Pore Clog Checker is a free tool that helps you spot pore-clogging (comedogenic) ingredients in your skincare and makeup. Paste a product's ingredient list and it flags what could clog pores, explains why, and suggests gentler alternatives — all in your browser, with nothing uploaded anywhere.
Where our data comes from
Our database of 185 ingredients draws on the published comedogenicity literature — chiefly the rabbit-ear studies by dermatologist James Fulton — and the widely republished ratings derived from it. We cross-reference multiple sources, and where they disagree on a rating we store the range and mark the ingredient disputed rather than inventing a single number. If an ingredient has no reliable published rating, we leave it unrated instead of guessing.
Key references we build on:
- Fulton JE et al. — Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear (J Am Acad Dermatol, 1984) and Fulton's 1989 comedogenicity ratings
- Platinum Skin Care — Comedogenic Ratings (comedogenic + irritancy table)
- SkinScore — Comedogenic Ingredients: Complete List With Ratings
- Kristina Markovic — Comedogenic Rating: Oils, Butters and Cosmetic Ingredients
- INCIDecoder — On Comedogenic and Irritancy Ratings
- Lab Muffin Beauty Science — How to Use Comedogenicity Ratings
- CLEARSTEM — Pore-Clogging Ingredients List
- Acne Clinic NYC — Pore-Clogging Ingredients
- Simple Skincare Science — The Ultimate Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Treatment Guide & Safe Product List
What we don't do
We don't sell your data, we don't require an account, and we don't claim comedogenic ratings are the final word. They're a screening guide with real limitations — concentration, formulation, and your own skin all matter. Read our honest breakdown of those limits on the home page.
Pore Clog Checker is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. For persistent or severe acne, please see a dermatologist.