Is Squalene comedogenic?

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: shark liver oil

What is Squalene?

The unsaturated precursor of squalane and a natural component of human sebum, historically sourced from shark liver oil. The unsaturated form oxidizes readily — oxidized squalene is comedogenic — which is why formulators almost always use the stable hydrogenated version, squalane, instead. Don't confuse the two: squalane (with an 'a') is not flagged.

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.

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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.