What is Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol?
Chemically, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is a lanolin-derived ingredient (from sheep's wool). Rated 4/5 at full strength (some sources say 4-5), but this drops sharply at the low concentrations used in real formulas, per INCIDecoder, so treat the flag with context.
Where Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol shows up
Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is commonly formulated into lip products, rich balms, and heavy moisturisers. Separately from clogging, its irritancy is rated 2/5 — low, so it's unlikely to sting or sensitise on its own.
Is Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol bad for acne-prone skin?
If you are acne-prone, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is one to watch — especially when it appears in the first few ingredients, which means it's present at higher concentration. Lower down a long ingredient list, its practical impact drops considerably.
Worth flagging: Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol's rating is disputed. Credible sources land on different numbers, which is why we show a range rather than a single score — and why your own experience is the best tiebreaker.
Note for fungal-acne (malassezia) sufferers: Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol is commonly avoided in fungal-acne routines, since it falls into the fatty-acid or ester families the yeast can feed on. The evidence there is looser than for comedogenicity — see our fungal-acne checker for context.
Non-comedogenic alternatives
If you're avoiding Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, these lower-risk ingredients serve a similar role and are gentler on pore-prone skin:
- Squalane — rated 1/5 (Low risk).
- Petrolatum — rated 0/5 (Low risk).