How to read this list
The comedogenic column scores pore-clogging potential from 0 (won't clog pores for virtually anyone) to 5 (very likely to clog when used undiluted). Green covers 0–2, amber is 3, and red is 4–5. The irritancy column is a separate axis — an ingredient can be non-comedogenic yet irritating, or the reverse. Acetone, for example, won't clog a pore but scores the maximum for irritation.
Ratings marked with a range (like shea butter's 2–4) are ones where credible sources genuinely disagree; we show the span rather than forcing a single number. And remember that concentration and position on a label matter as much as the rating itself — a red-flagged ingredient near the end of an ingredient list is usually present in trace amounts.
Want to check a whole product at once instead of scanning the table? Paste your ingredient list into the checker and it will flag everything for you.
Prefer something you can take shopping? The printable cheat sheet condenses this table into one page: which ingredients to avoid, which to watch, and which are reliably safe.
Sources
- Fulton JE et al. — Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear (J Am Acad Dermatol, 1984) and Fulton's 1989 comedogenicity ratings — The primary published source of the 0-5 comedogenic scale.
- Platinum Skin Care — Comedogenic Ratings (comedogenic + irritancy table) — Widely republished Fulton-derived table with both comedogenic and irritancy scores.
- SkinScore — Comedogenic Ingredients: Complete List With Ratings — Cross-reference for ratings and ingredient categories.
- Kristina Markovic — Comedogenic Rating: Oils, Butters and Cosmetic Ingredients — Carrier-oil and butter ratings cross-reference.
- INCIDecoder — On Comedogenic and Irritancy Ratings — Caveats on concentration and formulation dependence.
- Lab Muffin Beauty Science — How to Use Comedogenicity Ratings — Methodology limitations of the rabbit-ear assay.
- CLEARSTEM — Pore-Clogging Ingredients List — Comprehensive alias / INCI-variant list used for name matching.
- Acne Clinic NYC — Pore-Clogging Ingredients — Reference comedogenic ingredient list.
- Simple Skincare Science — The Ultimate Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Treatment Guide & Safe Product List — Community reference for malassezia-triggering fatty acids, esters, and polysorbates.
Informational only, not medical advice. Comedogenic ratings are a screening guide, not a guarantee of how any product will behave on your skin.