Like most people in the Real Food community, I LOVE my coconut products: coconut flour, coconut milk, coconut water, coconut butter, coconut chips, and obviously coconut oil. While coconut is no doubt a healthy traditional food, what many do not realize is that it has the potential to negatively affect the skin.
This potential occurs whether it is ingested or put on the skin directly. Such a reaction can be especially distressing for those using coconut oil for weight loss efforts.
From what we know of the immune system, it is not adequately developed until the age of two. The foods we are exposed to in childhood are usually foods that will be less problematic later in life. Why? We have already developed the antibodies for our immune system to recognize these foods as safe.
Healthy for One May Not Be Healthy for Another
However, we can overexpose ourselves to a particular food our bodies are familiar with. When this occurs, it can start to negatively impact digestion or the immune system. This is a common occurrence for foods that seem to be in everything like dairy and gluten.
My point here is that most people did not consume coconut products in their diet growing up. Unless of course they were born in the tropics or are of African or Polynesian descent. Because coconut is a staple of these traditional diets, these people are adapted and can usually tolerate it better.
Dr. Weston Price made this same observation when studying different cultures and their staple foods. The healthy diets he found encompassed a wide variety. Some were almost exclusively meat-based, others fairly low in animal foods. Still others were a balance between the two. Despite the variations, all these cultures were considered healthy.
This is why it’s nearly impossible for everyone to thrive off the same “healthy” diet. It is also important to keep in mind when we discover new “super foods”. Some look great on paper, but how each individual reacts will vary greatly. One’s ethnicity can frequently dictate how well they are tolerated.
Internal vs External Triggers
Within the last year, I have been exclusively focusing on the root cause of acne internally with clients. Truthfully, I have not given external triggers much thought until recently.
Fortunately, I met with Kimberly Tan, owner and esthetician at skinSALVATION Acne Clinic in San Francisco. This is where I discovered the term comedogenic, which refers to the ability of something to produce or aggravate acne, usually tending to clog pores on a topical level. Products that contain comedogenic ingredients tend to cause pimples for acne prone skin. The gender or nationality of the person does not matter.
Like many terms that are used freely for marketing purposes, products that claim to be “non-comedogenic”, “oil-free”, “dermatologist tested/ approved” are not necessarily free of clogging ingredients. Just like the supplement industry, beauty and personal hygiene products are not regulated. There is no standard or truth to what a company has to comply with on labels. Therefore, like everything else you choose to put in and on your body, understanding what ingredients to look for is vital to know if it is truly acne safe. Just one comedogenic ingredient in a product is enough to cause pimples in someone who is acne prone.
Not everyone is affected by comedogenic ingredients. It depends on a person’s skin, pores and genes, as to the severity of the problem. If you suffer from acne and have addressed other factors such as diet, digestion, hormones and recognizing food sensitivities, then this is something you should consider.
Coconut Oil is Highly Comedogenic
Kimberly Tan has had great success in addressing acne of all types by educating people and of course treating it topically. The right products make a big difference in skin recovery. I am definitely reaping the benefits of this knowledge. For example, I eat what I consider a very high quality, clean and anti-inflammatory diet. Due to my line of work, I am also very aware of other causative factors. Despite this, I still suffer from regular breakouts.
The reason remained a mystery until I began to take a closer look at what I was applying to my skin. Even within my “natural” and practically edible products, many contained coconut oil. To my surprise, coconut oil is one of the highest scoring comedogenic ingredients on the comedogenicity scale. This is the case even when consumed in small amounts as coconut oil capsules.
Removing Coconut Oil from Skincare and Diet
I was worried and hesitant at first to give up my precious coconut oil but wanted to give my skin a fair chance. So, I tossed my makeup, shampoo, toothpaste and any hair care products that contained coconut and any other clogging ingredient. I also took it out of my diet. The good news was I could keep other coconut foods, just not the oil itself. This is because internally the pure oil seems to be the biggest culprit since it is concentrated in the fatty acid that has the clogging ability.
Personally, I feel fine when I consume coconut. With all the health benefits we know it contains, including the antibacterial properties, this was the last thing I suspected that could be causing my stubborn breakouts. It has been only about a month since switching out all my products containing coconut oil and eliminating it from my diet. I have already seen an immediate reduction in my breakouts.
Inflammatory Effect on Skin
I was curious about the inflammatory effect that coconut oil has internally on the skin. There are many different types of acne that may appear and be different for every person. According to Kimberly Tan:
Eating it [coconut oil] internally may not be causing inflamed acne, but the seeds are still planted, especially for those who are acne prone. These people NEED to stick to an acne free lifestyle to prevent breakouts. Products help to take the seed (which causes follicles to clog) out once diet and acne safe topical products are in place, but it can come back. Planting a seed is the first step to causing a breakout, and is fairly easy to do if exposed to these factors. Even just one exposure can bring acne back.
Coconut Oil and Stubborn Acne
If you have been struggling with getting your breakouts under control, take a look at everything you have been using on your skin. Check for comedogenic ingredients in every product you use. This includes skin care, face wash, moisturizer, masks, shaving cream, toothpaste, lip balms and lipsticks, sunscreen, toner, scrubs, foundation, face powder, and any other makeup. When choosing products to buy, make sure that the company discloses a full list of ingredients on the label. This includes both active and inactive ingredients. Check all of them against the comedogenic list before buying.
Eliminate then Reintroduce
Bottom line: Everyone is different. Like changing your diet and cleaning your pantry of junk food, you’ve got to purge any suspect products to get a clean slate to work with. This includes an acne-safe lifestyle and proven non-comedogenic products. Stay with this routine for at least 6 months. After that, you can reintroduce each questionable and untested product (like those with coconut oil) to see if you notice a reaction in your skin. The process is very similar to introducing food sensitivities back into your diet. Make sure the manufacturer does not change the formulation to these acne safe products. Most importantly, be consistent with your actions and always double check ingredients on everything before applying to your face and body. Hair products too, as it will all eventually come in contact with your skin.
Implementing an acne-safe lifestyle will prevent acne from forming internally (anti-inflammatory diet and the right nutrient support), and non-comedogenic products will prevent acne from forming externally.
is a whole body approach!
More Information
Eczema Treatment: Avoiding the Drug-Based Domino Effect
MCT Oil: The Coconut Oil Dregs
Costco Coconut Oil is Risky Business
Histamine Intolerance, Fermented Foods and Acne
Red Palm Oil: Great Alternative to Coconut Oil
I will try to get some jojoba oil like you recommend… Anything else I can do to avoid stretch marks?
I have been using coconut oil on my belly my entire pregnancy!!! So far so good!!
My skin looks best when i use kirks castile soap and coconut oil for moisturizer. Never have breakouts or blackheads.
Paige I know we love our coconut oil.. This is interesting.. I noticed major breakout after eating raw coconut
yes I thinks for me too its the raw coconut meat…had the worst breakout of my life skin breakout with this yello crust. it was like I had a chemical peel in my face and arms and stomach. I had cooked some in the oven and was eating a lot of that than any bout a week and a half earlier and had an upset stomach but no breakout. Also I can drink raw young and mature water and milk with no problem. I had hardly ever ate coconut before in my life im 25. Itt was bad, real bad. be careful! and I think im breaking out a second time bc I ate some raw not that much hopefully it wont be bad smh
Thank you for this. There are other good-for-you oils we can have instead 🙂
And one more thing…. acne is a genetic condition of hyperkeratinization (excessive production of skin cells within the follicle). That has to be controlled with salicylic acid. Oil production also has to be controlled. Keeping the overproduction of cells in control will help to keep the bacteria at bay, as will using a washcloth to keep skin gently exfoliated. It’s an intricate process. Sugar, peanuts, iodides, grains, and dairy all contribute to acne aggravation.
OMG, I’m an esthetician and an NTP, I could have told you that! In fact I have told many people about the comedogenic properties of coconut oil used topically! I have lots of research to back it up. Just check out my page.
It’s much the same as we would not eat soybean oil, but lab manufactured soybean oil that is transformed into phosphatidylcholine, is very skin similar and imparts the benefits of omega 3’s to the skin.
So is coconut oil extremely beneficial for our insides but it clogs up our skin. However, there is a silver lining for those of you die-hard coconutters! FRACTIONATED coconut oil is NOT comedogenic! Use it with abandon! The comedogenic properties have been removed. There IS a very valuable reason to NOT be afraid of science and lab made cosmetics. They are made to be BENEFICIAL to the skin. Nature in it’s pure form is not always the right answer for your skin, and one ingredient products are also not the answer.
You cannot squeeze an orange and get usable vitamin c for your skin.
You cannot put lemon juice on your skin without damaging the delicate pH of your acid mantle.
You cannot scrub with salt and not create micro tears in your skin.
And PLEASE… do NOT use your own urine on your face!
There is an art to using nature for your skin. And there are formulators that devote all their energies to create natural products that you can use to actually address skin conditions. Trust in those of us whose job it is to know this stuff!
Your job is to do your research and find an esthetician that reflects your values and that has extended advanced education behind her!
We can fix the damage you have done with your Pinterest recipes!
Do you have any links to anything a bit more scientific than a statement that fractionated coconut oil isn’t comedogenic and can be ‘used with abandon’?
Hmm, might have to ditch the coconut oil for a while. Sad face.
I use it for my hair, but not for eating. I use Grape Flax seed oil for cooking.
Interesting….