What is Borage Oil?
Chemically, Borage Oil (INCI name: Borago Officinalis Seed Oil) is a plant- or seed-derived oil. The richest natural source of GLA, used for barrier repair; generally rated around 2.
You may see it on labels as Borage Oil, Borago Officinalis Seed Oil, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where Borage Oil shows up
Borage Oil is commonly formulated into 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 Borage Oil bad for acne-prone skin?
Because it barely registers on the comedogenic scale, Borage Oil is generally a safe pick for breakout-prone skin and is often recommended as a gentler alternative to heavier ingredients.
Worth flagging: Borage 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: Borage 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.