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Pore-clogging ingredient checker

Paste any ingredient list and see what is flagged, or browse the full list below. Published 0 to 5 comedogenic scores where a score exists, and we say so when one does not.

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The science

What comedogenic ratings mean — and their limits

01

Comedogenic ratings (0–5) estimate how likely an ingredient is to clog pores, historically derived from the rabbit-ear assay and later human patch studies. Ingredients rated 3 and above — classics like isopropyl myristate, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and acetylated lanolin — clog susceptible skin often enough to be worth flagging.

02

The honest caveats: ratings describe raw ingredients, not finished formulas. Concentration, the surrounding formulation, and rinse-off versus leave-on all change real behavior — 2% of a rated-4 ester deep in a rinse-off cleanser is a different situation from 20% in a leave-on cream. And individual skin varies enormously; plenty of people use coconut oil without a single clog.

03

The practical use of this checker: when you clog easily and a product keeps breaking you out, flagged ingredients near the top of its INCI list are the prime suspects. Treat a flag as a reason to patch-test or deprioritize, not as a verdict — and treat an all-clear as encouraging, not a guarantee.

The full pore-clogging ingredient list

Every ingredient the checker knows about, grouped by what it actually is. A number is a published comedogenicity score on the 0 to 5 scale. No number means acne clinics flag it but nobody ever published an assay score for it, which is a weaker claim and is labelled as one. Most lists on the internet print both kinds side by side with no distinction, which is how an unrated seaweed extract ends up looking as dangerous as isopropyl myristate.

Read it by group rather than alphabetically. The esters are where the highest scores cluster, because a light, fast-spreading emollient is exactly the molecule that sits in a follicle and does not rinse away. Whole plant oils track their fatty acid profile, which is why coconut scores a 4 and argan scores a 0. And the algae section is long because clinics flag the entire category on the iodine argument, not because each species was tested.

Rated94 ingredients with a published 0 to 5 score

Flagged only46 that clinics list with no assay behind them

Names matched446 including INCI and botanical spellings

Esters

Oil and alcohol bonded together to make a light, fast-spreading emollient. The category holds most of the highest published scores: they sit in the follicle and do not wash out easily.

  • Isopropyl isostearate

    5/5

  • Isopropyl linoleate

    Also listed as isopropyl linolate, linolate

    5/5

  • Isopropyl myristate

    Also listed as ipm

    The reference point for the whole scale. Scores 5 in every published table.

    5/5

  • Myristyl myristate

    Also listed as tetradecyl myristate

    5/5

  • Cetyl acetate

    Also listed as 1-hexadecanol acetate, hexadecanol acetate, n-hexadecyl ethanoate, palmityl acetate

    4/5

  • Ethylhexyl palmitate

    Also listed as octyl palmitate, octyl palmitic acid

    4/5

  • Isocetyl stearate

    4/5

  • Isodecyl oleate

    4/5

  • Isopropyl isodecanoate

    4/5

  • Isopropyl palmitate

    4/5

  • Isostearyl isostearate

    Also listed as isooctadecyl isooctadecanoate

    4/5

  • Myreth-3 myristate

    4/5

  • Myristyl lactate

    4/5

  • Myristyl propionate

    Also listed as myristyl propianate

    4/5

  • PPG-2 myristyl ether propionate

    Also listed as ppg-2 myristyl propionate, ppg 2 myristyl propionate, ppg-2 myristyl, ppg 2 myristyl ether propionate, ppp 2 myristyl ether propionate

    4/5

  • Stearyl heptanoate

    Also listed as octadecyl heptanoate

    4/5

  • Butyl stearate

    Also listed as butyl stearic acid

    3/5

  • Decyl oleate

    3/5

  • Dioctyl succinate

    3/5

  • Ethylhexyl stearate

    Also listed as octyl stearate

    3/5

  • Isostearyl neopentanoate

    3/5

Plant and animal oils

Whole oils. The score tracks the fatty acid profile more than the plant, which is why coconut scores high and argan does not.

  • Wheat germ oil

    Also listed as triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil, triticum vulgare, triticum aestivum, wheat germ glyceride

    5/5

  • Coconut oil

    Also listed as cocos nucifera oil, cocos nucifera, cocos, coconut, coconut extract, coconut fruit extract and 2 more

    4/5

  • Flaxseed oil

    Also listed as linum usitatissimum seed oil, linseed oil, flax oil

    4/5

  • Palm kernel oil

    4/5

  • Palm oil

    Also listed as red palm oil, elaeis guineensis oil

    4/5

  • Avocado oil

    Also listed as persea gratissima oil, avokado oil

    3/5

  • Corn oil

    Also listed as zea mays (corn) oil, zea mays oil

    3/5

  • Cottonseed oil

    Also listed as gossypium herbaceum (cotton) seed oil, cotton seed oil, cotton oil, cotton awws oil, cotton awws

    3/5

  • Hydrogenated vegetable oil

    3/5

  • Mink oil

    3/5

  • Shark liver oil

    Also listed as shark squalene, shark liver oil (squalene)

    3/5

  • Soybean oil

    Also listed as glycine soja oil, glycine soja (soybean) oil, glycine max, soybean, soy, soyabean oil

    3/5

  • Sulfated castor oil

    Also listed as turkey red oil

    3/5

  • Sulfated jojoba oil

    Plain jojoba oil is low. Sulfating it changes the behaviour.

    3/5

  • Almond oil

    Also listed as prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, sweet almond oil

    2/5

  • Apricot kernel oil

    Also listed as prunus armeniaca kernel oil, apricot oil

    2/5

  • Evening primrose oil

    Also listed as oenothera biennis oil

    2/5

  • Olive oil

    Also listed as olea europaea fruit oil

    2/5

  • Peanut oil

    Also listed as arachis hypogaea oil

    2/5

  • Sesame oil

    Also listed as sesamum indicum seed oil, sesamum indicum, sesame seed

    2/5

  • Vitamin E oil

    Also listed as tocopheryl acetate

    2/5

  • Hydrogenated castor oil

    1/5

  • Squalene

    Squalane (with an a) is the stable hydrogenated version and rates lower still.

    1/5

  • Argan oil

    Also listed as argania spinosa kernel oil, moroccan oil

    Listed because people search it. Published score is 0. Not a pore-clogger.

    0/5

  • Andiroba seed oil

    Unrated

  • Babassu oil

    Also listed as orbignya oleifera seed oil

    Unrated

  • Beef tallow

    Also listed as tallow

    Unrated

  • Borage oil

    Also listed as borago officinalis seed oil

    Unrated

  • Brazil nut oil

    Also listed as bertholletia excelsa seed oil

    Unrated

  • Buriti oil

    Also listed as mauritia flexuosa fruit oil

    Unrated

  • Carrot seed oil

    Also listed as daucus carota sativa seed oil

    Unrated

  • Cherry seed oil

    Unrated

  • Chullu seed oil

    Unrated

  • Coconut alkanes

    Unrated

  • Cranberry seed oil

    Unrated

  • Hydrogenated olive oil

    Unrated

  • Kapok oil

    Unrated

  • Mahua seed oil

    Unrated

  • Marula oil

    Also listed as sclerocarya birrea seed oil, sclerocarya birrea, marula

    Unrated

  • Moringa oil

    Also listed as moringa oleifera seed oil

    Unrated

  • Palash oil

    Unrated

  • Papaya seed oil

    Unrated

  • Pequi oil

    Also listed as caryocar brasiliense fruit oil

    Unrated

  • Pilu oil

    Unrated

  • Pine nut oil

    Unrated

  • Rapeseed oil

    Also listed as brassica campestris oil, canola oil

    Unrated

Butters

Solid plant fats. A handful have published scores; most of the newer exotic butters are flagged by clinics without an assay behind them.

  • Cocoa butter

    Also listed as theobroma cacao seed butter, theobroma cacao butter, theobroma butter, theobroma oil, theobroma cocoa seed butter, cacao butter and 3 more

    4/5

  • Shea butter

    Also listed as butyrospermum parkii butter, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, butyrospermum parkii shea butter, butyrospermum parkii, butyrospermum, vitellaria paradoxa and 6 more

    3/5

  • Avocado butter

    Unrated

  • Jojoba butter

    Unrated

  • Mango butter

    Also listed as mangifera indica seed butter

    Unrated

  • Murumuru butter

    Also listed as astrocaryum murumuru seed butter

    Unrated

  • Olive butter

    Unrated

  • Palm butter

    Unrated

  • Sapote butter

    Also listed as pouteria sapota seed butter

    Unrated

  • Sunflower butter

    Unrated

  • Sweet almond butter

    Unrated

  • Tucuma butter

    Unrated

Fatty acids

Free fatty acids used as thickeners and cleansing bases. They also feed Malassezia, so they show up on the fungal acne list too.

  • Wheat germ acid

    5/5

  • Coconut acid

    4/5

  • Isostearic acid

    4/5

  • Lauric acid

    Also listed as dodecanoic acid, dodecoic acid, dodecyl acid, duodecylic acid, laurostearic acid

    4/5

  • Myristic acid

    3/5

  • Oleic acid

    3/5

  • Palmitic acid

    Low score, but it feeds Malassezia, so the fungal acne check flags it.

    2/5

  • Stearic acid

    Also listed as tea-stearic acid, stearic acid tea

    Widely used and only mildly rated. Flagged here because clinic lists include it.

    2/5

  • Magnesium myristate

    Also listed as myristate

    Unrated

Fatty alcohols

Waxy alcohols used to thicken creams. Nothing like drying alcohol. A few of the longer-chain ones score high.

  • Isocetyl alcohol

    Also listed as isopalmityl alcohol, isopalmitic alcohol

    4/5

  • Myristyl alcohol

    Also listed as myristyl

    4/5

  • Oleyl alcohol

    4/5

  • Cetearyl alcohol

    Also listed as cetearyl alcohol ceteareth 20

    2/5

  • Cetyl alcohol

    Also listed as hexadecyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol

    Mild. Included because clinic lists carry it and people look for it.

    2/5

Emulsifiers and surfactants

They hold oil and water together, or do the cleansing. Several ethoxylated ones score at the top of the scale.

  • Laureth-4

    Also listed as laureth 4

    5/5

  • Oleth-3

    Also listed as oleth 3

    5/5

  • Disodium monooleamido PEG-2 sulfosuccinate

    Also listed as disodium monooleamido peg 2- sulfosuccinate, disodium monooleamido, disodium oleamido peg-2 sulfosuccinate, peg 2- sulfosuccinate

    4/5

  • Polyglyceryl-3 diisostearate

    Also listed as glyceryl-3 diisostearate, glyceryl 3 diisostearate, polyglyceryl-diisostearate

    4/5

  • Steareth-10

    Also listed as steareth 10

    4/5

  • Ceteareth-20

    Also listed as ceteareth 20

    3/5

  • Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate

    3/5

  • Glyceryl stearate SE

    Also listed as glyceryl monostearate, monostearate, pg monostearate, propylene glycol monostearate

    The self-emulsifying (SE) grade is the one that scores. Plain glyceryl stearate is lower.

    3/5

  • Laureth-23

    Also listed as laureth 23

    3/5

  • Oleth-5

    Also listed as oleth 5

    3/5

  • PEG-200 dilaurate

    Also listed as peg 200 dilaurate

    3/5

  • PEG-8 stearate

    Also listed as peg 8 stearate

    3/5

  • Sorbitan oleate

    3/5

  • Olive oil PEG-7 esters

    Also listed as olive oil peg 7 esters

    Unrated

  • PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil

    Also listed as peg 40 hydrogenated castor oil

    Unrated

  • Polysorbate 80

    No published comedogenic score. Listed because it feeds Malassezia.

    Unrated

Lanolin and derivatives

Wool grease and everything made from it. Plain lanolin is moderate; the acetylated and ethoxylated versions score higher.

  • Acetylated lanolin

    Also listed as lanolin acetate

    4/5

  • Acetylated lanolin alcohol

    4/5

  • Isopropyl lanolate

    A lanolin ester. Scores higher than plain lanolin.

    4/5

  • PEG-16 lanolin

    Also listed as peg 16 lanolin, solulan 16, lanolin polyoxyethylene ether, ethoxylated lanolin

    4/5

  • Lanolin alcohol

    Also listed as wool alcohol, sheep alcohol, lanolic acid

    3/5

  • Lanolin

    Also listed as wool fat, acetylated wool fat, acetylated wool wax

    2/5

  • Lanolin oil

    1/5

Algae and seaweed

Acne clinics flag the whole category, largely on the iodine argument and client outcomes rather than assay data. Almost none of it has a published score.

  • Algae extract

    Also listed as algae, seaweed, marine algae, macroalgae, alginate, alginic acid and 14 more

    The generic listing carries a published 5. Named species below mostly do not.

    5/5

  • Carrageenan

    Also listed as irish moss, chondrus crispus, chondrus crispus powder, carrageenan gum, carrageenan moss, carastay c and 4 more

    5/5

  • Agar

    Unrated

  • Brown algae and kelp

    Also listed as brown algae, kelp, black kelp, norwegian kelp, bladderwrack, algae bladderwrack and 41 more

    Unrated

  • Chlorella

    Also listed as chlorella vulgaris extract

    Unrated

  • Diatom extract

    Also listed as haslea ostrearia, haslea ostrearia extract, phaeodactylum tricornutum extract

    Unrated

  • Green algae

    Also listed as ulva lactuca, ulva fasciata, ulva rhacodes, enteromorpha compressa, enteromorpha compressa extract, caulerpa filiformis and 10 more

    Unrated

  • Red algae

    Also listed as porphyra, porphyra umbilicalis, dulse, palmaria palmata, palmaria palmata extract, gelidium amansii extract and 24 more

    Unrated

  • Spirulina

    Also listed as arthrospira platensis, blue green algae, blue algae, aphanothece sacrum polysaccharide, microcystis aeruginosa

    Unrated

Sulfates

Cleansing detergents. The comedogenic scores here are for the raw ingredient, and a rinse-off cleanser is a very different exposure from a leave-on cream.

  • Sodium lauryl sulfate

    Also listed as sls, sodium dodecyl sulfate, lauryl sulfate

    Rated on raw ingredient exposure. In a cleanser that rinses off in 30 seconds the picture is different.

    5/5

  • Sodium laureth sulfate

    Also listed as sles, slo, sodium lauryl ether sulfate

    3/5

Dyes and pigments

Certain D&C red dyes, used in blushes and lipsticks, scored high in the original assays.

  • D&C Red 30

    Also listed as d & c red 30, dc red 30

    3/5

  • D&C Red 36

    Also listed as d & c red 36, dc red 36

    3/5

  • D&C Red 17

    Also listed as d & c red 17, dc red 17

    2/5

  • D&C Red 21

    Also listed as d & c red 21, dc red 21

    2/5

  • D&C Red 3

    Also listed as d & c red 3, dc red 3

    2/5

Waxes

Occlusive film formers. Mostly low scores, with a few exceptions worth knowing.

  • Beeswax

    Also listed as cera alba, white wax

    2/5

  • Jojoba wax

    Unrated

Other flagged ingredients

Everything that does not fit the categories above.

  • Coal tar

    Also listed as liquor picis carbonis, pyrene coal tar pitch, creosote

    5/5

  • Sodium chloride

    Also listed as potassium chloride

    Salt scores high in the assay. In a finished formula at low percentage it is rarely the problem.

    5/5

  • Xylene

    5/5

  • Colloidal sulfur

    3/5

  • Bismuth oxychloride

    Also listed as bismuth

    Common in mineral makeup. Flagged for irritation and clogging rather than by assay.

    Unrated

  • Lauroyl lysine

    Unrated

Scores come from the rabbit-ear comedogenicity assay literature, principally Fulton’s 1989 tables in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and the ingredient tables republished from that work. They measure raw ingredients on rabbit ears, not finished products on human faces, which is why a 4 in a rinse-off cleanser and a 4 in a night cream are not the same risk. Entries marked unrated appear on acne clinic lists without a published assay score behind them.

How to actually use comedogenic ratings

The ratings come from decades-old assays (rabbit ear, then human back-patch) that imperfectly model facial skin, and concentration changes everything — a 4-rated oil at 2% in a rinse-off cleanser is a different fact than the same oil as the base of a leave-on balm. So use ratings as triage, not verdict: breakout-prone plus a leave-on product whose FIRST FIVE ingredients include a 3+ flag is a strong lead; a flagged ingredient in position eighteen of a rinse-off is noise. Cross-reference with your breakout map — clogging shows where the product goes, hormones show on the jaw regardless of product.

FAQ

Common questions

What are the most comedogenic ingredients?+

The consistently high-rated (4–5) offenders: isopropyl myristate and its ester cousins, coconut oil and coconut butter, cocoa butter, wheat germ oil, acetylated lanolin, laureth-4, and certain algae extracts. Position matters — high on the list means higher concentration.

Is coconut oil bad for acne-prone skin?+

It rates 4/5 comedogenic and is one of the most common triggers acne-prone users identify. On the body or in rinse-off products it is far less risky than as a leave-on facial oil. If you clog easily, keep it off your face.

Are comedogenic ratings reliable?+

Directionally useful, not gospel. They come from assays that imperfectly model human facial skin, and they ignore concentration and formulation. Use them for triage: repeated breakouts plus a flagged ingredient high on the list is a strong lead worth testing.

Does this check for fungal acne (malassezia) safe ingredients?+

Yes — the checker also flags the common malassezia-feeding ingredients: fatty acids in the C11–C24 range, their esters, polysorbates, and fermentation-derived ingredients like galactomyces. The flag only matters if your bumps are actually fungal (small, uniform, often itchy) — our fungal acne quiz helps you tell.

Does it flag pregnancy-unsafe skincare ingredients?+

It flags the ingredients most commonly advised against during pregnancy — all retinoids (retinol, retinal, tretinoin, adapalene), hydroquinone, oxybenzone, and salicylic acid. Treat the flag as a heads-up for a conversation with your OB or dermatologist, not as medical advice.

Is coconut oil really that comedogenic?+

On the face of clog-prone people, the reputation is earned — it rates 4 and face-breakout reports are consistent. On body skin and in rinse-off products it is a non-issue. Same molecule, different context.

Can non-comedogenic products still break me out?+

Yes — the term is unregulated, ratings miss individual variation, and irritation-driven breakouts (from fragrance, from over-exfoliation) have nothing to do with clogging. A patch week on one cheek settles what any list cannot.

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