What is Isopropyl Myristate?
Isopropyl Myristate falls into the ester / emollient category — a synthetic emollient ester. A lightweight synthetic ester used to give products a fast, non-greasy slip. One of the most reliably pore-clogging cosmetic ingredients on the Fulton scale, scoring the maximum 5.
You may see it on labels as Isopropyl Myristate, Ipm, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where Isopropyl Myristate shows up
As a synthetic emollient ester, Isopropyl Myristate typically appears in lotions, sunscreens, primers, and colour cosmetics, where it adds a smooth, non-greasy slip. Separately from clogging, its irritancy is rated 3/5 — high enough to be worth noting for sensitive skin.
Is Isopropyl Myristate bad for acne-prone skin?
For breakout-prone skin, a rating this high is a genuine flag. What matters most is where Isopropyl Myristate sits on the label: near the top it's a real consideration, near the bottom it's usually a trace amount.
Note for fungal-acne (malassezia) sufferers: Isopropyl Myristate 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 Isopropyl Myristate, these lower-risk ingredients serve a similar role and are gentler on pore-prone skin:
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride — rated 1/5 (Low risk).
- Squalane — rated 1/5 (Low risk).