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Because you’re dealing with acne, you think that getting rid of breakouts ASAP should be priority number one. But because of that mindset, you may be approaching your acne prone skin all wrong. In fact, maintaining a healthy skin barrier while also targeting clogged pores and breakouts is what your healthy skin focus should be all about. Brace yourself for this expert-backed PSA: Acne prone skin is extremely acceptable to inflammation and one of the precursors to inflammation is a compromised skin barrier. If the outermost layer of skin is not perfectly balanced to do what it’s intended to do—good things in (think healthy oils, ceramides, lipids, actives from skincare) and bad stuff out (dirt, debris, pollution, excess oil and dead skin cells etc.)—then inflammation, acne as well as oil production can all go crazy.

Read on to find out how to have it all—achieve a supercharged skin barrier specifically for acneic skin with skin that’s hydrated and dewy, plus curb inflammation and battle breakouts, too.

What Role Does Your Skin's Barrier Play With Acne? 

“Skin is semi-permeable and it can be selective because of how its barrier functions—it lets some things in and keeps some things out,” says Kiran Mian, MD, Director of Clinical Innovation at Reale Actives and board certified dermatologist at Hudson Dermatology and Laser Center in New York City. Along with its shield-like qualities, your skin’s barrier allows both the superficial and deepest layers of skin to hold onto water. Why H20 levels in skin matters: “There's something called transepidermal water loss or TEWL and this happens when water escapes and evaporates from skin into the air,” shares Dr. Mian. “This leaves skin dry and then it can get cracked and more irritated and inflamed.” Have a balanced and uber-healthy skin barrier and TEWL is nonexistent—and your skin is naturally hydrated, glow-y and less likely to have pimple problems.

Another reason a healthy skin barrier benefits acne prone skin is because it affects the microbiome of skin which in turn directly translates to breakouts. “Skin has a diverse population of bacteria on it and that is important because it helps keep every type of bacteria in check,” shares Dr. Mian. “Those with acneic skin, tend to have a higher amount of C acnes (which is short for cutibacterium acnes), a type of bacteria that thrives in sebum-rich areas and causes an imbalance in and on skin.” When you take a deeper BTS look at the makeup of a healthy skin barrier, understanding the acid mantle of skin is also key. “The acid mantle is made up of different lipids or oils and it helps to maintain a certain pH of our skin,” explains Dr. Mian. “Although skin should be slightly acidic, if it becomes too acidic and loses that pH, then bacteria can overgrow, which would lead to breakdown and inflammation.”

How to Bolster Barrier Function When You Have Acne-Prone Skin

Alix’s dermatologist walks us through the basics.

Cleanse gently.

“For acneic skin, you want to use a cleanser that's going to, yes, clean skin effectively, but also leave the skin barrier intact and not overstrip it of healthy oils so that it can withstand the actives you're using to treat your acne,” explains Dr. Mian. “It was non-negotiable that both of the Reale Actives cleansers left all skin types feeling comfortable and soothed, not stripped.” According to experts, cleansing is the first crucial step in keeping the skin barrier in check. “When we were developing these cleansers, it was really important to Alix to have textures that had a luxurious feeling and also when you wash them off, they actually take all your makeup off.”

Rebalance with moisturizer.

“Those with oily acne prone skin tend to shy away from moisturizers because their skin already feels oily, so they think that they don't need to moisturize,” notes Dr. Mian. “But acne and oily prone skin absolutely needs a moisturizer because oil and water are two different things.” Here’s how it really works: even if you have oil on your skin, your skin still needs water and hydration so that it can function properly. “Microscopically, skin actually has a lipid layer which has proteins, cholesterol and fatty acids and many different molecules that make up this protective barrier and in order for those to form and function, they need water,” notes Dr. Mian. “Think of it like your skin needs water like you need oxygen—without it, nothing can happen.”

If your skin barrier function is compromised and you don't use a moisturizer, here’s what happens next: “Your skin will try to protect itself but it can't produce water on its own, it can only produce oil, so it'll overproduce oil in an attempt to try and mitigate the damaged barrier function,” Dr. Mian explains. What you’ll see in the mirror: skin that’s extra oily. “Using a lightweight moisturizer is really important for all skin types, even acne-prone skin, so that it can stay balanced,” she says.

What to look for on the label of a moisturizer for acne prone skin: ingredients such as glycerin, squalene, triglycerides and non-comedogenic oils to help improve skin’s barrier and hold onto moisture throughout the day. Plus, skin with a healthy barrier is able to better tolerate the acne-focused actives you apply, too. “Reale Actives Dew More Barrier Boosting Moisturizer helps skin maintain that necessary hydration to keep skin nice and supple so that, again, it can tolerate actives,” says Dr. Mian. 

Protect with SPF.

While you may not want to wear another layer on your skin that could potentially cause clogs, Dr. Mian explains that a major mistake that those with acne-prone skin make is to skip SPF day in and day out.  “A lot of people with acne prone skin tend to shy away from sunscreens because they think they’ll feel thick and heavy and greasy and they're not comfortable on skin but that’s simply not true,” she says.

“It's really important to wear sunscreen every day to protect skin from the sun, but especially if you are using actives on your skin,” she says. “I always tell my patients there's a sunscreen for everyone—it just takes a little bit of trial and error to find which one you like and which one works for your skin.” Opt for a formula that has a minimum of SPF 30 and choose a texture that is lightweight and doesn’t contain any pore-clogging oils.

The Best Barrier Boosting Skincare Ingredients for Acne-Prone Skin, According to the Pros

Ceramides

“Ceramides are a key component to a healthy skin barrier,” says Dr. Mian. “They help strengthen and soothe the skin barrier to prevent it from getting irritated.” Consider ceramides to be the squishy, supple building blocks of the superficial layer of  skin. Sure, you have them in your skin naturally but bolstering your skin’s barrier with topical ceramides, too, can totally transform the way your skin looks—think healthy, dewy, fresh; never dry, irritated or raw.

Humectants

Probably the most well known humectant in skincare is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid's claim to skincare fame is that it’s a humectant that holds a thousand times its weight in water. “It’s important to have hyaluronic acid in a product that's intended to be hydrating,” says Dr. Mian, who adds that along with classic hyaluronic acid, Reale Actives also harnesses the power of other molecules that are in the HA family to deliver even more enhanced hydration to skin. “We also use natural betaine, which is a type of amino acid that acts like hyaluronic acid, but it’s actually derived from coconut,” Dr. Mian explains. “It can be even more effective than hyaluronic acid for hydrating skin.” Another stellar humectant is glycerin. “Glycerin is a humectant that helps skin hold onto water, so formulating glycerin into a cleanser like we did with Reale Actives Pore Power Exfoliating LHA + BHA Gel Cleanser, is almost counterintuitive because with a cleanser, you're washing off, but we intentionally chose ingredients that benefit the skin by maintaining hydration and a healthy skin barrier,” Dr. Mian says.

Lactobacillus Ferment

Lactobacillus ferment is naturally derived from the fermentation process of lactic acid bacteria. “Think of lactobacillus ferment like a probiotic for your skin—it helps maintain the balance of the microbiome of your skin.” The result: a strengthened skin barrier minus any sign of inflammation.  

Non-Comedogenic Oils

Oils on oily skin? Although it sounds counterintuitive, it's important to know the science behind acne. “Those with acne tend to have an imbalance of oils,” says Dr. Mian. “Oils are actually necessary in our skin and they help maintain a healthy skin barrier, but in acne-prone skin, there tends to be less linoleic acid and higher oleic acid, so the ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 oils is imbalanced.”

The bottom line: it’s not about skipping oils entirely. “Acneic skin can highly benefit from oils that are high in linoleic acid to help correct that imbalance that we often see in acne prone skin—sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, meadowfoam oil, grapeseed oil, sea buckthorn oil—these oils are all higher in linoleic acid and all deemed non-comedogenic, which means they won’t clog pores,” says Dr. Mian.

Alix Earle’s Healthy Skin Barrier Skincare Routine 

STEP 1 Cleanse

Reale Actives Get Bare Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm, $29

A super-soft luxe balm cleanser that washes away every trace of makeup while infusing skin with healthy oils (such as Meadowfoam, Grapeseed and Sea Buckthorn) intentionally curated for cleansing and calming acneic skin.

Reale Actives Pore Power Exfoliating LHA + BHA Gel Cleanser, $27

Exfoliate gently with this lipohydroxy- and betahydroxy acid-based gel cleanser formulated to go deep into pores to sweep away oil, makeup and debris. Skin is left clean, fresh and soft.

STEP 2 Treat

Reale Actives Go Deep 8% Mandelic Acid Serum Concentrate, $39

Reset pores by keeping skin cell proliferation and sebum balance in check with this super gentle chemical based exfoliation, all without disrupting skin’s barrier function.

STEP 3 Moisturize

Reale Actives Dew More Barrier Boosting Moisturizer, $35

A lightweight moisturizer designed to flood skin with skin barrier boosting building blocks such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid and glycerin, to reach one goal: create a gorgeous glass skin finish.