Does Macadamia nut oil block pores/cause breakouts if used on the face? The sales associate at a apothecary/beauty shop told me that no natural oil like that would cause breakouts, but the reviews on the internet are mixed.
So are natural oils threats to pores or an all natural moisturizer?
What about other oils commonly used on the face, such as Argan?
I’m prone to breakouts (adult acne! Wahoo!) and I use straight-up oils on my face every day and they do not cause a problem for me.
The one I use, Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil, has “oil blend of Sesame, Sweet Almond, Olive and Jojoba. Vitamin E […] blend of natural essential oils, including Neroli, Patchouli, Lavender and Sandalwood.”
I still get occasional breakouts but since I get them occasionally, and use this oil daily, I assume it’s not from the oil. It’s from everything else (hormones).
I had switched to “pure maracuja oil” by Tarte once from this Bobbi Brown stuff, and I did break out. I wasn’t convinced that it was from the oil but just happened to coincide with a breakout I was going to have anyway, but I returned the oil anyway and went back to the more expensive Bobbi, just in case.
My skin is evil and hates me but pure argan oil doesn’t make me break out. If anything, it seems to help calm down a breakout. I would be skeptical of the absolutist claims offered by the sales clerk, but this is just my personal experience.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that any claim regarding “natural” oils is complete bullshit. Natural is a word that means what the salesperson wants it to mean. It has no rigorous definition, and in any class of “natural” substances, you’ll be able to find some that are downright poisonous to humans.
I’ll leave it to the dermatologists to study which oils (if any) are helpful or harmful when it comes to pores, but it needs to be an informed study based on meaningful classifications of oils.