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

While some people have skin capable of withstanding 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 possible candidates for cosmetic acne. The ailment is recognized by many elevated small whiteheads appearing over the cheeks and chin and even the forehead. While cosmetic acne hardly leaves scars, it can be unsightly, stubborn and bothersome. 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.

Cosmetics can even induce acne in people who never had developed acne before. Since cosmetic acne usually appears quietly after several months of constant 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 quickly becoming a popular term of the cosmetic industry. Many cosmetic producers are substituting chemicals which, in legal terms, are not catalogued as oil free simply because they come from synthetic sources rather than from biological sources, i.e., animal, vegetable or mineral.

These artificial products, however, are often more acne producing than a biological oil such as mineral oil. Publicity claims for many cosmetic words such as "oil free," "dermatologist tested" and "hypoallergenic" can be very misleading. Hypo-allergenic may mean the product is perfume-free, yet it could still have ingredients harmful to acne-prone people. "Dermatologist-tested" may be accurate but not entirely helpful. The product may 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 contain oil-like synthetics that can provoke acne-prone skin. How to know? Dab the moisturizer 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 percent of oil in the cosmetic.

The oil migration test is great to deduct certain oils in cosmetics, but it is more important to learn to read the labels and avoid conflictive ingredients. Remember, not all oils are damaging. Petrolatum and some lighter oils like mineral oil and sunflower oil don't penetrate down into the pore.