June Is Acne Awareness Month: Understanding Hormonal & Adult Acne During Perimenopause - and Murad’s Science-Backed Solutions

Acne is often dismissed as a teenage problem - but for many women, breakouts don’t end after adolescence. In fact, hormonal and adult acne are becoming increasingly common, especially during perimenopause, when fluctuating hormones begin affecting the skin in new ways.

That’s why Acne Awareness Month in June matters.

It’s an opportunity to talk honestly about acne as a real inflammatory skin condition - one that affects confidence, skin health and emotional wellbeing at every age.

At Murad, acne has always been part of our DNA. Founded by dermatologist Howard Murad, Murad pioneered a more holistic understanding of skin health - recognising that stress, hormones, inflammation and barrier health all influence breakouts.

This Acne Awareness Month, we’re exploring:

• Why adult acne is increasing
• How perimenopause affects the skin
• Why hormonal breakouts behave differently
• And the Murad solutions designed to support clearer, healthier-looking skin without over-stripping or damaging the barrier

 

Why Adult Acne Is So Common Today

Adult acne is no longer unusual - especially in women.

Many people experience breakouts well into their:

• 30s
• 40s
• 50s

Unlike teenage acne, adult acne is often:

• Hormonal
• Inflammatory
• Persistent
• Combined with dehydration or sensitivity

Breakouts typically appear around:

• The chin
• Jawline
• Lower cheeks
• Neck

And for many women, these changes begin during perimenopause.

 

How Perimenopause Triggers Hormonal Acne

Perimenopause is the transitional phase before menopause, where estrogen levels begin fluctuating and gradually declining.

These hormonal changes affect the skin significantly.

As estrogen decreases:

• Skin produces less collagen
• Barrier recovery slows
• Skin becomes thinner and more reactive

At the same time, androgen hormones (which stimulate oil production) can become relatively more dominant.

This creates the perfect environment for:
Increased oil production
Congestion
Inflammation
Hormonal breakouts

Many women notice:

• Painful cystic acne
• Jawline breakouts
• Skin feeling both oily and dehydrated
• Longer healing times after acne

Hormonal acne during perimenopause often feels particularly frustrating because it appears at the same time as:

• Fine lines
• Dryness
• Pigmentation
• Sensitivity

This means the skin needs a much more balanced approach than traditional “teen acne” products.

 

Why Harsh Acne Treatments Often Make Adult Acne Worse

One of the biggest mistakes people make with hormonal acne is trying to aggressively dry out the skin.

Overusing:

• Harsh cleansers
• Strong acids
• Alcohol-heavy products
• Physical scrubs

can compromise the skin barrier and increase inflammation.

Inflamed skin often leads to:

• More breakouts
• Slower healing
• Increased redness
• More post-acne pigmentation

Adult and perimenopausal acne generally responds better to routines that:
Clarify
Hydrate
Support the barrier
Calm inflammation

simultaneously.

 

Murad’s Approach to Hormonal & Adult Acne

Murad’s dermatologist-developed formulas are designed to treat acne while respecting the biology of adult skin.

 

1. Cleanse Without Stripping

Murad Clarifying Cleanser

Hormonal skin still needs effective cleansing - but not aggressive cleansing.

Murad Clarifying Cleanser combines:

• Salicylic acid
• Green tea extract
• Skin-balancing ingredients

to help:
Remove excess oil
Clear congestion
Reduce buildup
Calm irritation

Unlike harsh acne cleansers, it helps maintain better skin balance.

 

2. Balance & Hydrate Hormonal Acne-Prone Skin

Murad Blemish Control Biome-Balancing Clear & Prevent Serum + Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel

Hormonal and perimenopausal acne is often very different from teenage acne. Many women experience skin that feels:

• Congested
• Inflamed
• Sensitive
• Simultaneously oily and dehydrated

This is why adult acne benefits from a more balanced approach — one that supports the skin barrier while helping control breakouts.

 

Murad Blemish Control Biome-Balancing Clear & Prevent Serum

This lightweight serum is designed to help support the skin’s microbiome while visibly reducing blemishes and helping prevent future breakouts.

Why it works particularly well for hormonally changing skin:
Helps rebalance acne-prone skin
Supports a healthier skin barrier
Helps calm visible inflammation
Lightweight texture ideal for breakout-prone skin
Helps prevent congestion without over-drying

Perimenopausal skin often becomes more reactive and slower to recover from inflammation, making biome and barrier support increasingly important.

Instead of aggressively stripping the skin, this serum helps create a healthier environment overall - which is essential for long-term breakout management.

 

Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel

One of the biggest misconceptions about acne is that oily skin doesn’t need hydration.

In reality, dehydrated skin can trigger:

• More oil production
• Increased sensitivity
• Barrier disruption
• More persistent breakouts

This lightweight gel moisturiser helps:

• Deliver long-lasting hydration
• Support barrier strength with peptides and vitamins
• Keep skin feeling balanced without heaviness
• Reduce tightness and dehydration common during perimenopause

Together, these two products help support skin that feels:
Calmer
More balanced
Better hydrated
Less reactive

Which is exactly what hormonally induced adult acne often needs most.

 

3. Treat Post-Acne Pigmentation

Murad Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum

Hormonal acne often leaves behind lingering marks long after breakouts heal.

Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is particularly common in adult acne because inflammation levels are often deeper and more persistent.

This brightening serum helps:
Improve post-acne marks
Support more even skin tone
Brighten dull or uneven skin

The formula combines:

• Tranexamic acid
• Resorcinol technology
• Glycolic acid
• Niacinamide

to target pigmentation while supporting overall skin clarity.

 

4. Support Overnight Skin Renewal

Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum

Retinol can be extremely beneficial for adult acne because it helps support:

• Cell turnover
• Smoother texture
• Reduced congestion
• Improved post-acne marks

Murad’s encapsulated retinol technology delivers gradual renewal while remaining gentler on mature or hormonally changing skin.

This is especially valuable during perimenopause, when natural skin renewal slows.

 

Why Barrier Health Matters More in Adult Acne

One of the biggest shifts in modern dermatology is recognising that acne-prone skin can still be sensitive and barrier-compromised.

Adult acne is often linked to:

• Stress
• Hormonal fluctuations
• Inflammation
• Barrier dysfunction

That’s why supporting the skin barrier is now considered essential for long-term acne management.

Healthy skin heals more efficiently - and inflamed skin breaks out more easily.

 

Lifestyle Factors That Influence Hormonal Acne

Hormonal acne is influenced by more than skincare alone.

Helpful habits include:
Managing stress levels
Prioritising sleep
Avoiding over-exfoliation
Wearing SPF daily
Supporting hydration
Maintaining consistent skincare routines

Stress management becomes especially important because elevated cortisol can worsen inflammation and oil production.

 

Acne Awareness Month Is About More Than Breakouts

Acne affects more than skin.

It can impact:

• Confidence
• Self-esteem
• Emotional wellbeing
• How comfortable people feel in their own skin

And for women navigating perimenopause, adult acne can feel particularly isolating because it’s rarely talked about openly.

This Acne Awareness Month is a reminder that:
Adult acne is common
Hormonal breakouts are real
Skin changes during perimenopause are normal
Acne deserves support - not shame

 

Conclusion: Supporting Hormonal Skin Intelligently

Adult acne requires a different conversation than teenage acne.

Hormonal fluctuations, inflammation and barrier changes — especially during perimenopause = mean the skin often needs:
Clarification without stripping
Hydration without heaviness
Renewal without irritation
Pigment correction without inflammation

Murad’s science-backed approach combines:

• Acne-clearing ingredients
• Barrier support
• Gentle renewal
• Pigment correction

to help support clearer, healthier-looking skin at every age.

Because acne doesn’t make you immature.
And changing skin during perimenopause doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

It simply means your skin needs support that evolves with you.