Sleep and stress load

Poor sleep and chronic stress measurably raise cortisol, and cortisol feeds the same hormonal pathway that drives adult acne. It's a real, evidenced factor, just not one that clears breakouts by itself.

Track it alongside an active, not instead of one. It's the kind of thing that makes everything else work a bit better, not a treatment in its own right.

Where it sits against the alternatives

Ranked honestly against the other things people reach for. Same concern, different pathways.