% cotton fiber). Twenty-four hours later, hold the paper up to daylight and look for oil rings. The extent of migration will show the proportion of oil in the product.

The oil migration test is useful to deduct certain oils in cosmetics, but it is more important to learn to understand the labels and evade conflictive ingredients. Remember, not all oils are bad. Petrolatum and some natural oils like mineral oil and sunflower oil don't penetrate down into the pore.