Your Breakouts Aren’t Always Bacterial! Sometimes It’s Inflammation...

Most of us grow up believing acne is caused by bacteria. So when breakouts appear, the first instinct is to attack. Antibacterial cleansers, harsh treatments, and long-term antibiotics are often the go-to response.

But for many people, especially those with sensitive or reactive skin, the real issue isn’t bacteria. It’s inflammation.

Inflammation vs. Infection: What’s the Difference?

While bacteria can play a role in acne, it isn’t always the root cause. In many cases, inflammation is what turns a small blocked pore into a red, swollen, and painful breakout. Sometimes the inflammation comes first, triggering your skin’s immune response and making everything worse.

This matters even more if your skin barrier is already compromised from overuse of products or ongoing irritation.

What Dermatologists Know That Most Skincare Brands Don’t Talk About

Here’s something that often gets overlooked. When dermatologists prescribe antibiotics for acne, especially before recommending something like Accutane, it’s not always to kill bacteria. It’s often to calm persistent inflammation.

That’s how central inflammation is to acne. And if you're using skincare that continues to aggravate your skin, you may be working against what the treatment is trying to do.

For Sensitive, Acne-Prone Skin, Less Is More

If your breakouts are painful, red, or keep coming back despite using all the “right” products, you may be treating the wrong thing.

You don’t need to fight your skin. You need to support it.

What You Can Do Differently

1. Simplify your routine.
Avoid products with drying alcohols, essential oils, citrus extracts, or strong exfoliants. These often make things worse for reactive skin.

2. Focus on calming and barrier support.
Look for ingredients that reduce irritation and restore balance. Oat extract, barrier-supportive emollients, and clinically studied actives can make a real difference.

3. Be consistent.
Inflamed skin needs steady support. Not a new treatment every week.

How Earthwoven Helps

We created Earthwoven to be different. Our 3-step system is designed to calm the skin without sacrificing results. Each product is formulated with sensitive, acne-prone skin in mind, using active ingredients that support the skin barrier and restore balance over time. Because not all acne needs to be fought. Sometimes it just needs a better kind of care.

Start With the Earthwoven Trial Kit

If you’re tired of harsh treatments that only make things worse, try our Trial Kit. It’s the easiest way to experience Earthwoven, with the same formulations as our full-size products.