Pore-clogging ingredients / Cetyl Alcohol

Is Cetyl Alcohol comedogenic?

INCI name: Hexadecyl Alcohol

Mildly. Most skin tolerates this ingredient without breakouts.

Comedogenic rating

2/5

Mildly comedogenic

Evidence confidence

low

Source lists disagree about this ingredient. Treat the rating as a caution, not a verdict.

Also appears as

cetyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol, 1-hexadecanol, cetanol

What is Cetyl Alcohol?

Better known as cetyl alcohol, a waxy fatty alcohol from coconut or palm oil. It thickens, stabilizes, and softens in creams, lotions, and conditioners, and most sources treat it as low-risk despite its inclusion on some lists.

What to do if you're acne-prone

Source lists disagree on this one, which is why we flag it with a low rating rather than ignore it. Only the most reactive skin needs to avoid it outright.

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. The source lists disagree about this ingredient, which is why its confidence is marked low.

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

Related pore-clogging ingredients

• PEG-200 Dilaurate · 3/5
• PEG-8 Stearate · 3/5
• Sorbitan Oleate · 3/5
• TEA-Stearate · 3/5
• D&C Red 21 / Red 22 · 3/5
• D&C Red 36 · 3/5

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.