The 2025 Acne Treatment Guide  

Your Personalized Acne Routine Starts Here

It’s always a good time to reset your skincare routine and set fresh skin goals. For many, that means tackling acne. Fortunately, here at GK, we are well-versed in this area. From breakout prevention to healing stubborn acne scars, here’s what actually works.

What’s Really Causing Your Breakouts

While there are several catalysts for acne, we always start by asking - have you done a clean swap yet? How we approach acne treatment before, during, and after a breakout determines the duration of inflammation and the severity of scarring. The impulse with acnegenic skin is to attack it with harsh solutions, but many drugstore acne remedies contain known skin irritants that exacerbate breakouts. Your skin will thank you for switching to clean beauty formulas in every step of your skincare routine. 

Our Acne Game Plan: Tailored, Thoughtful, Proven

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for acne—despite what the internet might say. When someone builds a routine on their own, it’s easy to miss key steps or combine products that don’t play well together, often leading to more irritation than results. That’s where we come in.

At GK, skin is our thing. Our complimentary skin consults and personalized skincare routines are what we’re known for. When we design an acne-focused regimen, we look at the full picture—your skin type, current routine, and the most effective way to treat your breakouts. We always aim to work within your budget, combining natural, inflammation-soothing ingredients with targeted, high-performance treatments that fight acne-causing bacteria.

While we’ve outlined a go-to treatment plan below, we truly believe acne care should be personal. That’s why our Educators start by asking what you’re already using—no judgment. It helps us spot any ingredient conflicts or gaps in your routine so we can make sure your skin is supported, not stressed. Not in Victoria? No worries—we offer virtual consults, too.

The Skincare Routine That Clears Acne—Naturally

1. The Cleanser: A Fresh Start for Your Skin

Our cleansers contain the highest possible concentrations of active ingredients without excess fillers and synthetic preservatives. For acne-prone skin, we recommend one of these 3 cleansers, depending on what texture you prefer:
1) Indie Lee Purifying Face Wash - a non-stripping, lathering cleanser with targeted acne fighting ingredients.
2) Glow Jar Beauty Clear Skin Cleanser - a creamy gel cleanser that targets inflammation.
3) Viva Organics Bio Foaming Cleanser - a foaming cleanser suited for all skin types, popular with men and teens. 
For added detoxifying benefits, soap up this charcoal sponge and massage it gently onto the skin in a circular motion. This sponge does a great job drawing out pore-blockers.

2. The Exfoliating Peel: Clear Pores, Smooth Glow

Exfoliants are the secret to soft, glowing skin, and that's what you'll get with these superpower multitasking plant active peel pads. The mandelic acid targets sunspots, fine lines, and blemishes, while the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) unclogs pores to minimize acne. Gentle acid treatments like this really help clear away dead skin cells, dirt, and oils, so your pores stay clean! 

3. The Acne Mask: Treat & Calm in One Step

Treat acne with a non-toxic and natural skin-clearing mask. Masks work quickly to unclog pores and reduce inflammation associated with acne. Whether a sheet mask or a clay, consistency is key. 

4. The Vitamin C Serum: Brighten and Repair

Add Vitamin C into your skincare rotation. Topical Vitamin C stimulates collagen production and fades hyperpigmentation while brightening the skin. It's also a mild exfoliant, so go slowly at first. 

5. The Spot Treatment: Target Trouble Fast

We have seen excellent results with our acne-prone guests incorporating consistent spot treatment. If you're new to spot-targeting treatments, start by treating your zits with a powerful but gentle acne patch at night (brownie points if it contains Salicylic Acid) and a fast-acting clear gel during the day.  

6. The Retinoid: Smooth Texture, Fewer Breakouts

Retinoids can help to prevent acne and improve acne scarring. Prescription-grade retinoids (Tretinoin) are often prescribed to treat severe cystic acne. But if that's not you, try a gentle retinol serum that works well on all skin types, including sensitive skin! 

7. The Moisturizer: Lightweight, Non-Comedogenic Hydration

A clean alternative to conventional petroleum-based moisturizers, this vitamin-rich moisturizer from Glow Jar Beauty is squalane-based and won't clog pores! Wear it morning or night and under makeup. If your moisture barrier needs repair, we recommend CV Skinlabs Calming Moisture. It's nutrient- rich formula immediately calms and nourishes chronically irritated skin.

8. The Mineral Sunscreen: Don’t Skip This Step

If you set just one skin goal this year, it should be to use sun protection daily (yes, daily). And not just any SPF - swap your chemical sunscreen for mineral. Chemical SPF contains some of the most irritating chemicals in the beauty industry, exacerbating that already angry breakout. Protecting yourself from sun exposure will shorten the time it takes your acne scarring to disappear. Skipping daily SPF application will significantly lessen the efficacy of your acne treatment products. Bonus: the zinc our sunscreen is anti-inflammatory and help with redness.

9. The Clean Concealer: Cover + Heal, Naturally

Layering a chemical concealer over a breakout is a recipe for further irritation. Ensure your concealer is clean and made without petroleum, dyes, and plasticizers. We find the Fitglow Beauty Conceal + works best over an angry pimple. Dab a bit over the breakout, then pat (don't rub) until it smoothes over. Voilà. Need help colour-matching? It's on the house! 

Our Takeaway: Clean Acne Care That Gets Results

There are many effective acne treatments in the clean beauty space, and with the help of a smart skincare routine, (pop over here for a refresher on the correct order to apply your skincare to optimize results), you can combat acne at any age. Talk to a dermatologist about prescription medications for acne prevention if your acne doesn't calm down after a few months of using these products. If you're lucky to live with us here in Victoria, visit us at our brick-and-mortar for a complimentary custom skin analysis. All Green Kiss Educators are well-versed in skincare concerns and our product lineup and will topically guide you based on your skin condition or skin type.

All copy found on The Green Kiss website is written for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.