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The beauty and health of the human skin is being undermined by one of the biggest campaigns ever waged in the history of merchandising. Every day on magazine, radio, television and newspapers, we are encouraged to put aside elemental skin care ingredients like soap and water in favor of such complexion "aids" as face foundations, daytime moisturizers, cleansing creams, night creams and rouges.

While some people have skin capable of withstanding the harmful effects of cosmetics, an estimated 30% of all cosmetic users have skin which is acne prone. This can be a negative factor when looking for an acne treatment.

Women and men alike, in their teens, twenties and even early thirties, are possible candidates for cosmetic acne. The condition is recognized by several elevated small whiteheads appearing over the cheeks and chin and even the forehead. While cosmetic acne hardly produces scars, it can be disgusting, stubborn and troublesome. The skin's pores have a hard time dealing with the skin's normal oil sebum, so applying more irritating oils is one of the worst things you can do.

Even people who are not acne sufferers can actually develop acne through the use of their cosmetics. Since cosmetic acne commonly appears subtly after several months of constant use of a comedogenic (acne-producing) product, many women do not relate their outbreaks with the cosmetic product. The female with cosmetic acne is in a vicious cycle; the more she breaks out, the more make-up she applies to cover it up... which only leads to more blemishes.

Advertising confuses the issue. "Oil Free--the Darling of Madison Avenue.

"Oil free" is fast becoming a popular term of the cosmetic industry. Many cosmetic producers are substituting chemicals which, in legal terms, are not catalogued as oil free simply because they come from synthetic sources rather than from natural sources, i.e., animal, vegetable or mineral.

These synthetic oils, however, are often more acne producing than a natural oil such as mineral oil. Publicity claims for many cosmetic words such as "oil free," "dermatologist tested" and "hypoallergenic" can be very confusing. Hypo-allergenic can mean the product is perfume-free, yet it could still contain ingredients harmful to acne-prone people. "Dermatologist-tested" may be authentic but not entirely helpful. The product can have been tested for skin allergy or skin irritancy and its effects on skin pores may have been missed.

The Oil Migration Test

Not all "oil-free" moisturizers for cosmetics are oil free; some contain oil-like synthetics that can provoke acne-prone skin. How to tell? Dab the moisturizer on good-quality stationery (imprinted 25% cotton fiber). 24 hours later, hold the paper up to daylight and look for oil rings. The extent of migration will correspond to the proportion of oil in the cosmetic.

The oil migration test is great to deduct certain oils in cosmetics, but it is more important to learn to understand the labels and evade troublesome ingredients. Remember, not all oils are damaging. Petrolatum and some natural oils like mineral oil and sunflower oil don't penetrate down into the pore.