The best routine for acne-prone skin

Our customer experience team get asked every single day how best to care for blemish-prone or acne-prone skin, at every single age. Luckily, finding a calming, rebalancing routine is easier than you might think.

For the most part, breakouts occur in oily or dry skin types. In oily skin, the breakouts occur because the skin is overproducing oils, which can get trapped along with dead skin cells and bacteria within hair follicles and clog pores. The opposite occurs in dry skin where it underproduces oils, leaving the skin vulnerable without its protective barrier (or acid mantle).

When it comes to calming all types of sensitive skin, we recommend stripping your routine right back to basics, starting with just a nourishing daily cleanse. Then when your skin feels ready for those gentle next steps, try our trusted routine below for blemish-prone, acne-prone skin.

Morning skincare routine for acne-prone skin

Mist

For dry, sensitive or stressed skin, we recommend beginning with a spritz of our Century Flower tonic. The natural antioxidants in the lotus extract help to protect the skin from free radical damage and keep angry flare ups at bay. Leaving skin damp after applying a tonic also helps the next products in your routine to absorb easily into the skin.

Moisturise

Follow by hydrating skin with our rebalancing day cream, The Pioneer. Thistle Oil helps to mattify skin and reduce the appearance of large pores, and the lightweight formula won't clog oily skin types.

SPF

Always finish your morning routine with SPF to protect your skin - ours is a natural sunscreen and suitable for all skin types, even sensitive.

Evening skincare routine for blemish-prone skin

Cleanse

First, remove make-up and SPF using our Light Work Rosehip Cleansing Oil. Even oily skin types shouldn’t shy away from this step. Oils cling to oils – so using a cleansing oil will help to lift every last trace of stubborn or waterproof make-up off the skin, without stripping it or causing irritation.

Then double cleanse thoroughly using our first ever foaming face wash, Phaze. Apply 1-2 pumps to damp skin. Gently massage across the face, avoiding the delicate eye area. Rinse, and pat dry. 

Serum

Two to three consecutive nights per week, apply a blemish serum such as All Becomes Clear. Our natural Zinc-based formula gently alleviates redness, inflammation and bacteria without drying the spot or causing irritation.

Face oil

For the final step of your evening routine, use an oil. Our detoxifying overnight oil Carbon Star is ideal for acne-prone skin – it contains Vegetable Charcoal to gently buff away impurities, while anti-bacterial Black Cumin Seed Oil helps keep blemishes away. (Top tip - always cleanse the morning after using Carbon Star, then follow with our anti-blemish serum to keep skin clear throughout the day.)

Once your blemishes are past their active phase and you want to speed up repair or reduce scarring, massage Rosehip Oil into skin before bed. The regenerative sterols soothe inflammation surrounding blemishes and encourage healing.

Weekly skincare routine add-ons

Mask

Once or twice a week, treat skin to our AHA mask, Dinner Out – the gentle fruit acids inside exfoliate and clear congestion by dissolving dead skin cells and drawing out impurities.

Exfoliate

Add exfoliation into your evening cleansing routine once or twice weekly, too – it’ll help lift away dead skin cells without causing damage to help keep skin clear. Simply apply our super gentle Virtuous Circle exfoliator to dry skin right after cleansing, then continue with your tonic, serum or facial oil afterwards.

If you’re not sure if this routine is what your skin needs right now, or have any questions, our customer experience team are here to talk things through. You can book a free online skincare consultation here for friendly, tailored advice.