Purging or Breakouts: 8 Skincare Ingredients that Cause Purging
Did you know that there are some skincare ingredients that cause purging? How to see if what you have is skin purging or breakouts?
You might be surprised to hear that not all acne is acne. What you thought is acne could be skin purging instead. Now, think back. Is there a time when you bought a well-reviewed product only to find your skin breaking out worse than ever before? Well, this probably wasn’t acne but skin purging.
Let’s see how to make a difference with NUME-Lab Switzerland.
Table of Contents
What Is Skin Purging?
This skin condition explains the process of your skin getting rid of toxins and impurities after starting to use a new skincare product or brand.
Typically, cosmetics products with active ingredients that exfoliate and speed up cell turnover are the ones that are most likely to cause purging.
Those skin impurities would’ve surfaced one by one anyway. But, now that you’re using a product for faster skin regeneration, they all reach the surface quicker, resulting in what we think is an acne breakout but is, in fact, skin purging.
Although it can be annoying, purging is a necessary process that the skin has to go through to expose a healthy layer free of damage. In simple words, it has to get worse before it gets better.
What Type of Products Cause Skin Purging?
Whether or not you’re a fan of skin purging, you need to know what cosmetics products cause it. So, can a cleanser cause the release of toxins? Or only a peel or an exfoliator?
It’s worth noting that skin purging has less to do with the type of product and more to do with the active ingredients. With that said, skin purging is usually associated with leave-on products rather than washable ones like cleansers.
So, does that mean that all leave-on moisturizers and serums will cause purging? Again not! A leave-on product with skincare ingredients that cause purging will always have some or all of these features:
- Speeds up skin cell turnover
- Exfoliates the skin (chemicals, acids, or mechanical)
- Boosts collagen production
- Brightens dark spots and hyperpigmentation
What Are the Skincare Ingredients that Cause Purging?
Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHAs)
AHAs are the golden standard for acne-prone skin and aging skin since they have the power to exfoliate the skin, unclog the pores, and diminish the appearance of dark spots and sun-damaged skin.
Some of the most common AHAs that cause skin purging are:
- Glycolic Acid
- Citric Acid
- Lactic Acid
- Tartaric Acid
- Malic Acid
Beta-Hydroxy Acids (BHAs)
- Teenage years – due to the increase of androgen hormones during puberty;
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – which often characterizes with an increase in the male hormone testosterone;
- Periods – PMS is that time of the month when women often experience acne breakouts due to the fluctuating hormones;
- Pregnancy – some women experience acne during pregnancy due to the changing levels of hormones circulating;
Retinoids
Retinoids are perhaps the most well-documented way of boosting collagen production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and of course, increasing skin cell turnover. Due to their exfoliating properties, we often use retinoids to fade dark spots.
In skincare brands, you’ll typically find retinoids listed as:
- Retinol
- Vitamin A
- Tretinoin
- Adapalene
- Tazarotene
- Isotretinoin
- Retinyl Palmitate
Benzoyl Peroxide
After salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide is the next best thing for acne. However, it may not suit dry skin or sensitive skin since it can further dry it out, resulting in skin irritation, flakiness, and rough patches.
Benzoyl peroxide has a double-fold action – it kills the bacteria causing the acne inflammation and speeds up cell turnover. Unfortunately, this last function makes benzoyl peroxide another skin purging culprit.
Vitamin C
When we talk about skin purging from vitamin C products, we refer only to the acidic forms (such as L-ascorbic acid) since those are the only ones that can exfoliate and purge your skin.
Vitamin C is good for dark spots and fading hyperpigmentation issues if you don’t mind a little purging. Plus, it’s an excellent antioxidant that protects your skin from sun damage and free radicals.
Mechanical Exfoliants
Skin purging can occur when you use a product that contains mechanical or physical exfoliation particles like ground shells, kernels, or other scrubbing helpers.
Mechanical exfoliants work on the same principle as chemical ones – exfoliating the upper skin layer, unclogging the pores, and promoting skin cell turnover. However, be careful with sensitive skin since mechanical exfoliants can overdry and irritate the skin.
Fruit and Enzyme Exfoliants
Fruit acids and enzymes act similarly to AHAs with an end goal to exfoliate and dissolve the glue that holds damaged skin cells together. So, it’s no wonder that they bring the risk of skin purging.
Azelaic Acid
Azelaic acid is neither an AHA nor a BHA but works similarly to one. It’s an underrated acid with larger molecules that’s suitable for sensitive and acne-prone skin. Skin care products containing azelaic acid are gentler than AHA-based products, but they still boost cell turnover and purge the skin.
Purging vs. Breakouts: What's the Difference?
Here’s a great visual representation to help you determine if you have an acne breakout or your skin is simply purging.
Skin Purging | Acne Breakout |
Appears after starting a new product with exfoliating actives | Appears randomly as hormones fluctuate, or after using a comedogenic/occlusive product |
Lasts shorter and doesn’t scar | Can last longer, recur, and cause acne scars |
Located where you typically break out the most since the skin is cleaning itself | Can be located randomly |
Appears altogether and at once | Appears randomly or one by one |
Skin is healthier afterwards | Skin has marks, scars, discoloration, acne recurrence, or long-lasting cystic acne |
To Wrap Up
Our final piece of advice refers to helping you deal with purging. When that happens, the last thing you want to do is pick your pimples or add more harsh actives to the mix. Instead, support your skin regeneration by nourishing and moisturizing ingredients like snail mucin extract, hyaluronic acid, betaine, niacinamide, etc.
For instance, the NUME-Lab Switzerland Advanced Renewal Moisturizer based on Snail Mucin Extract is a clean beauty product that even sensitive skin types can use during skin purging.
Now that you know the difference between purging and breakouts, we’d love to hear if you know any other skincare ingredients that cause purging.
7 Responses
hello, i have been using this cream i bought in korea it is from GUBONCHO, ive recently used their night cream, i would really like to ask wether you could examine their ingredient and tell me wether any of their ingredients are comedogenic/may cause more acne or maybe i am just purging.. thankyou ❤️
salve, do che ingrediente si tratta?
You can use incidecoder its a website that tells you if a ingredient is icky or not
Hello,
I just started using skincare products that contain beta panthenol from Some By Mi and my face starts having small bumps all over it. Also, it itches some time. Is that purging?
Hello, it might also be an allergic reaction. How is your skin now?
I started using Dr. Rashel’s vit c serum and moisturizer recently. I’m having breakouts now. I can say my skin is purging after reading this article. Could you recommend something else to use alongside to lessen it’s effect.
hello, I always use cleanser with glycolic acid, and recently I tried citric acid cleanser (green plum cleanser beauty of joseon) due to how dry my cheeks and mouth area was, it could be due to hormonal change. After almost a week of usage, my dry skin improves but now I had white pimples on my cheeks and a bit on eye sides. Thus my question is, does changing AHA ingredient (glycolic acid to citric acid) may cause purging? or breakout?