Soul Apothecary All Around Zit And Itch Spot Treatment

There's no specific concentration data for this ingredient but the wider alkyl-sulfate family is reported in cosmetics at roughly 0.1-29%.

As for fungal acne, this ingredient may not be safe. It keeps coconut's C12-18 fatty acid backbone that the Malassezia yeast can potentially feed on.

A genuine allergy to this ingredient is uncommon; a double-blind patch-test study of eleven coconut-derived surfactants plus coconut oil + lauric acid found that most reactions in cocamidopropyl-betaine-allergic patients weren't reproducible and were only doubtful.

The only downside is ordinary surfactant behavior: possible dryness, stinging or eye irritation if a formula is unbalanced.

This ingredient shows up on a lot of "pore-clogging" lists but there's no real evidence behind that. It doesn't even have a comedogenic rating from an actual study; the numbers you'll find online come from blogs citing other blogs.

Ratings for other ingredients mostly come from a 1980s rabbit ear test. This test doesn't translate well to human skin or to real products because the ingredient sits at a much lower percentage.

Some people still find it breaks them out. So if that's you, definitely trust your skin.

Terpinen-4-ol is responsible for tea tree oil's broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and makes it a well-researched option for acne.

Clinical studies support 5% tea tree oil as an effective topical treatment for mild to moderate acne. A study with 124 patients compared 5% tea tree oil gel to 5% benzoyl peroxide and both reduced acne (though tea tree oil worked more slowly).

Besides acne, it is also seen in anti-dandruff shampoos and scalp treatments for it's antimicrobial and anti-seborrheic properties.

Safety-wise, the allergic potential of low concentrations on healthy skin is considered low. However, oxidized (old or improperly stored) tea tree oil is a stronger sensitizer.

Irritation can also occur if using the undiluted oil on skin; it's best to use this ingredient as part of a carefully crafted cosmetic formula. This is because regulations require tea tree oil in cosmetics to be stabilized to prevent degradation.

This ingredient has been deemed safe up to 2% in shampoo, 1% in cleansers, and 0.1% in face cream by the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS).

There is some lab evidence that tea tree oil is antifungal against Malassezia, but it is a supportive option at best and not a replacement for proven antifungal treatments.