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Comedogenic ingredient checker
Paste the ingredient list from any product and instantly flag the pore-cloggers — every ingredient rated 3–5 on the published comedogenic scales, with honest caveats.
CostFree
TimeUnder 1 min
SignupNone
DataNothing stored
Paste the full ingredient (INCI) list from any product
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.
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.
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.