Pore-clogging ingredients / Palm Kernel Oil

Is Palm Kernel Oil comedogenic?

INCI name: Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil

Yes. This ingredient clogs pores for many people.

Comedogenic rating
4/5
Highly comedogenic
Evidence confidence
moderate
Most published lists include this ingredient, with ratings that vary by about one point.
Also appears as
palm kernel oil, elaeis guineensis (palm) kernel oil

What is Palm Kernel Oil?

Oil from the palm fruit's kernel rather than its flesh — closer to coconut oil in fatty-acid profile, with the lauric/myristic content that implies. Used in soaps and rich creams.

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. This ingredient appears across both lineages with ratings that vary by about one point; we show the consensus value.

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.