Pore-Clogging Ingredients Checker

The whole process fits in three steps:

1. Copy the INCI list from the packaging or the online shop's product page. It is the block that starts with Aqua/Water and lists the ingredients from most to least. No need to clean it up: paste it as is, commas, parentheses and line breaks included. 2. Paste it into the box. The separator does not matter: the tool recognises commas, semicolons and line breaks, so a single-line list works just as well as a column copied out of a PDF. 3. Read the results table. Every ingredient that matches the database appears with its guideline comedogenic rating (0 to 5) and a risk label, followed by an overall verdict that takes the worst rating found.

If you want to be stricter, raise the minimum threshold: set it to 3, for example, and only medium- or high-reputation ingredients are flagged while those rated 1 or 2 are ignored. There are three reasons to run this check here rather than trusting a screenshot doing the rounds on social media. The first is privacy: the comparison runs entirely in your browser, the list never travels to a server, and once the page has loaded it works offline. The second is transparency: each ingredient's rating is on screen for you to double-check. The third is honesty about the method's limits, which we spell out in the sections below and which no viral list tends to mention.

Let us walk through a sample list, the one from an ordinary moisturiser:

> Aqua, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Glycerin, Isopropyl Myristate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Algae Extract, Shea Butter, Parfum.

When you paste it, the tool returns something like this:

The overall verdict would be high, because it takes the worst rating in the list (5). Notice three things. First, Aqua, Glycerin and Parfum do not appear: they are not in the comedogenic database, and by default Shea Butter does not either, because its known rating is 0 and the tool does not flag what is considered safe unless you lower the threshold. Second, matching is by inclusion: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil matches the "cocos nucifera" entry even though the full name is longer. Third, the table is ordered by descending risk, so the most relevant items sit at the top.

Does this mean the product will break you out? Not necessarily. It means it contains ingredients that, in certain studies and for some skins, have been linked to clogged pores. It is a flag to watch, not a sentence.

The comedogenic rating is a 0-to-5 scale that tries to summarise an ingredient's tendency to clog pores: 0 means no such effect is known and 5 the highest reputation. The tool reads that number in four bands: 0 is "none known", 1-2 is low risk, 3 is moderate and 4-5 is high. The product's overall verdict takes the highest rating that appears in its list, on the logic that a single problematic ingredient is enough to warrant attention.

What matters is where those numbers come from, because that is where all your caution should live. The scale derives in large part from studies in the 1970s and 1980s that applied ingredients pure and in high concentration to the inner ear of the rabbit, a far more reactive model than human skin. Other data come from tests on human backs, with different methods, which is why different tables assign different ratings to the same oil. No body standardises these values: the lists circulating online are compilations, and ours is one too.

Three consequences follow that are worth keeping in mind. One: the rating measures the ingredient in isolation, not the finished formula, where concentration, the mix with other components and the type of emulsion change the outcome. Two: "comedogenic" is not the same as "bad"; many high-rated ingredients are perfectly tolerated by dry or non-acne-prone skin. Three: the final word belongs to your own skin, not the table.

This tool is a starting point, not a verdict, and it pays to know where it is weak so you do not draw the wrong conclusions.

Concentration is invisible on the label. INCI order indicates relative amount, but below 1% ingredients can be listed in any order. A rating-4 oil at the end of the list, present in a trace, will hardly clog anything; the same oil as the second ingredient is another story. The table flags presence, not dose.

The full formula changes the behaviour. A comedogenic ingredient in a cleanser rinsed off within seconds has a very different impact from one in a cream left on all night. Emulsifiers, silicones and the final texture all modulate how much penetrates and how much stays in the pore.

Skin is individual. Acne and clogged pores depend on your genetics, your hormones, your microbiome and even the climate. Some people use coconut oil without a single spot; others react to rating-1 ingredients. No table can predict your particular case.

Name matching has blind spots. The tool looks for text matches against around sixty ingredients; if a comedogenic ingredient appears under an INCI synonym that is not in the database, it will not be flagged, and conversely a name could partly overlap with another. Treat absences with the same caution as presences.

The sensible conclusion: use the table to narrow the list of suspects when a product disagrees with you, introduce products one at a time to pin down the real culprit, and if the acne is persistent or painful, see a dermatologist. This is guideline information, not medical advice.

A table of flagged ingredients is only useful if you can turn it into sensible decisions. Here are the guidelines that make sense.

If a particular product has broken you out, paste its list here and compare it with one you tolerate well: often a clear suspect appears that the problem product has and the good one does not. That gives you a hypothesis to test, not a certainty. The honest way to confirm it is the one-at-a-time method: introduce a single new product every one or two weeks, watch your skin, and if all goes well, add the next one. Changing half your routine at once makes it impossible to know what caused what.

If your skin is dry, mature or not acne-prone, high ratings matter far less: ingredients like cocoa butter or coconut oil can be excellent emollients for you. The comedogenic scale was conceived mainly for oily, acne-prone skin; applying it universally leads to discarding excellent ingredients for no reason.

What you should not do is turn this table into a rigid blacklist or panic over a high rating in a product you have used for years without trouble. Nor is there any point chasing an absolute "rating 0" routine: it is nearly impossible and rarely necessary.

And the most important limit: if you have persistent acne, painful cysts, rosacea or any skin condition that worries you, this tool does not replace a professional. A dermatologist can assess your case, rule out hormonal or other causes, and prescribe treatments no ingredient list can offer. Use this check for what it is: a help to read labels with more judgement, not a diagnosis.

Before blaming bad luck, read the label: the ingredient list (the so-called INCI list) can hide oils and esters with a reputation for clogging pores. Paste that list here, separated by commas or line breaks, and the tool compares it against a database of around sixty known comedogenic ingredients, handing back a table of every match with its 0-to-5 guideline rating, plus an overall verdict for the product. Everything happens inside your browser: the list is never uploaded and never stored. One honest caveat up front: comedogenic ratings are not a scientific standard. They come from old, inconsistent studies, and your skin's reaction is individual. Treat this table as a clue for choosing and observing — never a diagnosis, and never a substitute for a dermatologist's advice.