What is Avocado Oil?
Avocado Oil (INCI name: Persea Gratissima Oil) falls into the oil category — a plant- or seed-derived oil. Sources split between 2 and 3. A nourishing but heavier oil; fine for many, worth caution on congestion-prone skin.
You may see it on labels as Avocado Oil, Avocado, Persea Gratissima Oil, Persea Americana, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where Avocado Oil shows up
As a plant- or seed-derived oil, Avocado Oil typically appears in facial oils, cleansing balms, moisturisers, hair products, and many products marketed as natural. Separately from clogging, its irritancy is rated 0/5 — low, so it's unlikely to sting or sensitise on its own.
Is Avocado Oil bad for acne-prone skin?
A moderate rating means Avocado Oil clogs some people and not others. If you're prone to congestion, patch-test a product that features it prominently before committing.
Worth flagging: Avocado Oil'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: Avocado Oil 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 Avocado Oil, these lower-risk ingredients serve a similar role and are gentler on pore-prone skin:
- Squalane — rated 1/5 (Low risk).
- Hemp Seed Oil — rated 0/5 (Low risk).
- Sunflower Oil — rated 0/5 (Low risk).