When buying skin care products, you might have come across some products labelled 'non -comedogenic '. Comedogenic pronounced most commonly ( ko-mead-do-jen-ick ) simply means the ingredients will not clog your pores and therefore cause or exacerbate acne prone skin.For more information on what is comedogenic, you can read my previous post .Its however important to note that no single product or ingredient can cause acne.A pimple takes about 4 weeks to form and appear on the surface of the skin, so what you might think is causing your acne could be another culprit altogether.The bumps that appear with a single application of a product are usually signs of either an irritation or an allergic reaction to the ingredients. To easily identify what could be causing your acne, never test more than one product at a time on your skin. Instead use one product for about 6 weeks before you introduce a new one to your regime.
Today we will look at the level of comedogenicity (am not sure if there is such a word) of common ingredients in beauty products and also some oils that we use for moisture. Go over your products ingredient list and see if you are using anything that may be adding to your skin problems.
The scale uses a numbering system of 0 to 5. Here’s how the numbers rank on the scale:
If you are acne-prone, you will want to initially stick with products/ingredients that are predominantly 0's, 1's and 2's. The 3's can be ok if it is a wash-off product or it does not bother you personally. Keep in mind too, that everyone’s skin is different. What works for me may be a nightmare for you because there are too many factors that come into play such as lifestyle, skin type, the food you eat, dehydration e.t.c that will make a difference in how these ingredients will work for your skin.
Comedogenic Ratings *Pore Clogging
| Ingredients | Comedogenicity | Irritancy |
| Acetone | 0 | 5 |
| Acetylated Lanolin
|
4 | 0 |
| Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol | 4 | 2 |
| Algae Extract | 5 | 4 |
| Algin | 4 | 4 |
| Allantoin | 0 | 0 |
| Almond Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Aloe Vera | 0 | 0 |
| Apricot Kernel Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Ascorbic Acid | 0 | 0 |
| Ascorbyl Palmitate | 2 | 0 |
| Avocado Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Benzoic Acid | 2 | 3 |
| Beta Carotene | 1 | 0 |
| Beeswax | 0-2 | 0 |
| Butyl Stearate | 3 | 0 |
| Butylene Glycol | 1 | 0 |
| Calendula | 1 | 0 |
| Camphor | 2 | 2 |
| Candelilla Wax | 1 | 0 |
| Capric Acid | 2 | 2 |
| Caprylic Acid | 1 | 3 |
| Carbomer | 0 | 1 |
| Carnuba Wax | 1 | 0 |
| Carrageenan | 5 | 2 |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | 2 | 2 |
| Cetyl Alcohol | 2 | 2 |
| Cocoa Butter | 4 | 0 |
| Coconut Butter | 4 | 0 |
| Coconut Oil | 4 | 1 |
| Colloidal Sulfur | 3 | 4 |
| Corn Oil | 3 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 17 | 3 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 19 | 2 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 21 | 3 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 3 | 3 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 4 | 1 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 6 | 1 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 7 | 1 | 0 |
| D&C Red # 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Dimethicone | 1 | 0 |
| Dioctyl Succinate | 3 | 2 |
| Emu Oil | 0 | 0 |
| Ethylparaben | 0 | 0 |
| Evening Primrose Oil | 2 | 2 |
| Glyceryl Stearate NSE | 1 | 0 |
| Glyceryl Stearate SE | 3 | 2 |
| Isocetyl Stearate | 5 | 0 |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | 0 | 4 |
| Isopropyl Isostearate | 5 | 0 |
| Isopropyl Myristate | 5 | 3 |
| Isopropyl Palmitate | 4 | 0 |
| Jojoba Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Lanolin Alcohol | 2 | 0 |
| Lanolin Oil | 1 | 0 |
| Lanolin Wax | 1 | 0 |
| Laureth 23 | 3 | 0 |
| Laureth 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Lauric Acid | 4 | 1 |
| Lithiumm Stearate | 1 | 0 |
| Magneseium Aluminum Silicate | 0 | 0 |
| Magnesium Stearate | 1 | 0 |
| Myristic Acid | 3 | 0 |
| Octyl Palmitate | 4 | 1 |
| Octyl Stearate | 5 | 5 |
| Oleth-3 | 5 | 2 |
| Oleth-10 | 2 | 1 |
| Olive Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Papain | 0 | 0 - 3 |
| Peanut Oil | 2 | 0 - 2 |
| PEG 75 Lanolin | 3 | 2 |
| PEG 100 Stearate | 1 | 0 |
| PEG 16 Lanolin | 4 | 3 |
| PEG 8 Stearate | 3 | 1 |
| Palmitic Acid | 2 | 0 |
| Propylparaben | 0 | 0 |
| Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 400) | 1 | 0 |
| Propylene Glycol Monostearate | 4 | 0 |
| Red Algea | 5 | 2 |
| Safflower Oil | 2 | 0 |
| Simethicone | 1 | 0 |
| Sodium Chloride | 5 | 3 |
| Sodium Hyaluronate | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium Laureth Sulfate | 3 | 2 |
| Sodium Lauryl Sulfate | 5 | 2 |
| Sodium PCA | 0 | 0 |
| Soybean Oil | 3 | 0 |
| Squalene | 1 | 0 |
| Stearic Acid | 2 | 0 |
| Stearyl Alcohol | 2 | 2 |
| Sulfated Castor Oil | 3 | 2 |
| Sulfated Jojoba Oil | 3 | 2 |
| Sunflower Oil | 0 | 0 |
| Syearyl Heptanoate | 4 | 0 |
| Talc | 1 | 0 |
| Tocopherol (Vitamin E) | 2 | 2 |
| Vitamin A Palmitate | 2 | 1 |
| Wheat Germ Oil | 5 | 2 |
| Zinc Oxide | 1 | 0 |
Watch out for ingredients numbered 3, 4, and 5 to make sure they do NOT fall in the top 6-7 ingredients in a product ingredient panel. All ingredients are listed from the greatest to the least by law therefore the first ingredients makes up the highest quantity. Active ingredients are usually indicated on the side of the product.
Now that you are well informed, am sure you will be able to make a better decision on the beauty aisle when you next go shopping