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Search 856 cosmetic ingredients. See comedogenic ratings, irritant scores, and safety notes — instantly.
Try: niacinamide, coconut oil, cetearyl alcohol, dimethicone
Quick Answer
Comedogenic means an ingredient has a tendency to clog pores (comedones). Ingredients are rated on a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 means non-comedogenic (will not clog pores) and 5 means highly comedogenic (very likely to clog pores).
Click any category to see all ingredients in that group.
Comedogenic ratings measure how likely a cosmetic ingredient is to clog your pores. The scale was developed by dermatologists Dr. James Fulton and Dr. Albert Kligman, who tested individual ingredients using the rabbit ear assay — applying concentrated ingredients to rabbit ears and observing follicular reactions over several weeks.
| Rating | Meaning | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Non-comedogenic | Will not clog pores. Safe for acne-prone skin. |
| 1 | Slightly comedogenic | Very low risk. Most people tolerate these well. |
| 2 | Moderately comedogenic | Low-to-moderate risk. Generally safe, but patch-test if acne-prone. |
| 3 | Fairly comedogenic | Moderate risk. Acne-prone skin should be cautious. |
| 4 | Highly comedogenic | High risk of clogging pores. Avoid in leave-on products if acne-prone. |
| 5 | Severely comedogenic | Very high risk. Known pore-clogger. Best avoided entirely if acne-prone. |
Important context: These ratings test pure ingredients at full concentration. In a finished product, a rating-2 ingredient at 0.5% concentration may cause zero issues. Formulation matters. Use these ratings as a screening tool, not an absolute rule — and always patch-test products on your own skin.
The irritant rating (also 0–5) is separate from comedogenicity. An ingredient can be non-comedogenic but still cause redness, stinging, or sensitization. We show both when available.
Ingredients marked "disputed" have conflicting data across studies — different labs got different results. Take those ratings as approximate guidance rather than definitive scores.
Have the full ingredient list in front of you? Paste it into the free Acne Audit and you’ll get a verdict on the whole list in seconds — every ingredient weighed by its position, pore-cloggers and irritants flagged. No signup.
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