These Acne Fighting Products Are Causing Your Breakouts And Here's Why
It can be hard to really know what products you should use for your skin and what's harming it in the first place! You might be surprised that products in your bathroom that are marketed to fight acne are actually CAUSING your skin issues!
Through cosdna you are able to look up any kind of makeup product and see how irritated it can make your skin, and you are going to be seriously surprised at which ones are the main culprits for those pesky breakouts.
1. Cetaphil Cleanser
Yeah, I was just as shocked as you probably are! This has got to be one of the most hyped products for clearing up acne, and if it does work for you, I wouldn't stop using it as everyone's skin is different. Though if you have noticed after using this stuff that your skin is seeming irritated or you are getting acne, it probably has something to do with the ingredients propylparaben and butylparaben. Both ingredients rate a 7 on a scale from 1-9 when it comes to safety, and there are three other ingredients in the product that contribute to acne and irritation.
2. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Anti-Blemish Cream
According to cosdna, Neutrogena is one of the most unsafe brands in general for your skin, which is crazy considering how big their reputation is for acne care! The ingredient list for this product was insanely long but the most notable ingredients that pose the most harm to your skin are cetyl alcohol, dimethicone, and ceterayl alcohol, as well as ascorbyl and retinyl palmitate. Seriously avoid these ingredients in general!
3. Olay Total Effects 7 in One Blemish Control Salicylic Acid Acne Cleanser
I mean, salicylic acid is one of the top associated ingredients to cure acne, but according to the other ingredients paired with it, this stuff is NOT good for your skin and can cause some serious break outs. This cleanser contains one of the top ingredients that causes acne, sodium lauryl sulfate, as well as other ingredients like stearyl alcohol and cetyl alcohol that can further irritate the skin. Steer clear!
4. Cerave Moisturizing Lotion
Cerave is known pretty well for it's reputation as being a line with mild products that won't cause your skin to flare up or break out. Yet, a lot of their ingredients show that for many this product can do the exact opposite. The combination of ingredients like polyglyceryl-3-diisostearate and cetyl alcohol both can contribute to some pretty serious breakouts. As well propylparaben, shown further down on the extensive ingredients list, is ranked at 7 out of a scale of 9 in regards to safety.
5. Clean and Clear Oil-Free Skin Balancing Moisturizer
A lot of people associate products that are oil-free with being acne preventative, but in reality this moisturizer does the exact opposite of what it claims to do. Instead of balancing out the skin, ingredients like sodium hydroxide and PEG-100 stearate harm the skin while cetyl and stearyl alcohol both can cause acne.

Luciano Frattolin is taken away in custody from the Essex County Court in Elizabethtown, New York on Friday, July 24, 2026. Luciano Frattolin charged with 2nd-degree murder and concealment of a human corpse.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
Police officers open the back of a recovered truck during a press conference regarding Project 24K, a joint investigation into the theft of gold from Pearson International Airport, in Brampton, Ont., on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
The Rockyview General Hospital is pictured in Calgary, Thursday, March 20, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
This composite image shows, left to right, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby in Vancouver, on April 13, 2026; B.C. Conservative interim Leader Lorne Doerkson, in Vancouver, on Sept. 22, 2026; B.C. Green Party Leader Emily Lowan in Victoria, on Sept. 23, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck, Rich Lam, Kevin Light