Pore-clogging ingredients / Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Is Sodium Laureth Sulfate comedogenic?
It can. This ingredient carries moderate pore-clogging risk.
- Comedogenic rating
- 3/5
- Moderately comedogenic
- Evidence confidence
- moderate
- Most published lists include this ingredient, with ratings that vary by about one point.
- Also appears as
- sles
What is Sodium Laureth Sulfate?
The milder ethoxylated version of sodium lauryl sulfate, used as the primary foaming cleanser in countless shampoos and body washes. It's almost always rinsed off, which limits real-world exposure.
What to do if you're acne-prone
Position matters: high on the ingredient list means more of it in the formula. If you're very breakout-prone, choose an alternative; otherwise watch how your skin responds.
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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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.