Is Shea Butter comedogenic?

INCI name: Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Yes. This ingredient clogs pores for many people.

Comedogenic rating: 4/5; Highly comedogenic
Evidence confidence: high; Published lists agree on this rating.
Also appears as: shea butter, butyrospermum parkii, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, shea, shea nut oil, karite, vitellaria paradoxa

What is Shea Butter?

The fat from shea tree nuts, a staple emollient in body creams, hand creams, and hair products. It's excellent below the neck; for acne-prone facial skin, published lists rate it high-risk in leave-on products.

What to do if you're acne-prone

Skip it in leave-on products like moisturizers, sunscreens, and foundations if you're acne-prone. In rinse-off products the risk is lower but not zero.

Where this rating comes from

Our ratings consolidate two lineages: the original rabbit-ear comedogenicity assays published by James Fulton and colleagues (Fulton, Pay & Fulton, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 1984; Fulton, Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 1989), and the pore-clogger lists maintained by acne-specialist estheticians in the Face Reality lineage that refine those assays with decades of client observation. Both source lineages agree on this ingredient's rating.

Last reviewed 2026-08-15 by the PorePass editorial team.

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Related pore-clogging ingredients

Comedogenicity ratings come from published ingredient studies and esthetician-compiled lists. They are imperfect and formulation-dependent, and this page isn't medical advice. Reactions vary by skin, concentration, and the rest of the formula.