Natural treatments can effectively kill acne-causing bacteria
Multiple in vitro and clinical studies support the effectiveness of various natural plant extracts, oils, and other natural compounds in inhibiting and killing acne-causing bacteria.
The retrieved literature consistently demonstrates that various natural treatments—ranging from medicinal plant extracts and essential oils to honey and fermented plant products—possess significant in vitro antimicrobial activity against acne-causing bacteria such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus, with several studies also backing this up with clinical or formulation trials. There are no refuting papers.
O. Said, I. Khamaysi, Abdalsalam Kmail, S. Fulder, Basheer Abofarekh, R. Amin, Jamila Daraghmeh, B. Saad. In Vitro and Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy and Safety of Nine Antiacne Medicinal Plants. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3231413
Demonstrates that specific medicinal plant extracts possess significant antimicrobial activity against Cutibacterium acnes and successfully reduce acne lesions in a clinical trial.
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Tantri L. Nareswari, Fidela O Vrince, Erga Syafi Tri. Formulation and Evaluation of Citronella Oil (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle) Cream for Acne Treatment. 2023. https://doi.org/10.25258/ijddt.13.1.67
Shows that citronella oil cream exhibits antibacterial activity with a clear inhibition zone against Propionibacterium acnes.
Qian Yu, Luyao Sun, Fu Peng, Chen Sun, Fang Xiong, Meiji Sun, Juan Liu, Cheng Peng, Qinmei Zhou. Antimicrobial Activity of Stilbenes from Bletilla striata against Cutibacterium acnes and Its Effect on Cell Membrane. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11122958
Finds that stilbenes extracted from Bletilla striata possess significant antibacterial activity and disrupt the cell membrane of Cutibacterium acnes.
Shafira Ananda Djakaria, Irmanida Batubara, Rika Raffiudin. Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Selected Indonesian Honey against Bacteria of Acne. 2020. https://doi.org/10.14710/jksa.23.8.267-275
Reports that selected Indonesian honey samples exhibit both bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against Propionibacterium acnes.
Eun Jeong Park, Jun-Hyun Oh. Antimicrobial activities of Korean mugwort (Artemisia iwayomogi and Artemisia princeps) extracts against Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes. 2019. https://doi.org/10.11002/kjfp.2019.26.4.381
Indicates that Korean mugwort extracts display notable antimicrobial activity against acne-causing bacteria like Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus.
Y. Kong, J. Tan, Choon Fu Goh. Plant-Based Protein Fermentation Medium Optimization for Antimicrobial Cell-Free Supernatant Production by Lactiplantibacillus plantarum K014 Against Cutibacterium acnes. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-025-10742-9
Verifies that plant-based fermented cell-free supernatants have strong inhibitory and bactericidal effects against Cutibacterium acnes.
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