Pore-clogging ingredient checker
Paste the ingredient list from any skincare, hair or makeup product. We flag every ingredient with a published comedogenicity rating, tell you how solid that rating is, and — unlike most lists — explain where the number stops being meaningful.
How to read the result
Comedogenicity is scored 0–5. The scale comes from work by Kligman and Mills in the 1970s, originally using rabbit ear canals, later refined with human follicular biopsies. Every “pore-clogging ingredients list” circulating online traces back to that body of work.
No observed follicular occlusion in testing.
Unlikely to clog pores for most people.
Fine for most, occasionally a problem for very acne-prone skin.
A common trigger for acne-prone skin, especially leave-on products.
Frequently implicated in breakouts on acne-prone skin.
Strongly occlusive; widely avoided by acne-prone users.
What the number does not tell you
This is the part most checkers skip, and it is the part that decides whether a product actually breaks you out:
- Concentration is missing. Ratings come from testing raw ingredients at high concentration. A 5-rated ingredient at the very end of an INCI list may be present at a fraction of a percent.
- Formulation changes behaviour. An oil that clogs pores neat can behave differently emulsified into a lotion with a fast-absorbing base.
- Rinse-off is not leave-on. A cleanser that contacts skin for thirty seconds is a different proposition from a moisturiser that sits for eight hours.
- Skin is individual. Comedogenicity is a population tendency. Plenty of people use 4-rated ingredients with no trouble at all.
Highest-risk ingredients in our database
59 of the 357 ingredients we track rate 3 or above. These are the ones worth scanning for first.
| Ingredient | INCI name | Rating | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Tar | Coal Tar | 5 | established |
| Isocetyl Stearate | Isocetyl Stearate | 5 | established |
| Isopropyl Isostearate | Isopropyl Isostearate | 5 | established |
| Isopropyl Linoleate | Isopropyl Linoleate | 5 | established |
| Isopropyl Myristate | Isopropyl Myristate | 5 | established |
| Laureth-4 | Laureth-4 | 5 | established |
| Myristyl Myristate | Myristyl Myristate | 5 | established |
| Octyl Stearate | Ethylhexyl Stearate | 5 | established |
| Sodium Chloride | Sodium Chloride | 5 | disputed |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | 5 | established |
| Wheat Germ Oil | Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil | 5 | established |
| Acetylated Lanolin | Acetylated Lanolin | 4 | established |
| Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol | Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol | 4 | established |
| Algae Extract | Algae Extract | 4 | disputed |
| Carrageenan | Chondrus Crispus Extract | 4 | disputed |
| Cetyl Acetate | Cetyl Acetate | 4 | moderate |
| Cocoa Butter | Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter | 4 | established |
| Coconut Butter | Cocos Nucifera Butter | 4 | established |
| Coconut Oil | Cocos Nucifera Oil | 4 | established |
| Ethylhexyl Palmitate | Ethylhexyl Palmitate | 4 | established |
| Flaxseed Oil | Linum Usitatissimum Seed Oil | 4 | established |
| Isodecyl Oleate | Isodecyl Oleate | 4 | established |
| Isopropyl Lanolate | Isopropyl Lanolate | 4 | established |
| Isopropyl Palmitate | Isopropyl Palmitate | 4 | established |
| Isostearyl Neopentanoate | Isostearyl Neopentanoate | 4 | established |
| Lauric Acid | Lauric Acid | 4 | established |
| Lecithin | Lecithin | 4 | disputed |
| Myristyl Lactate | Myristyl Lactate | 4 | established |
| Palm Oil | Elaeis Guineensis Oil | 4 | established |
| PEG-16 Lanolin | PEG-16 Lanolin | 4 | established |
| Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate | Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate | 4 | established |
| Steareth-10 | Steareth-10 | 4 | established |
| Stearyl Heptanoate | Stearyl Heptanoate | 4 | moderate |
| Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate | Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate | 3 | moderate |
| Avocado Oil | Persea Gratissima Oil | 3 | established |
| Butyl Stearate | Butyl Stearate | 3 | established |
| Cinnamon Oil | Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Oil | 3 | moderate |
| Clove Oil | Eugenia Caryophyllus Oil | 3 | moderate |
| D&C Red 27 | CI 45410 | 3 | established |
| D&C Red 30 | CI 73360 | 3 | established |
| D&C Red 33 | CI 17200 | 3 | established |
| D&C Red 6 | CI 15850 | 3 | established |
| D&C Red 7 | CI 15850:1 | 3 | established |
| Decyl Oleate | Decyl Oleate | 3 | established |
| Glyceryl Stearate SE | Glyceryl Stearate SE | 3 | established |
| Kelp Extract | Laminaria Digitata Extract | 3 | disputed |
| Laureth-23 | Laureth-23 | 3 | moderate |
| Mink Oil | Mink Oil | 3 | established |
| Potassium Chloride | Potassium Chloride | 3 | disputed |
| PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate | PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate | 3 | moderate |
| Propylene Glycol Monostearate | Propylene Glycol Stearate | 3 | established |
| Sesame Oil | Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil | 3 | established |
| Sodium Laureth Sulfate | Sodium Laureth Sulfate | 3 | moderate |
| Sorbitan Oleate | Sorbitan Oleate | 3 | established |
| Sorbitan Sesquioleate | Sorbitan Sesquioleate | 3 | moderate |
| Soybean Oil | Glycine Soja Oil | 3 | established |
| Squalene | Squalene | 3 | moderate |
| Sulfated Castor Oil | Sulfated Castor Oil | 3 | moderate |
| Wheat Germ Glycerides | Wheat Germ Glycerides | 3 | moderate |