Pore-clogging ingredients list

All 100 comedogenic ingredients we check for, grouped by rating. Ratings come from published comedogenicity studies and esthetician-compiled lists. Each entry shows how confident the evidence is, because the sources don't always agree.

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Severely comedogenic (5/5)

These clog pores for most people. Avoid them anywhere on acne-prone skin, including haircare that touches your face.

Ingredient	Also appears as	Confidence
Algae Extract	seaweed extract, seaweed, algae	moderate
Carrageenan	chondrus crispus, chondrus crispus extract, irish moss	high
Coal Tar	—	moderate
Ethylhexyl Stearate	octyl stearate	moderate
Isocetyl Stearate	—	high
Isopropyl Isostearate	—	high
Isopropyl Linoleate	isopropyl linolate	moderate
Isopropyl Myristate	ipm	high
Laureth-4	—	high
Myristyl Myristate	—	high
Oleth-3	—	high
Potassium Chloride	—	moderate
Red Algae	red algae extract, rhodophyta	moderate
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate	sls	moderate
Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil	wheat germ oil, triticum vulgare (wheat) germ oil	high

Highly comedogenic (4/5)

High risk for acne-prone skin, especially in leave-on products like moisturizers, sunscreens, and foundations.

Ingredient	Also appears as	Confidence
Acetylated Lanolin	—	high
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol	—	high
Algin	sodium alginate, alginate, alginic acid	moderate
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter	shea butter, butyrospermum parkii, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, shea, shea nut oil, karite, vitellaria paradoxa	high
Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth-20	cetearyl alcohol and ceteareth-20, cetearyl alcohol ceteareth-20	moderate
Cetyl Acetate	hexadecyl acetate, 1-acetoxyhexadecane	high
Chlorella Vulgaris Extract	chlorella, chlorella extract	moderate
Coconut Butter	cocos nucifera seed butter	high
Cocos Nucifera Oil	coconut oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil	high
Disodium Oleamido PEG-2 Sulfosuccinate	disodium monooleamido peg-2 sulfosuccinate	moderate
Elaeis Guineensis Kernel Oil	palm kernel oil, elaeis guineensis (palm) kernel oil	moderate
Elaeis Guineensis Oil	palm oil	low
Ethylhexyl Palmitate	octyl palmitate, 2-ethylhexyl palmitate	high
Isocetyl Alcohol	—	moderate
Isodecyl Oleate	—	high
Isopropyl Lanolate	—	moderate
Isopropyl Palmitate	ipp	high
Isostearyl Isostearate	—	high
Kelp	kelp extract, ascophyllum nodosum extract	moderate
Laminaria Digitata Extract	—	moderate
Laminaria Saccharina Extract	laminaria saccharine extract	moderate
Lauric Acid	—	high
Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil	linseed oil, flaxseed oil, flax seed oil	high
Myristyl Lactate	—	high
Oleyl Alcohol	—	high
PEG-16 Lanolin	solulan 16	moderate
Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate	—	moderate
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate	—	moderate
PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate	—	high
Propylene Glycol Monostearate	pg monostearate	moderate
Steareth-10	—	moderate
Stearyl Heptanoate	—	high
Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter	cocoa butter, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter	high
Xylene	—	moderate

Moderately comedogenic (3/5)

Risk depends on concentration and your skin. Watch for these in the first half of an ingredient list.

Ingredient	Also appears as	Confidence
Butyl Stearate	butyl octadecanoate	high
CI 12085	d&c red 36, red 36	moderate
CI 26100	d&c red 17, red 17	moderate
CI 45380	d&c red 21, d&c red 22, red 21, red 22	moderate
CI 45410	d&c red 27, d&c red 28, red 27, red 28	moderate
CI 45430	d&c red 3, red 3, erythrosine	moderate
CI 73360	d&c red 30, red 30	moderate
Coconut Alkanes	—	moderate
Colloidal Sulfur	—	moderate
Decyl Oleate	—	high
Dioctyl Succinate	—	moderate
Ethoxylated Lanolin	—	moderate
Glyceryl Stearate SE	—	moderate
Glycine Soja Oil	soybean oil, glycine soja (soybean) oil	moderate
Gossypium Herbaceum Seed Oil	cottonseed oil, cotton seed oil	moderate
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil	—	moderate
Isostearyl Neopentanoate	—	moderate
Laureth-23	—	moderate
Magnesium Myristate	—	moderate
Mink Oil	—	moderate
Myristic Acid	—	moderate
Myristyl Alcohol	—	moderate
PEG-200 Dilaurate	—	moderate
PEG-8 Stearate	—	moderate
Persea Gratissima Oil	avocado oil, persea gratissima (avocado) oil	low
Plankton Extract	—	moderate
Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil	marula oil	low
Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil	sesame oil, sesamum indicum (sesame) seed oil	low
Sodium Laureth Sulfate	sles	moderate
Sorbitan Oleate	—	high
Spirulina	arthrospira platensis, spirulina platensis, spirulina extract	moderate
Sulfated Castor Oil	turkey red oil	moderate
Sulfated Jojoba Oil	—	moderate
TEA-Stearate	stearic acid tea	moderate
Wheat Germ Glycerides	—	moderate
Zea Mays Oil	corn oil, zea mays (corn) oil	moderate

Mildly comedogenic (2/5)

Low risk for most people. Listed because source lists disagree; check the confidence level before ruling a product out.

Ingredient	Also appears as	Confidence
Arachis Hypogaea Oil	peanut oil	low
Bismuth Oxychloride	ci 77163	low
Cetearyl Alcohol	cetostearyl alcohol	low
CI 15850	d&c red 6, d&c red 7, red 6, red 7	low
Cocamide DEA	—	low
Hexadecyl Alcohol	cetyl alcohol, palmityl alcohol, 1-hexadecanol, cetanol	low
Lanolin Alcohol	wool alcohol, wool fat, sheep alcohol	moderate
Octyldodecanol	—	low
Olea Europaea Fruit Oil	olive oil, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil	low
Oleic Acid	—	low
Oleth-3 Phosphate	—	low
Palmitic Acid	—	moderate
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil	sweet almond oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil	low
Squalene	shark liver oil	low
Stearic Acid	—	low

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Popular ingredients that don't clog pores

The ingredients people ask about most are usually rated 0–1. Absence from the flagged list isn't proof of safety, but these have been rated, and cleared.

This list is compiled from published comedogenicity research and esthetician-maintained lists. It's imperfect and formulation-dependent, and it isn't medical advice. Absence from this list means an ingredient isn't flagged, not that it's proven safe.