Recommended Ingredients for Acne-Prone Skin

Based on your skin concerns, which include significant clogged acne, blackheads, oiliness, dark complexion, acne scars, and uneven skin texture, here are some recommended ingredients for your BHA toner and serum formulations:

1. BHA Toner

For a BHA toner that helps cleanse, exfoliate, clear pores, and dissolve clogged acne, Salicylic Acid (BHA) is the key ingredient. You can use Salicylic Acid (powder form) or the water-soluble Complex Salicylic Acid (Powder, Water-Soluble) for easier formulation in a toner base. BHA is oil-soluble, allowing it to penetrate pores to help remove buildup and excess oil, which is beneficial for oily and acne-prone skin.

2. Acne Treatment Serum

To address acne, reduce oiliness, improve acne scars, minimize pores, strengthen the skin, and promote a clearer, smoother complexion, consider combining the following ingredients in a serum:

• Zinc PCA: This ingredient is excellent for reducing skin oiliness by controlling sebum production. It also helps accelerate wound healing, which is beneficial for acne scars, stimulates collagen production, and reduces acne inflammation.
• Safe-B3 (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide): Vitamin B3 helps reduce redness and dark spots left by acne (hyperpigmentation). It also strengthens the skin's barrier, improves hydration, reduces oiliness, and can help improve overall skin tone and texture.
• L-Carnitine: This ingredient helps reduce facial oiliness by controlling pore oil production. It also assists in accelerating skin cell turnover, which can help improve skin texture and the appearance of scars, while being gentler than some other exfoliating acids.
• Licorice Extract (Licochalcone A): Known for its anti-inflammatory properties, Licorice Extract helps reduce skin inflammation, redness from acne, and general irritation. It also contributes to controlling facial oil.

These ingredients can work together to target multiple concerns associated with severe acne, oily skin, and post-acne marks.

Creating the Serum Texture

To create a gel texture for your serum, you can use a gel maker like Pro Polymer (Gel Maker). Pro Polymer is suitable for water-based gel formulas and has good resistance to electrolytes, which is helpful when using ingredients like Zinc PCA.

By carefully formulating with these ingredients, you can create skincare products tailored to your specific needs, potentially offering a better alternative to commercial products that may not fully address your concerns.