Why "How to Close Pores" Is One of the Internet's Most Searched Beauty Myths 🚪

Welcome to Cloud 10's new Myth-Busting Monthly, a series where we're dragging your favourite beauty "facts" into the light to see if they hold up. First up, we're coming for a big one: pores that "open" and "close."

You've seen the claims. Steam to "open" your pores before extractions. Cold water or ice rollers to "close" them back up. Toners that promise to "tighten" and "shrink" you into poreless perfection. It sounds logical.

It's wrong, and nobody says it better than skincare's reigning queen, Caroline Hirons: pores are not doors. They do not open and close. Nothing opens and closes pores. Nothing.

Let's get into why this myth won't die, what's actually happening on your skin, and what genuinely helps, because something does, just not what you think.

So... what actually IS a pore?

A pore is a fixed opening for a hair follicle and its oil (sebum) gland, and it has no hinge and no spring. Its size is set by genetics, age, sun damage, and how much oil and dead skin is sitting in and around it. Water temperature has nothing to do with it.

Heat can make oil sit closer to the surface and feel looser, which is why steaming feels like it's opening things up. Cold water can make skin feel tighter and more taut, which is why it feels like it's closing things. Feel isn't function. The physical size of the pore hasn't moved.

Where this myth actually comes from

This one has serious staying power. The promise of "shrinking" your pores has been around for decades, passed from glossy ads to beauty-counter chats to the back of your mum's bathroom cabinet.

Here's the catch: pores don't have muscles, so they can't open or close on command. Cold water, toners and clay masks won't change their actual size. What the right products can do is clear away the excess oil and dead skin cells that stretch a pore and make it look bigger.

That's why the wording on the label matters so much. "Closes pores" and "minimises the appearance of pores" might sound similar, but they're very different promises. One is marketing fiction. The other is honest, achievable skincare, and it's the one worth actually paying for.

What products CAN actually do ✨

This is the bit brands don't shout about loud enough, because "reduces the appearance" doesn't sound as snappy on a bottle as "shrinks pores." It's the honest version, and it's still a total glow-up for your skin:

• Oil-soluble acids like salicylic acid can actually get into the pore lining and clear out the gunk that's stretching it and making it look bigger.

• Niacinamide helps regulate oil production over time, so there's less sebum sitting in the pore and less shine catching the light.

• Retinoids support skin turnover and collagen production, which matters because pores tend to look more stretched and saggy as skin ages.

• A weekly clay mask or a proper double cleanse pulls out excess oil and debris, so what's visible in the pore shrinks even though the pore itself hasn't.

None of these close a door. They just make sure nothing's propping it open.

The Cloud 10 edit: what to actually shop for this

Skip anything promising to "close" or "seal" your pores and look for these instead:

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant is the internet's favourite pore-clearing exfoliant for a reason

 

 

 

Budget-friendly and effective: The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% for daily oil control and skin barrier support.

 

 

Medicube Zero Pore Pad 2.0 - one swipe with these and you'll see the gunk lift right off, no "opening" required, just a proper clear-out.

 

 

 

 

 

Mario Badescu Pore Minimiser is the honest label energy we love: it won't "close" anything, but it will keep shine and texture in check so pores look smaller in the mirror, not just on paper

 

 

Every price point, every skin type, all backed by what pores actually respond to.

Ready to shop the real deal?

If you're done chasing pore-closing miracles that were never going to happen, head over to Cloud 10's pore-perfecting edit and build a routine that clears them out for real.

Got a beauty myth you want us to fact-check next month? Drop it in the comments. We're always happy to help!