Your Beloved Coconut Oil Might Be Breaking You Out
Makeup remover, moisturizer, mouthwash – you name it. Throughout the past few years, coconut oil has been touted by nearly EVERYONE and their favorite vlogger as a holistic cure-all for a multitude of health and beauty issues.
Dry skin? Slather some coconut oil it. Eczema? Try coconut oil! Need an All-Natural Anti-Aging remedy? How about an eye cream? Got zits? Give the old C-Oil a shot!
But here’s the drop: Beneficial Botanicals published a Comedogenic Ratings list, ranking many of our favorite skincare ingredients on a five-point scale on the likeliness of causing breakouts. An ingredient that scores a zero “. . . will not clog pores . . .” and is least likely to contribute to Bad Skin Days, whereas a ranking of “Four” or higher drastically increases the chances of developing skincare issues.
Surprisingly, the Internet’s holy-grail product is rated “fairly high” in the pore-clogging department; coconut oil scores a “four” on the list. It also has a poor absorption rating for a carrier oil, meaning it doesn’t sink into the skin as easily as other oils and is likely to leave behind a residue on the skin’s surface. Therefore, you’re better off using coconut oil in your cooking or sex life than marinating your face with it before bed.
But all is not lost. There are LOADS of other natural oils out there, that can get the job done and are equally as cost-effective as a massive jar of organic, blackhead-inducing coconut oil. Both argan oil and almond oil rate low on the scale and are readily available, as are jojoba oil and rosehip oil. And if you need inspiration for coconut oil alternatives (or just for beauty oils in general), check out check out Michelle Phan’s video “Mastering the Art of Beauty Oils” below.
So, if you’ve noticed that your skin hasn’t been as great since jumping on the coconut oil trend, now you know – cut it out and move on with your life.
