Skincare ingredient guides and the published lists behind them
Three checkers, three different questions. One matches a routine against a published list of 86 ingredients that comedogenicity testing has rated 1 or higher. One applies a stated rule about the fatty acids Malassezia can use. The third flags what the American Academy of Dermatology lists to avoid or limit in pregnancy. All run in your browser and none asks for an account.
None of these lists is issued by a regulator, because no regulator issues one. That is not a caveat hidden at the bottom of a page — it is the reason each list is printed in full beside its checker, with a version date, so you can read it rather than trust it. The rating scale guide below explains why published lists disagree with one another.
Tools and the rating scale
Comedogenic rating scale: where the 0-5 numbers come from
The comedogenic rating scale is a 0-5 score from a rabbit-ear assay. Where the numbers came from, why concentration moves them, and who certifies the lists.
Fungal acne checker: Malassezia trigger ingredients
Paste a skincare ingredient list and see which entries match the Malassezia rule this page publishes in full, which do not, and which cannot be read.
Pore-clogging ingredients checker: comedogenic list
Paste a skincare ingredient list to see which entries are on the published pore-clogging (comedogenic) list, which are not, and which could not be read.
Pregnancy skincare checker: what the AAD says to avoid or limit
Paste a skincare ingredient list to see which names the American Academy of Dermatology lists to avoid or limit in pregnancy, and who says so for each one.
Ingredient guides
Is alcohol denat bad for skin? What the evidence says
Alcohol denat is denatured ethanol, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula, and where evidence stops.
Is coconut oil comedogenic? Rated 4 on published lists
Coconut oil is rated 4 of 5 on the pore-clogging list published here, reaches labels under two different spellings, and is flagged by the Malassezia rule too.
Is dimethicone comedogenic? What the lists actually say
Dimethicone is a silicone polymer, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula, and what is unknown.
Is glycerin comedogenic? Graded 0, and a humectant, not an oil
Glycerin was graded 0 for comedogenicity and 0 for irritancy in the 1989 rabbit-ear tests. It is a humectant, not an oil, and US rules allow it at 20–45%.
Is isopropyl myristate comedogenic? Rated 5 on published lists
Isopropyl myristate is rated 5 of 5 on the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What the number records, what it does in a formula, where it turns up.
Is jojoba oil comedogenic? A liquid wax graded 0–2
Jojoba oil was graded 0–2 in the 1989 rabbit-ear comedogenicity tests, depending on the raw material, while sulfated jojoba oil got a 3. What each number means.
Is phenoxyethanol safe? What the label and the rules say
Phenoxyethanol is a preservative, and it is absent from the 86-entry pore-clogging list published here. What it does in a formula and which document caps it.
Is shea butter comedogenic? Rated 0, and still flagged
Shea butter is rated 0 on the published comedogenic list this site uses, and the same butter is flagged by the Malassezia rule. Why both results hold.
Is squalane comedogenic? Not squalene, and the difference matters
Squalane is not on the comedogenic list this site uses, and a review reports a negligible comedogenic effect in testing. Oxidised squalene is another matter.