Appearance plays a big factor in today’s society, where there are new treatments for blemishes and imperfections and a variety of serums with many ingredients that require researching to ensure that they suit your skin type. As good as these treatments are for your skin, they can be a bit daunting for some people because they might not know how these ingredients work and whether they can be used for sensitive skin. Hence, there has been a surge of interest in natural remedies or holistic methods for clearing your skin, such as using essential oils.

What is acne?

Acne is a common skin condition – most of the world’s population will have experienced acne at some point in their lives. The age range that is affected the most is between 14 to19 years old due to a lot of hormonal changes happening in these years. Acne can even start before or after your teen years, so age is not a dependent factor. 

Acne tends to consist of multiple different spots such as:

• Blackheads – Small black bumps on the skin which are pigmented due to blockage of the hair follicle’s inner lining
• Whiteheads – Firmer bumps on the skin, similar to blackheads. Caused due to the accumulation of oil and dead skin in hair follicles or oil glands
• Papules – Small red bumps that feel tender
• Pustules – Small red bumps that contain pus
• Nodules – Large hard lumps built up beneath the skin’s surface and can be painful
• Cysts – The most severe type of acne. Large pus-filled lumps with a similar appearance to boils, and carry a risk of permanent scarring

The severity of acne varies and can be categorised as:

• Mild – Mainly whiteheads and blackheads, with a few papules and pustules
• Moderate – A bigger spread of whiteheads and blackheads, with more papules and pustules
• Severe – Large abundance of painful papules, pustules, nodules or cysts

Acne is caused by sebum (an oily substance), usually used to lubricate the hair and maintain the skin’s moisture, being overproduced by the oil-producing glands. The sebum mixes with dead skin cells to form a blockage in the hair follicle called a come done. If the top of the blockage is white, it is called a whitehead and if it is dark it is a blackhead. The bacteria that normally reside on your skin become trapped in the blocked follicle and trigger the immune system to react to it. This causes inflammation, leading to acne.¹

Common triggers for acne include:

• Increase in testosterone hormone due to puberty. A surge of hormones can result in the glands producing more sebum than necessary
• Greasy or oily hair products and cosmetics
• Certain medications such as steroid medicines
• Birth control pills, which affect hormone levels. They can either make acne better or worse
• Stress – it cannot cause acne, but if you already have existing acne it can make it worse
• Smoking – Smoking in particular can cause a non-inflammatory form of acne known as atypical post-adolescent acne (APAA)² 

Touching your skin and popping the spots can cause the bacteria to spread and make the condition worse, and also increase the likelihood of scarring.

 Hormone fluctuations in women and individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) can also result in acne. This usually happens during menstruation, pregnancy, and in those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Acne can also run in families, so if your parents have acne you are more likely to develop acne.

Rosacea is another skin condition that has a similar appearance to acne, so it can be confusing to determine which one you have. This is because, with rosacea, the skin becomes red with tiny small pink or red bumps on your face filled with yellowish liquid. It is different to acne because whilst acne is caused by excess sebum and bacteria, rosacea is an inflammatory skin condition that leads to acne-like breakouts.

Treatment 

Typical treatments for acne include topical retinoids, tetracycline antibiotics, clindamycin, azelaic acid and creams containing benzoyl peroxide.³

Treatment plans vary depending on the severity of acne, but they may be quite irritating or drying for the skin if used repeatedly. Additionally, some treatments make you more sensitive to the sun and UV rays, which can further damage your skin if you do not use sunscreen. Drying out your skin can cause your sebaceous glands to overcompensate and produce more sebum to regulate the skin barrier, but this can exacerbate the clogged pores and worsen acne.

Not treating acne immediately can increase the likelihood of scarring due to the prolonged trauma to the skin tissue.

Essential oils for acne-prone skin

Holistic methods for treating acne are not uncommon, but it can be difficult to figure out what essential oil to choose for your skin.

Exploring lavender

Lavender (genus Lavandula), popular because of its soothing properties and fragrant aroma, has gained an interest in its potential benefits for skin conditions like acne.⁴ Historically, lavender was used as an antiseptic in the First World War to disinfect wounds, heal burns and treat other skin injuries. It first originated in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North Africa, Cape Verde and the Canary Islands.⁴ 

It is known to contain bactericidal properties, reducing and stunting the growth of Propionibacterium acnes, one of the bacteria responsible for acne.⁵ Propionibacterium acnes or P. acnes is a part of the normal skin flora, oral cavity, large intestine, conjunctiva, and the external ear canal.⁶ P. acnes releases lipase to digest sebum into fatty acids, and this damages the skin and causes inflammation in the nearby skin cells.⁷ By reducing the amount of bacteria on the skin, there would be less inflammation and less chance of acne forming. In addition, lavender oil has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which are small signalling proteins crucial for controlling the growth and activity of blood cells and the immune system.⁸ 

What is in lavender oil?

Lavender oil (specifically from Lavandula angustifolia) is known to be non-comedogenic, which means it will not clog your pores, thus reducing the chance of acne formation.

One of the main ingredients in lavender oil is linalool, known for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory attributes.⁹ It is commonly used in cosmetics as a perfuming agent, due to its floral scent but has other benefits that help with complexion. It has demonstrated antifungal attributes, particularly against C. albicans, inhibiting the formation of biofilms but further evidence is required to support these claims.¹⁰ Another super ingredient is linalyl acetate, which also exhibits antioxidant properties protecting the body from oxidative stress. These two main ingredients were found to damage the lipid layer of the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in bacterial cell leakage.¹¹

Overall, lavender oil helps with redness, inflammation, dry skin, break-outs and wrinkles by acting as an antioxidant.

There are further benefits – lavender oil is found to be effective in wound healing, suggesting it is beneficial for acne scarring and hyperpigmentation.¹²

Incorporating lavender into your skincare routine

Lavender oil is versatile, as the diluted version can be applied to the skin, and the extract can be used in a moisturiser or in face masks. To use the oil directly on the skin, a carrier oil is required as the undiluted form can be too irritating.

Lavender oil is ideal for all skin types, particularly those with sensitive skin due to its soothing nature.

More skincare benefits with lavender

Lavender, well known for being used for relaxation in aromatherapy, also helps with sleeping issues. Sleep is important for your body to properly repair cells, so if you are getting insufficient sleep, your skin will tend to overproduce oil and sebum, potentially triggering an acne flare-up.¹³ 

Additionally, lavender is useful for treating other skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea and psoriasis due to its anti-inflammatory effects. 

Some of the other essential oils have been proven to help against acne, such as tea tree oil, recognised for its strong antibacterial effects. 

• Tea tree oil also exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties¹⁴ 
• Eucalyptus oil is effective in reducing the size of enlarged sebaceous glands, affecting the production of sebum along with exhibiting antibacterial properties by inhibiting C. acnes, S. aureus and S. epidermidis¹⁵

Applying a combination of tea tree oil (3%) and lavender oil (2%) topically was seen to significantly decrease the total population of the acne-causing bacteria C. acne and reduce the number of inflammatory lesions in 4 weeks.¹⁶

Yet, tea tree oil is very drying for the skin and may irritate sensitive skin, making other skin conditions worse. Therefore, it is crucial to find an essential oil that can soothe, clear and repair the skin with the most minimal side effects.

Potential risks of using lavender 

As with any ingredient, there can be side effects and things to keep in mind when introducing it to your skin. A common concern would be irritation if the lavender oil is not diluted enough. Not only this, but it is possible to get an allergic reaction, so ensuring a patch test is done beforehand on a small amount of exposed skin is ideal.