What is Isopropyl Linoleate?
Isopropyl Linoleate is a synthetic emollient ester. An isopropyl ester of linoleic acid, part of the same isopropyl-ester family as isopropyl myristate and isopropyl isostearate — both of which rate 5 on this grid. It is named on the CLEARSTEM and AcneClinicNYC pore-clogging ingredient lists, but neither publishes a 0-5 comedogenic score for it and no Fulton-derived table we cite carries one. We therefore leave it unrated rather than invent a number — treat the listing itself as the signal.
You may see it on labels as Isopropyl Linoleate, Isopropyl Linolate, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where Isopropyl Linoleate shows up
You'll most often find Isopropyl Linoleate in lotions, sunscreens, primers, and colour cosmetics, where it adds a smooth, non-greasy slip.
Is Isopropyl Linoleate bad for acne-prone skin?
Because no reliable comedogenic score exists for Isopropyl Linoleate, judge it by how your own skin responds rather than by a number.
Worth flagging: Isopropyl Linoleate'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: Isopropyl Linoleate 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.