Here is a list of pore clogging ingredients. These are listed on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being the most comedogenic (pore clogging). This list is from the Face Reality website. There are a lot of lists out there that vary with ingredients. I think most lists only those that rate a 3 or higher, but some lists might list ones with a lower rating. It’s also good to keep in mind that formulation, and location on ingredient deck can play a part too. If a pore clogging ingredient is listed on the ingredient deck but way down at the bottom, you might be okay and in better standing than if it was listed closer to the beginning. There’s really no fool proof way to know if an ingredient will clog your pores. Some ingredients with high ratings might, while others will not. So here is a list of some pore cloggers that you should be aware of in your skin care, makeup, or even hair and body products:

Acetylated Lanolin
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol
Algae Extract
Algin
Butyl Stearate
Carrageenan
Cetyl Acetate
Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20
Chondrus Crispus (aka Irish Moss or Carageenan Moss)
Chlorella
Coal Tar
Cocoa Butter
Coconut Alkanes
Coconut Butter
Coconut Oil
Colloidal Sulfur
Cotton Awws Oil
Cotton Seed Oil
D & C Red # 17
D & C Red # 21
D & C Red # 3
D & C Red # 30
D & C Red # 36
Decyl Oleate
Dioctyl Succinate
Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2- Sulfosuccinate
Ethoxylated Lanolin
Ethylhexyl Palmitate
Glyceryl Stearate SE
Glyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Hexadecyl Alcohol
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
Isocetyl Alcohol
Isocetyl Stearate
Isodecyl Oleate
Isopropyl Isostearate
Isopropyl Linolate
Isopropyl Myristate
Isopropyl Palmitate
Isostearyl Isostearate
Isostearyl Neopentanoate
Kelp
Laminaria Digitata Extract
Laminaria Saccharina Extract (Laminaria Saccharine)
Laureth-23
Laureth-4
Lauric Acid
Mink Oil
Myristic Acid
Myristyl Lactate
Myristyl Myristate
Octyl Palmitate
Octyl Stearate
Oleth-3
Oleyl Alcohol
PEG 16 Lanolin
PEG 200 Dilaurate
PEG 8 Stearate
PG Monostearate
PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate
Plankton
Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate
Potassium Chloride
Propylene Glycol Monostearate
Red Algae
Seaweed
Shark Liver Oil (Squalene)
Shea Butter
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Solulan 16
Sorbitan Oleate
Soybean Oil
Spirulina
Steareth 10
Stearic Acid Tea
Stearyl Heptanoate
Sulfated Castor Oil
Sulfated Jojoba Oil
Wheat Germ Glyceride
Wheat Germ Oil
Xylene

Below is a link I got from a study from Dr. Fulton done in 1989. For those of you that aren’t skin nerds, Dr. Fulton and his work is like a staple when it comes to skincare particularly his work with Vitamin A and acne. This is scientific journal if you care to give it a browse. I would recommend scrolling down to where you see the lists of ingredients. I want to point out a few things and that’s some ingredients you might have heard as pore clogging but in fact are not. Mineral oil on this list has a rating of 0-2. Often times mineral oil is thought to be very bad for the skin. When in fact it’s a very good moisturizing ingredient. In this case, they do not give a reason for the range of 0-2. Another ingredient I want to point out that may be known as pore clogging is dimethicone or silicones in general. Dimethicone has a rating of 1 and is a very good skin protectant.

This list also rates the ingredients irritancy rating as well as comedogenity. This might be a little too in depth for someone to care this much but this list is actually pretty easy to read. If you are interested in getting a more detailed look at ingredients I recommend checking this out. But I highlighted my favorite points in the above paragraph.

Link>>> Dr Fultons Comedogenicity and Irritancy in Commonly Used Skincare Ingredients

I hope I didn’t overwhelm anyone but one way you can avoid having to check products is to purchase products that you trust are made for acne prone skin. Like Face Reality. They formulate all their products without any pore cloggers so you don’t have to worry about this being an issue.

-Haley Durbin

Acne Specialist