What is PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil?
Chemically, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is an emulsifier that helps oil and water mix. An ethoxylated castor derivative used as the workhorse solubiliser for fragrance and oils in otherwise water-clear toners, micellar waters and mists. It is named on the AcneClinicNYC pore-clogging ingredient list, but that list does not publish 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 Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Peg 40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Peg-40 Hco, Cremophor Rh 40, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil shows up
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil is commonly formulated into almost any lotion or cream, where it keeps the oil and water phases blended.
Is PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil bad for acne-prone skin?
Because no reliable comedogenic score exists for PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, judge it by how your own skin responds rather than by a number.
Worth flagging: PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor 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: PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor 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.