Problematic Ingredients List

Do not ever put anything on your skin or your hair without checking the ingredients first, even if it says “Won’t Clog Pores” or “Non-Comedogenic” on the bottle. No government agency oversees this, so skincare companies can claim their products promote clear skin and have pore-clogging in their ingredient deck. Below is a list of ingredients to avoid in all skin care, acne care, makeup, and hair products.

Organic and Natural skin lines contain some of the worst pore-clogging ingredients.

Problematic Ingredients:

Problem Oils

Avoid these problem oils:

Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil, Argan Oil, Avocado Oil, Baobab Oil, Buriti Oil, Carrot Oil, Cheru Seed Oil, Cherry Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Corn Oil, Cotton Awws Oil, Cotton Seed Oil, Chullu (Wild Apricot) Seed Oil, Dhupa Seed Oil, Groundnut Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Hazelnut Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Kapok Oil, Kasum Oil, Kokum Oil, Kukui Oil, Mahua Seed Oil, Marula Oil, Mink Oil, Moroccan Oil, Nahor Seed Oil, Neem Oil, Olive Oil, Olive Oil Peg-7 Esters, Palash Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil, Papaya Seed Oil, Peach Kernel Oil, Peanut Oil, Pilu Oil, Pisu Oil, Pracaxi Oil, Purcellin Oil, Ratanjyat Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Sal Seed Oil, Sulfated Caster Oil, Sulfated Jojoba Oil, Sesame Oil, Shark Liver Oil, Soybean Oil (Glycine Soya), Sweet Almond Oil, Tamanu Oil, Wheat Germ Oil.

(Back to Top)

Problem Butters

There are many butters used in cosmetics that do not exist as a butter in nature. What they do is add hydrogenated vegetable oil to the oil to make a butter. This process makes the ingredient even more comedogenic then it was originally. The following butters are comedogenic and should be avoided by those who suffer from acne.

Avoid these problem butters:

Aloe Butter, Anise Butter, Avocado Butter, Babassu Butter, Broccoli Butter, Capsicum Butter, Carrot Butter, Chamomile Butter, Cinnamon Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Butter, Coffee Butter, Cranberry Butter, Cypress Butter, Ginger Butter, Grapeseed Butter, Green Tea Butter, Hemp Seed Butter, Jasmine Butter, Jojoba Butter, Kokum Butter, Kukui Nut Butter, Lavender Butter, Lemon Butter, Lemongrass Butter, Lime Butter, Macadamia Nut Butter, Mandarin Butter, Mango Butter, Marigold Butter, Meadowfoam Butter, Neem Butter, Neroli Butter, Olive Butter, Orange Peel Butter, Palm Oil Butter, Rose Butter, Rosehip Butter, Rosemary Butter, Sal Butter, Shea Butter, Sulfated Caster Oil, Sulfated Jojoba Oil, Sunflower Butter, Sweet Almond Butter, Tamanu Butter, Vitamin E Butter, Wheat Germ Oil.

Note: there are many more butters on the market. We have not found one that is non comedogenic due to the oils they use to make the butter.

(Back to Top)

Problem Waxes

Avoid these problem waxes:

Butyl Stearate, Ceteareth-6 Olivate, Cetearyl Ethlhexanoate (Known Purcelin Oil), Cetearyl Olivate, Cetyl Acetate, Glyceryl Stearate Se, Isocetyl Alcohol, Jojoba Wax, Laureth-4, Laureth-7, Laureth-23, Lauryl Olivate, Myristyl Alcohol, Oleth-3, Oleth-5, Oleth-10, Oleth-20, Oleyl Alcohol, Peg-8 Stearate, Peg 100 Distearate, Peg 200 Dilaurate, Peg 150 Distearate, Pg Monostearate, Polyglyceryl-Diisistearate, Sorbitan Oleate, Sorbitan Olivate, Steareth-2, Steareth-10, Steareth-20, Stearyl Alcohol, Tribehenin.

Note: Cerearyl Alcohol & Ceteareth 20 are not pore clogging by themselves, however, if they are both in the same product, this product is not acne safe.

Problem Colorants

Avoid these problem colorants:

D&C Red No3, D&C Red No17, D&C Red No21, D&C Red No30, and D&C Red No36.

Miscellaneous

Avoid these miscellaneous ingredients:

Acetylated Lanolin, Acetylated Lanolin Alcohol, Algae Extract, Algin, Ascorbyl Plmitate, Beeswax, Brown Algie, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Capric Acid, Carrageenan, Chlorella, Chondrus Crispus (aka Irish Moss or Carageenan Moss), Coal Tar, Coconut Alkanes, Colloidal Sulfur, Decyl Oleate, Dioctyl Malate, Di (2 Ethylhexyl) Succinate, Dioctyl Succinate, Disodium Monooleamido PEG 2-Sulfosuccinate, Eicosanoic Acid, Ethoxylated Lanolin, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Ethylhexyl Pelargonate, Glyceryl-3-Diisostearate, Green Algae, Hexadecyl Alcoho, Hexadecyl Alcohol, Hexyl Laurate, Irish Moss, Isocetyl Stearate, Isodecyl Oleate, Isopropyl Isostearate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isopropyl Linolate, Isopropyl Myristate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Isostearyl Isostearate, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Kelp,Laural Lycine, Laminaria, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Laminaria Saccharina Extract (Laminaria Saccharine), Laneth-10, Lanolin Oil, Lauric Acid, Myristic Acid, Myristyl Lactate, Myristyl Myristate, Octyl Palmitate, Octyl Stearate, Oleth-3 Phosphate, PEG 16 Lanolin, PEG 200 Dilaurate, PG Monostearate, Pentaerythrital Tetraisostearate, PG Caprylate/Caprate, PG Dipelargonate, Polyglyceryl 3-Diisostearate, Polyglyceryl 4-Isostearate, PPG 2 Myristyl Propionate, Plankton, PPG 5 Ceteth 10 Phosphate, PPG 10 Cetyl Ether, PPG 12 PEG 65, Phytantriol, Potassium Chloride, Propylene Glycol Monostearate, Red Algae, Seaweed, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Carbomer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sorbitan Laurate, Solulan 16, Spirulina, Stearic Acid, Stearic Acid:TEA, Stearic Acid Tea, Steatyl Heptanoate, Tocopherol, Vitamin A Palmitate, Water-Soluble Sulfur, Wheat Germ Glyceride, Xylene.

Avoid the following skin irritating ingredients:
Bismuth Oxychloride, Laurel Lysine, and Methylisothiazolinone