Comedogenic

Which ingredients are comedogenic and how to avoid them.

Comedogenic ingredients can clog pores and prevent the skin from breathing. It is important to know that, besides comedogenic ingredients, other factors can cause pores to clog, these factors can be individual and not cosmetic-related, e.g. health issues, poor or not thorough skin cleansing, individual reactions to certain products that can facilitate follicular hyperkeratinization etc.

Comedones are a buildup of sebum and keratin inside the follicles that can clog pores. This happens because the keratinization process is altered. Comedones can be closed or open: closed comedones are called “whiteheads”, while open comedones “blackheads” (the color black is due to melanin oxidation in the pores).

When talking about comedogenic ingredients, one usually refers to chemical and natural substances that clog pores and facilitate comedone formation.

Before listing these ingredients, it is important to explain that the research studies about these ingredients cannot be deemed to be totally valid, since they were conducted during the 50s on the ears of rabbits, whose sebum differs from the human one. Moreover, at a later time further studies produced different findings.

Considering this, it is essential to be aware that:

• An ingredient’s comedogenicity varies from person to person. Everyone has their own skin type and for this reason some ingredients may be comedogenic for someone and not comedogenic for someone else and viceversa;
• Quantity matters. If a potentially comedogenic ingredient is among the first ingredients in a product, this may result in that product being comedogenic, because it means that there is a high concentration of that ingredient in that product. It is better to choose balanced formulations where potentially comedogenic ingredients are among the last ingredients in the inci list;
• Other factors, which are not related to potentially comedogenic ingredients, can cause comedones to appear, e.g. hormonal imbalances (period, menopause, ovarian cysts etc.), poor body hydration, disorders of the sebaceous glands, certain medication etc.

List of comedogenic ingredients.

Comedogenic ingredients:

• Isopropyl Myristate and Isopropyl Palmitate (emollients, which can be comedogenic when found in high concentration in a product).

 Presumably comedogenic ingredients:

• Paraffinum Liquidum – Mineral Oil (a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, a byproduct obtained from petroleum refining)
• Dimethicone (a silicone that will not allow skin to breathe)
• Petroleum jelly and vaseline (a jelly obtained from petroleum)
  
  

Natural ingredients that are potentially comedogenic (only when used pure or if found among the first ingredients in a product):

• Beeswax
• Heavy vegetable oils (olive, rosa rubiginosa, sweet almond, hemp, soy, sesame, wheat germ, linseed, etc)
• Cocoa butter
• Avocado butter
• Palm oil

In addition, there are various levels of comedogenicity, it is therefore necessary to pay attention to the ingredients contained in the products we use, and choose only those that suit our skin type.

Below you can find a list of ingredients and their comedogenicity ratings, ranging from 0 to 5 (0: not likely to be comedogenic; 1: very low level of comedogenicity; 2: low-moderate level of comedogenicity; 3: moderate level of comedogenicity; 4: high level of comedogenicity; 5: very high level of comedogenicity).

As specified above, there are no absolute rules when it comes to comedogenic ingredients. It is essential to understand that everyone's skin is different, therefore everyone reacts in a different way, and comedogenicity varies accordingly. For instance, if I apply a product that contains 2-3 ingredients with a high comedogenicity level to acne-prone skin, there is a 95 % chance that skin will react in a bad way; if the same product is applied to dry skin instead, the chances will decrease to 60% and so on.

So, watch out!

At Terre Verdi, we pay particular attention to the comedogenic factor of each ingredient we use in our products, to create the best non-comedogenic and effective products.

 Some skincare ingredients and their comedogenic factor.