Is Coconut Oil comedogenic?

INCI name: Cocos Nucifera Oil

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: coconut oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil

What is Coconut Oil?

The oil pressed from coconut meat — a kitchen staple that migrated into skincare as a natural moisturizer and makeup remover. It's roughly half lauric and myristic acid, the two fatty acids that anchor the high end of comedogenicity lists, which is why 'natural' doesn't help here. Found in body moisturizers, hair masks, cleansing balms, and countless DIY routines.

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.