Does Perfume Cause Acne

Hello, I am Dr. Neal Schultz, and welcome to DermTV. One of the most interesting questions that was asked in DermTV Live is, “does perfume cause acne?” Well, the reason it is so interesting is because most people with acne know that anything they put on their skin has to be labeled either water-based or oil-free or noncomedogenic, and most people know that perfume actually is derived from essential oils. Perfumes actually are blends of different aromas that are derived from essential oils and the essential oils are extracted from different plants. When those essential oils are extracted from the plants, they come in a form that is very volatile, which means they can evaporate somewhat. Those volatile essential oils are then dissolved in mostly alcohol, which of course evaporates. And, in fact, most perfumes are over 90% alcohol. So, when you apply perfume to your skin, the alcohol completely evaporates and a lot of the volatile essential oil evaporates, and the amount of oil that is left as a residue on your skin is so tiny that it is just not a meaningful amount in terms of causing clogging of pores. So, if you have acne or if you are prone to acne, you can still enjoy your favorite perfume. Please join me again at DermTv.com. If you have a question, please send it to me by visiting: DermTv.com/question. I am Dr. Neal Schultz, and thank you for watching today.