Soap for Acne - Shabbat
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Question
I asked you whether soap for acne is considered a medicinal soap that is forbidden on Shabbat, or if it is like soap that even healthy people use, and therefore would be permitted on Shabbat. You answered that it depends on whether healthy people also use it. That's not what I meant. I meant to ask whether the fact that it is a facial soap containing substances that also help with acne makes it a medicinal soap. The question is actually divided into two parts: a) Is treating acne considered medical treatment at all? and b) Is soap intended for acne (pimples) called something that even healthy people use (after all, it cleans the face but contains ingredients that help treat and prevent pimples)?
Answer
Hello,
a) A product intended for treating pimples is considered a medicine and is forbidden to use on Shabbat.
b) Even though the product contains cleansing agents beneficial for everyone, if the primary purpose of the product is medicinal, it is forbidden to use it.
Only if the product is a regular soap that everyone uses, but it also contains ingredients beneficial for pimples, it is considered regular soap and is permitted to use. [For example, there are simple soaps that contain moisturizing agents, which are beneficial for those who suffer from dry skin, but this does not make them a product whose purpose is 'medicine'].
Source
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, Siman 328, Se'if 1