What is Pumpkin Seed Oil?
Pumpkin Seed Oil (INCI name: Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil) falls into the oil category — a plant- or seed-derived oil. A zinc-rich seed oil generally rated around 2, sometimes chosen for its balancing feel.
You may see it on labels as Pumpkin Seed Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, so it can hide under more than one name in an ingredient list.
Where Pumpkin Seed Oil shows up
As a plant- or seed-derived oil, Pumpkin Seed 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 Pumpkin Seed Oil bad for acne-prone skin?
Because it barely registers on the comedogenic scale, Pumpkin Seed Oil is generally a safe pick for breakout-prone skin and is often recommended as a gentler alternative to heavier ingredients.
Worth flagging: Pumpkin Seed 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: Pumpkin Seed 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.