Pore-clogging ingredients / Turkey Red Oil

Is Turkey Red Oil comedogenic?

INCI name: Sulfated Castor Oil

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: turkey red oil

What is Turkey Red Oil?

Castor oil treated with sulfuric acid to make it water-dispersible (historically 'turkey red oil'). It appears in bath oils and some cleansing products; plain castor oil rates lower.

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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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.