Free ingredient decoder

Acne-safe ingredient checker

Paste any skincare or makeup ingredient list. We decode every ingredient in plain English, flag commonly cited pore-cloggers and irritants, and point out the acne fighters.

or paste the list yourself

Copy it from the product page or the back of the box. Commas, line breaks, parentheses and an "Ingredients:" label are all fine.

Try an example:

How to use this acne-safe checker

  1. Find the full ingredient list (INCI list) on the product page or packaging.
  2. Paste it into the box above. You do not need to tidy it up first.
  3. Press Decode ingredients. You get an overall acne result, quick highlights, the key ingredients grouped by what they do, and every ingredient explained in plain English.

The decoder knows more than 700 of the most common skincare and makeup ingredients, under their INCI names, common names and CI color numbers. So "Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil", "coconut oil" and "Red 7 Lake (CI 15850)" are all recognized. It runs entirely in your browser.

How to read your results

  • Pore-clogger Repeatedly named as pore-clogging (comedogenic) in the classic rabbit-ear studies, or a close chemical relative of one that was. Marked high or moderate clog risk.
  • Watch Not a proven pore-clogger, but worth a look for breakout-prone skin: fragrance, essential oils, drying alcohol high on the list, common irritants, and ingredients with debated ratings.
  • Acne helper An ingredient with real evidence for acne, like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, adapalene and other retinoids, niacinamide or sulfur.
  • Low clog risk Often asked about, but rated low or with mixed, mostly reassuring data. Silicones sit here.
  • Fine No known acne concern.
  • Not in our database yet We do not know this one yet. It is still listed in order so nothing gets skipped.

The Clog and Irr. columns are 0 to 5 grades for comedogenicity (pore-clogging) and irritancy from Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear study. We only show a number when that study published one. A blank dot means there is no published grade, not that the ingredient is safe or unsafe.

What makes an ingredient comedogenic?

A comedone is a clogged pore: a plug of skin cells and oil (sebum) that forms inside the hair follicle. It is the starting point of blackheads, whiteheads and, once inflamed, pimples. An ingredient is called comedogenic when it encourages that plug to form, usually by making the lining of the pore shed cells in a sticky, clumped way.

The ingredients most often flagged share a few traits. Many are rich, oily emollients that sit in the pore, like isopropyl myristate and its relatives, coconut oil and cocoa butter. Some are modified forms of lanolin. Some are certain D&C red dyes used in blush and lipstick. Others, like sodium lauryl sulfate, are mainly irritants, and irritated skin can break out too.

Why a pore clogging ingredients checker is only a starting point

Most comedogenic ratings you see online trace back to rabbit-ear studies from the 1970s and 1980s. Researchers applied raw ingredients to the inner ear of rabbits, which forms comedones far more easily than human skin, and scored the result. Kligman and Mills described "acne cosmetica" in 1972, and Fulton's group published widely used rabbit-ear results in 1984 and 1989, noting themselves that the model was imperfect.

That method has real limits:

  • Concentration matters. The tests often used pure or high-strength ingredients. A product may contain a fraction of a percent.
  • The finished formula matters. In a 2006 human study, Draelos and DiNardo found that finished products made with "comedogenic" ingredients were not necessarily comedogenic.
  • Skin differs. Oil levels, pore size, hormones and how a product is used (left on or rinsed off) all change the outcome.

So treat a flag as a reason to look closer, not a verdict. If a product keeps lining up with new breakouts on your skin, that pattern is more useful than any list.

Acne checker FAQ

Is this acne product checker free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and no account needed.

If an ingredient is flagged, will the product break me out?

Not necessarily. Ratings come from tests of raw ingredients, often at high strength. The amount in the product, the rest of the formula and your own skin all play a part. Use the flag as a prompt to patch test or watch how your skin responds.

What do the comedogenic and irritancy numbers mean?

They are 0 to 5 grades from a 1989 rabbit-ear study by Fulton, where 0 means no pore-clogging (or no irritation) and 5 means a lot. They describe the raw ingredient, not a finished product. We only show a number when that study published one, and we never estimate one.

Why do some ingredients say "Not in our database yet"?

Our database covers more than 700 of the most common skincare and makeup ingredients, and there are thousands more. Unknown ingredients still appear in your results, in list order, so you can see exactly what we did and did not check. Not being in the database says nothing about whether an ingredient is good or bad.

Are silicones like dimethicone pore clogging?

Silicones are not comedogenic in standard tests, which is why we list them as low clog risk. Some people with acne-prone skin still prefer to avoid heavy silicone primers, especially under thick makeup worn all day.

Why is coconut oil flagged when so many products use it?

Whole coconut oil rates high on classic comedogenic lists. Many coconut-derived ingredients, such as caprylic/capric triglyceride or coconut-based cleansers, are different molecules and behave differently, so the checker treats them separately.

Why is fragrance marked "watch" if it does not clog pores?

Fragrance and essential oils are among the most common causes of skin irritation and allergy from cosmetics. Irritated skin is more reactive and can break out, so many people with acne-prone skin choose fragrance-free products. It is a watch item, not a pore-clogger.

My products pass the checker but I still break out. Why?

Skincare is only one piece. Persistent acne is often driven from the inside, by hormones such as testosterone and DHEA-S, inflammation, nutrient levels like vitamin D and ferritin, or blood sugar. None of those show up in an ingredient list. A blood test is how you check them.

Sources

  1. Kligman AM, Mills OH. "Acne cosmetica." Archives of Dermatology. 1972;106(6):843-850. doi:10.1001/archderm.1972.01620150029011
  2. Fulton JE, Pay SR, Fulton JE. "Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1984;10(1):96-105. doi:10.1016/s0190-9622(84)80050-x
  3. Fulton JE. "Comedogenicity and irritancy of commonly used ingredients in skin care products." Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. 1989;40(6):321-333. library.scconline.org/v040n06/13
  4. Draelos ZD, DiNardo JC. "A re-evaluation of the comedogenicity concept." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2006;54(3):507-512. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2005.11.1058
  5. Reynolds RV, et al. "Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2024;90(5):1006.e1-1006.e30. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2023.12.017
  6. European Commission. CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (ingredient functions). ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing

This tool is for general education and is not medical advice. Verdicts and grades summarize published lists and studies of individual ingredients. They are not lab tests of any specific product.