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Can I Use Cocoa Butter for Acne?

T. M. Robertson
T. M. Robertson

While your skin is breaking out, you shouldn't use cocoa butter for acne. Cocoa butter can cause the skin to become oily and greasy, which could make your acne breakouts worse by clogging your pores. Another reason why you should avoid it is that commercial cocoa butter products often contain harsh chemicals that can further irritate your skin, thereby causing your acne to get worse. Even though using cocoa butter for acne isn't necessarily a good idea, you can use it after you have your breakouts under control to help heal acne scars and blemishes.

Cocoa butter is extracted from the seeds of the cacao tree, the same tree that cocoa and chocolate comes from. In its natural form, cocoa butter is solid, but readily melts when it comes into contact with the skin. In general, it makes a good skin-care product because it forms a protective barrier on the skin's surface that keeps moisture in and helps to heal skin. Manufacturers often use cocoa butter as one of their primary ingredients in bath and body products, along with cosmetics.

Cocoa butter is made from the cacao seed.
Cocoa butter is made from the cacao seed.

The primary reason why you want to avoid using cocoa butter for acne is that it can make your breakouts worse than they already are. Most commercial cocoa butter lotions contain chemicals that can be especially irritating to the skin. Anything that irritates your skin will make an acne breakout worse. Even pure, raw cocoa butter can increase the degree of acne breakouts in individuals who don't already have their acne condition under control. Dermatologists recommend that anyone with acne conditions should avoid using any greasy lotions and creams, such as petroleum jelly, cocoa butter, and cold creams.

Cocoa butter can be helpful for people who no longer have active acne but only the remaining scars.
Cocoa butter can be helpful for people who no longer have active acne but only the remaining scars.

While using cocoa butter for acne isn't a good idea, cocoa butter is a great natural product for healing your skin and diminishing your acne scars after you have your skin condition under control. For example, hormone changes during adolescence often cause acne breakouts, but this condition often goes away after the teenage years. If you now have acne scarring, but no longer have an active acne condition, cocoa butter could be the solution you're looking for. After applying cocoa butter daily on clean, exfoliated skin, you may start noticing a difference in the appearance of your scars and blemishes after about four weeks. It's best if you use natural raw cocoa butter and avoid cocoa butter products that contain added chemicals.

Discussion Comments

myharley

Before trying any kind of cocoa butter on your face, I would test it on a small patch of your skin in a place that is less noticeable. This is a good practice to get in to for any new product you try on your face for the first time.

Everybody reacts differently to products - even those that are all natural. If you are going to have some kind of reaction, at least you would know it before applying to your face.

If you apply it to a small area on your leg or the back of your wrist and don't have any problems after 4-5 days, you should also have the same results when you apply it to your face.

Mykol

I would not hesitate to use pure cocoa butter for acne scars. The healing ingredients in the cocoa butter can work deep in to your skin to bring about a smoothing of the skin that can soften the look of acne scars.

Using pure cocoa butter on a regular basis can greatly improve the look and feel of your skin tone. You will notice a softness that will also help keep your skin young looking.

LisaLou

Cocoa butter is one of my favorite products and I use cocoa butter on my face all the time. I think a key here is to not use commercial cocoa butter which contains additives and chemicals.

There are many places where you can order pure cocoa butter that does not contain these harsh chemicals. Even so, I don't think it would make a difference for acne. The benefits of using pure cocoa butter on your face is that it helps keep the moisture in, so your skin stays soft and smooth.

You will pay more for this pure cocoa butter than you would for the commercial kind, but it does last a long time, and the benefits for your skin are well worth it.

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    • Cocoa butter is made from the cacao seed.
      By: Printemps
      Cocoa butter is made from the cacao seed.
    • Cocoa butter can be helpful for people who no longer have active acne but only the remaining scars.
      By: Budimir Jevtic
      Cocoa butter can be helpful for people who no longer have active acne but only the remaining scars.
    • Cocoa butter makes skin more oily, so it is a bad choice for acne.
      By: svl861
      Cocoa butter makes skin more oily, so it is a bad choice for acne.
    • A medicated cleanser should be used before cocoa butter products are applied in most cases.
      By: ipag
      A medicated cleanser should be used before cocoa butter products are applied in most cases.
    • Cocoa butter creams can help reduce the appearance of scars and blemishes.
      By: red150770
      Cocoa butter creams can help reduce the appearance of scars and blemishes.
    • Prescription topical ointments are more effective at treating acne than cocoa butter or other home treatments.
      By: Budimir Jevtic
      Prescription topical ointments are more effective at treating acne than cocoa butter or other home treatments.