Bacne! Bumne! Let’s find cute words for body acne! The beauty industry likes to give fun names to not-so-fun things, and breakouts on our body are definitely up there with the least enjoyable parts of bodycare.
Whiteheads, blackheads and pimples don’t just appear on our faces; they can crop up anywhere on our bodies, with bums and backs being two of the most popular destinations for them to settle in.
What is body acne and what causes it?
Bacne is similar to facial acne, in that it’s usually caused by excess sebum, whereas those little rough bumps on your bum are more likely to be a result of chafing and irritation than from too much oil. Of course, there are many reasons for spots to form – hormones, stress and even changes to the weather can all lead to breakouts – but there is something else that could be causing body acne: your workouts.
While sweat and tight clothing are synonymous with gym classes everywhere, they also happen to be two of the leading causes of body breakouts. Sweat clogs up pores, and while those Lululemon leggings look great, they can trap and rub sweat further into your skin. Nice.
How can you avoid body acne?
Before you cancel that spin class, there are some things you can do to tackle body acne yourself. First up, post-exercise, get out of your workout gear as quickly as possible and into the shower. Allowing dead skin cells, sweat and oil to build up leads to clogged pores, which leads to acne, so you need to find a way of removing that.
How? The answer lies in exfoliation, my friend: keeping your pores clean through regular scrubbing will help eliminate bumne- and bacne-causing toxins. Think sweat, scrub, repeat.
How to use body scrub for body acne
Body scrub is best used right after a workout to keep skin clean and exfoliated, to prevent spots from taking hold. For regular use, you should aim to scrub up around two to three times a week to keep your whole body feeling super silky and smooth. Alternate between your scrub and regular body wash for best results.
6 of the best body scrub formulas to use after your workout and beyond
Below, find the ideal body scrub to meet all of your exfoliating needs and leave you baby soft.
For when you can’t decide between a physical and chemical exfoliator: ZitSticka Fizz Fountain Multi-Exfoliant Body Scrub, £23
Sometimes you want to manually scrub off dead skin cells with a gritty, grainy physical exfoliator, while other days you crave the skin-dissolving acids in a chemical exfoliator that do the hard work for you. Or, maybe you want the best of both worlds. Super fine grains of pumice and bamboo powder give ZitSticka’s hardworking scrub a satisfyingly rough texture, while the holy trinity of salicylic, lactic and glycolic acids simultaneously eat up dead skin cells to help unclog pores.
The shower gel that’s as good as a scrub: Frank Body Clearing Body Wash, £9.95
OK, so technically this isn’t a scrub. But this supercharged body wash contains blemish-busting BHA salicylic acid, which dissolves the pore-clogging dead skin cells and provides a gentle chemical exfoliation. It’s also a pretty handy ingredient for lightening any marks from previous breakouts. Really, this has made the cut because I’m lazy, and using this means I get all the sweat-removing benefits of a shower gel plus the exfoliating bonuses of a chemical scrub. It’s also got lovely hydrating ingredients such as aloe and kakadu plum, which help to soothe the skin while the active acid is doing its thing.
The skincare-inspired scrub: Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Resurfacing Body Scrub, £48
I’ve been obsessed with Kate Sommerville’s original face exfoliator, ExfoliKate Intensive Treatment, for years. It was the brand’s very first product, created by Sommerville when she was working as a facialist to celebs like Jessica Alba and Karlie Kloss and needed something that could effectively give the results of a facial in two minutes. The result: a dual-action chemical physical exfoliator. So I was very excited when the brand announced that it was moving into bodycare, starting with this scrub, which is basically a souped-up version of the bestselling face exfoliator. It works in a similar way to the original, pairing gritty pumice with fruit enzymes, lactic and salicylic acid to properly work at buffing away rough, bumpy patches. Crucially, it’s much larger than the face version, so I now don’t have to waste my precious face scrub on my bacne.
The dermatologist-approved scrub: Ameliorate Smoothing Body Exfoliant, £18
Originally created to target keratosis pilaris, AKA chicken skin or those little red bumps you can get on your arms, this works wonders on body acne, too. It is derm-approved (something it proudly displays on its packaging), so is officially considered one of the best scrubs for eliminating breakout-inducing grime. It’s another product that takes a two-pronged attack on clogged pores, combining microdermabrasion granules with chemical exfoliators, such as lactic acid.
The scrub for sensitive skin: Nécessaire The Body Exfoliator, £30
Nécessaire is on a mission to get us taking our bodycare as seriously as our facial skincare. All of its products are created using clinically-proven ingredients that have been tested specifically for body skin, so you know it’s going to be doing some good. Obviously, this shower scrub looks a lot prettier than your average shower gel, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. It’s got all the exfoliating big-hitters: bamboo charcoal, pumice, glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid, all wrapped up in a delicious eucalyptus scent. In addition, it contains niacinamide, an ingredient that’s threaded through all Nécessaire products thanks to its ability to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier. So even though you’re buffing unwanted bits of skin and dirt away, you’re looking after what’s left, too. Oh, and eucalyptus is hypoallergenic, so it’s a lovely choice for sensitive skin types.
The classic scrub: Fenty Skin Buff Ryder Exfoliating Body Scrub, £28
Fenty’s environmental credentials are getting better and better. Rihanna’s beauty brand recently launched its first refillable lipstick, and this lovely scrub is another product that you can purchase refills for. Inspired by her home country of Barbados, this is what I call a proper scrub. As you work this mixture of sugar, salt and superfine sand (are you dreaming of a Caribbean beach yet?) into wet skin to gently shift dirt and oil, you’ll literally see the physical results of your labour, as skin is left feeling mega soft post-wash.
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