Part of being a woman is accepting that your body is in a constant state of transition. Whether moving between stages in your cycle, or your life, hormonal changes are reflected on our skin.
This can be a beautiful thing—our body’s way of showing us what’s going on beneath the surface. This way, we can respond in kind and give our body what it needs.
When it results in skin flare-ups and hormonal acne, it can also be a frustrating and difficult experience. Many women experience hormonal acne around their period, during pregnancy, during peri-menopause and menopause, and after switching off of hormonal birth control.
Whenever you experience hormonal acne, we can promise you you’re not alone. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there is a community of women experiencing this together, and we can lean on each other for advice and support.
While internal balance is important, external care—like what you put on your skin—plays a big role too.
Let’s talk about how natural skincare can support your journey through hormonal acne.
The Hormonal Connection
Whether you’ve decided to go off the pill, or are in the full throes of menopause, the root cause of hormonal acne is generally the same: excess sebum. Sebum (what we call the oil on the surface of our skin) is regulated by our androgen hormones (like testosterone).
When our body senses we have relatively high androgen levels, our skin produces more sebum. This can clog up pores, and generally create a good environment for acne to proliferate. Our immune system responds by increasing blood flow, causing inflammation and redness.
A totally understandable response to this is ramping up your skincare efforts. However, many conventional products contain endocrine disruptors and harsh surfectants that can make things worse by introducing chemicals that disregulate your hormonal system.
For example, when you stop hormonal birth control, your hormones are essentially recalibrating. Introducing ingredients that mimic estrogen or confuse hormone signalling can further exacerbate oil production, inflammation, and breakouts.
How Natural Skincare Supports Hormonal Skin
Regularly using natural skincare supports your skin through periods of hormonal fluctuation, and allows your body to find it’s natural rhythm again. Here are some key principles and natural ingredients for treating hormonal acne:
Gentle Cleansing: CLEAN Non-Foaming Cleanser
Harsh cleansers can cause your skin to overproduce oil, creating conditions for hormonal acne to thrive. Look for a cleanser that gently lifts dirt without stripping your skin of it’s protective oils.
- Ylang Ylang Flower Water + Essential Oil: Helps balance sebum production, which is key when breakouts are caused by hormone-driven excess oil.
- Evening Primrose Oil: Rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which has anti-inflammatory properties and supports the skin barrier.
- Carrot Carrier Oil: High in beta-carotene which supports skin renewal and may help with hyperpigmentation common after hormonal breakouts.
Restoring Hydration: BALANCE Alcohol-Free Toner
For skin that’s overactive due to hormonal shifts, you definitely want to avoid products that contain alcohol or harsh, skin-stripping chemicals. Our toner offers the perfect balance of soothing, antibacterial care without stripping your skin.
- Witch Hazel (Alcohol-Free): A natural astringent that reduces inflammation and tightens pores.
- Lavender + Rose Geranium Hydrosols: These floral waters are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and soothing—perfect for calming angry breakouts.
- Aloe Vera Leaf Juice: Clinically shown to speed up wound healing and reduce inflammation. Also helps fade post-acne marks and hydrate without clogging pores.
Skin Barrier Support: NOURISH Moisturizing Serum
Rather than clogging pores, NOURISH helps regulate oil, reduce inflammation, and repair skin damage from breakouts. It gives your skin the lipid-rich support it needs to heal, soften, and stay resilient.
- Jojoba Oil: Actually a liquid wax, famed for mimicing the skin’s natural sebum. Ideal for regulating oil production in acne-prone skin.
- Avocado Oil: Rich in oleic acid and vitamin E, it deeply repairs the skin barrier. Can help soothe dry patches that can occur with acne.
- Green Apple + Rosemary Extracts: Full of natural AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) that gently exfoliate and brighten. Can fade acne scars and even skin tone over time.
What Our Users Are Saying
These products are designed to work with your body’s natural systems, not overwhelm them. Healing hormonal acne is about consistency and care, not finding a quick fix or cure.
Enough from us, let’s hear from some women who used LAKE+MAIN on their hormonal acne journeys:
"After stopping hormonal birth control, I started experiencing persistent acne for the first time. I searched for solutions, but nothing fully cleared my skin. Focusing on hormone regulation helped, and choosing all natural skincare without chemicals or endocrine disruptors played a key role in improving my skin. My everyday routine consists of CLEAN (cleanser), BALANCE (Toner), and NOURISH (Moisturizer). I love how simple it is, how the products smell and feel, and knowing that they are supportive of my skin health and overall well being." - Ella
"After struggling with hormonal acne post-birth control, I finally feel like my skin is thriving. Balancing my hormones was a huge piece of the puzzle-but paring that with an all-natural, non-toxic skincare routine has made the biggest difference in how my skin feels and looks. Thus entire routine from @lake_and_main is handmade right here in Ontario, and I’ve been using it exclusively for the past month. It’s helped reduce my eczema, even out my skin tone, and give me that soft, glowy look I’ve been craving." - Liv (@the.bbstudio on Instagram)
Small Shifts, Big Impact
These stories are not overnight miracles, but part of a larger healing journey—we couldn’t be more proud to play a small role.
There is power in daily rituals. Scent, caring touch, and natural ingredients can truly shift your relationship with your skin. That’s our favourite thing about creating natural products, they don’t just address your symptoms, they encourage you to listen to your body.
Your skin is smart. With the right support, it can recalibrate.
Want to share your journey with hormonal acne? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us via email, or on our instagram page @lake_and_main.
