The Best Natural Ingredients For Fighting Acne Pimples and Blemishes - Lily Michael

Are you tired of using the same old skincare products that claim to help your pimples and acne, but all just contain Benzyl Peroxide or Tea Tree Oil? What joy! No more! Nothing wrong with these ingredients. They are tried and tested. But read on... there is so much more

Start your search here for alternative components with natural ingredients that are formulated specifically to reduce your blemish-prone skin. With a little bit of research, you can find what works best for you, leaving your skin looking naturally flawless in no time. We know that with so much innovation at our disposal, there must be a better way!

Pimples and acne are skin conditions caused by a build-up of oil, dirt, and bacteria. While they can both be treated with benzoyl peroxide, this chemical can strip the skin of its natural oils and leave it dry, cracked and vulnerable to further irritants. Additionally, benzoyl peroxide may cause discolouration on your towels or pillowcases.

Changing a product is a big deal, especially if it is a best seller and the new ingredient might not live up to the sales pitch from the manufacturer.

Pimples and acne can often feel like an ever-constant battle, requiring a variety of skincare products and treatments. This means pimples and acne have been a longstanding issue for many people, many times leaving blemishes. Many popular products feature tried-and-true ingredients that have been proven to reduce blemishes and eliminate bacteria. However, as science advances there is always potential for new ingredients to be introduced in order to target specific issues faster and more effectively.

Over the years many new ingredients have been developed to help with pimples, but we’ve got an inkling that many brands go by ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. Many brands stay loyal to their original formulas as changing them takes a lot of effort

Lily Michael has been testing new ingredients for those of you who suffer from this for years to see if they live up to their claims and worth investing in upgrading our products. Some didn’t live up to expectations but others certainly did and some even surprised us with how well they worked. We know they work as we have a stream of ladies who can attest to this.

Our testing has shown that some ingredients work better than others in clearing up breakouts, offering hope of relief from such skin issues and are effective in treating acne, reducing inflammation, and healing scarring. Our formulas have yielded some promising results, including ingredients that have gone beyond our expectations.

The Science – Simplified

Acne is a common skin condition that can cause pimples and other symptoms. It is caused by inflammation of the skin’s oil glands, which leads to overproduction of sebum and build-up of dead skin cells in the pores.

Pimples and acne are caused by a build-up of bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells that clog the pores of the skin. This build-up leads to inflammation, which manifests as red or white bumps on the skin.

Pimples and acne are common skin ailments which occur when bacteria and oils become trapped in the pores. This can lead to inflammation and other symptoms such as redness and swelling often leading to blemishes and pigmentation.

Treatment for acne may include topical creams, antibiotics, or even surgery in extreme cases. Crafting quality probiotics through fermentation like those offered at Lily Michael can also be an effective way of naturally warding off pimples and acne.

Both acne and pimples can be caused by a variety of things, including hormonal imbalance, dirt build-up, stress and genetics. Certain lifestyle factors, such as not drinking enough water or eating a healthy diet, may also trigger the development of pimples and acne.

Pimples and acne occur when the pores of your skin get clogged with oil, dirt, or dead skin cells. This triggers an inflammatory response in your body, which manifests as redness, swelling, and a breakout of pus-filled bumps. While pimples and acne can affect people of any age, it is most common among teenagers due to hormonal changes that cause their organs to produce more oil.

What You Can Do To Help Reduce the Outbreak Of Acne and Pimples

Proper hygiene and skincare are essential for managing and preventing breakouts. However, some evidence suggests that fermented foods such as yogurt or kimchi can help to reduce the outbreaks of acne by creating an optimal pH balance in the skin. Eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can also help to reduce pimples and acne.

What we do: Ferments Ingredients, Ceramides & Bioextracts

The old way of killing the acne-causing bacteria worked well but it also worked too well on the good bacteria on your skin. Many traditional treatments use harsh chemicals that can upset the delicate balance of bacteria on your skin.  This completely upsets your skin's microbiome. Scientists are only just starting to understand how important a balanced skin microbiome is for healthy, clear skin. That's why Lily Michael started the journey and continues to look into more natural, fermented ingredients to help treat problem skin.

Some of the ingredients we use include several fermented ingredients used to treat and prevent pimples, including papaya extract, noni fruit, and yeast extract

Papaya Extract - We have read of the healing powers of papaya for years. The fermented versions keep all those healing properties and additionally supercharge them with skin restoring enzymes such as papain.

Noni Fruit - This ingredient is so on trend and so effective and has scooped many industry accolades. It works well and also keeps all the microbes on your skin in perfect harmony and in balance. It works to treat and prevent oily, acne prone skin.

Epilobium fleischeri Extract -This Willowherb plant is rich in both flavonoids and Oenothein B. It works to treat and prevent oily, acne prone skin.

Yeast Extract -This extract works as an exfoliant, helps with skin renewal and is a corrective active. It lightens, brightens and exfoliates to keep your pores clear.

The Power of Plants Provided by Mother Nature

Blemish-prone skin need not look any further for natural helpers! These couple of plants have been around for so long it's easy to miss them, but they’re not to be underestimated when it comes to breakout-prone skin.

White willowbark and purslane are two plants that have been used for many years to soothe spots and pimples. White willowbark, which is nature’s own anti-inflammatory is full of salicin, which is just as effective as salicylic acid to combat breakout but much milder on your skin.

Purslane, or Portulaca, is found right here in the UK and worldwide and has great anti-inflammatory, anti-irritation, anti-allergy, and hydrating properties that helps combat redness and inflammation from pimples and acne quickly and effectively.

Vitamin A : To Have Or Not To Have

Natural Vitamin A alternatives are really riding the wave of popularity right now. Everyone knows the struggles of pimples, blackheads and other skin problems. What if we told you that the solution to your skincare problems could be vitamin A?

Bakuchiol, a natural Vitamin A alternative, has gained popularity to help treat acne without harsh chemicals, is popping up in facial oils, serums, and creams as a promising alternative option due to its calming effects on the skin. Unfortunately, it can cause breakouts for some people. Lily Michael have seen many samples fail to pass our rigorous tests.

Moth Bean Extract - Our favourite Vitamin A alternative is Moth Bean Extract. We know it doesn’t sound sexy but the Moth Bean is a quiet achiever which did blow the socks off our in-house team. Its ability to renew and strengthen skin with a gentle touch made it the winner to help skin recover from breakouts.

AHA’s - For those suffering from acne, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) are an effective way to keep skin clear and unclogged. AHAs are found naturally in fruits such as bilberries, oranges, lemons, maples, and sugar canes. Synthetically produced AHAs are okay, but the natural ones offer a much more gentle method for brighter and clearer skin. This mix of AHA's - that includes glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid - additionally encourages a healthy microbial balance on the skin.

This natural AHA blend not only supports brighter skin, but it also helps maintain the balance of your body's microbiome!

Where can I find these skin clearing ingredients?

Our true skin perfection collection of product formulas are absolutely LOADED with these ingredients to help heal and prevent blemishes.

You’ll find all of these ingredients (and more!) in the:

• Strawberry-Carbon Toning & Cleansing Mask - a highly active gel mask to exfoliate, brighten, renew, soften, smooth and clear using AHAs, BHAs and probiotics, suitable for all skin types (even sensitive skin)

• Glow Daily Skin Perfection Liquid Exfoliant - a super-light water-based exfoliator to clear, balance, brighten and reduce redness for oily and combination skin

• Strawberry-C 4-in1 Lotion- a water-based hydrating lotion to clear, balance, brighten and reduce redness for oily and combination skin

If you’re keen to see if these ingredients work as well for you as they have done for us and the ladies visiting our skin clinic, it might be worth adding these to your shopping list.

So there you have it - the official round-up of our most effective ingredients to help prevent and recover from blemishes, whether it’s the occasional pimple, some congestion under your skin, or a whole-face breakout. If you're looking for effective acne-fighting ingredients then these products might be the perfect additions to your skincare routine.