An oil is called comedogenic if it causes the formation of Comedones. Comedones are imperfections of the skin also known as pimples, microcysts or blackheads. They appear when pores get clogged by an excess of sebum and impurities. People with mixed to oily skins complexions, especially young skin (teenagers), are generally more prone to Comedones
A comedogenic oil is therefore an oil that will promote the formation of these imperfections and therefore clog pores in the long term.
These oils are nevertheless useful, especially for dry or atopic skins, to help with specific skin conditions such as wrinkles, stretch marks or simply to rehydrate a very dry skin.
COMEDOGENIC INDEX
Each oil has an index of comedogenicity that ranges from 0 to 5, with index 0 being non-comedogenic and index 5 highly comedogenic.
Oils with a low index between 0 and 2 will be recommended for oily to mixed skins, while normal to dry skins will be able to use all oils.
To help you in your choice of carrier oils, here is a small non-exhaustive list of oils according to their comedogenicity index.
COMEDOGENIC TABLE OF CARRIER OILS AND BUTTERS
IS THIS OIL COMEDOGENIC (Causes clogging of pores)?
0=NO, 1 to 2 = HARDLY, 3 to 4 = YES, 5= VERY
0 -NO: will not clog pores
1 -HARDLY: low probability of clogging pores
2 -HARDLY: low to moderate probability of clogging pores
3 -YES: moderate probability
4 -YES: moderate to high probability
5 -VERY: will most probably clog pores
|
Name |
Comedogenic Rating |
Skin Type(s) |
|
Almond Oil, Sweet |
2 |
Dry, Sensitive, Acne Prone |
|
Apricot Kernel Oil |
2 |
Combination, Dry |
|
Argan Oil |
0 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Avocado Oil |
3 |
Dry, Acne Prone |
|
Baobab Seed Oil |
2 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Black Cumin Seed Oil |
2 |
Combination |
|
Carrot Seed Oil |
3-4 |
Dry, Mature |
|
Castor Oil |
1 |
Most Skin Types, including Acne Prone & Oily |
|
Cocoa Butter |
4 |
Ideal for Body & Eye Area, NOT for Oily & Acne Prone |
|
Coconut Butter |
4 |
Very Dry, Best for Body Use |
|
Coconut Oil |
4 |
Very Dry, Best for Body Use |
|
Flax Seed Oil (Linseed) |
4 |
Very Dry, Best for Body Use |
|
Grapeseed Oil |
1 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Jojoba Oil |
2 |
Most Skin Types, including Oily & Acne Prone |
|
Macadamia Nut Oil |
2-3 |
Dry |
|
Mango Butter |
2 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Mango Seed Oil |
2 |
Most Skin Types, particularly Dry |
|
Moringa Oil |
3-4 |
Dry, Combination |
|
Neem Oil |
1-2 |
Dry, Acne Prone |
|
Olive Oil |
2 |
Dry, Acne Prone |
|
Passionfruit (Maracuja) Seed Oil |
1-2 |
Oily, Irritated, Acne Prone |
|
Peach Kernel Oil |
2 |
Dry, Sensitive |
|
Pomegranate Seed Oil |
1 |
Most Skin Types, especially Mature |
|
Rice Bran Oil |
2 |
Most Skin Types, especially Mature & Combination |
|
Rosehip Seed Oil |
1 |
Oily, Acne Prone |
|
Safflower Oil (High Linoleic) |
0 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Shea Butter |
0-2 |
Normal, Dry |
|
Soybean Oil |
4-5 |
Very Dry, Atopic, Target, Best for Body Use |
|
Sunflower Seed Oil |
0-2 |
Most Skin Types |
|
Tamanu Oil |
2 |
Most Skin Types, especially Scarred & Sensitive |
|
Wheat Germ Oil |
5 |
Very Dry, Atopic, Damaged, Spot Treatment |
|
Ximenia |
0-2 |
Ideal for Body, hair & Eye Area, Dry to very dry, Atopic, Mature |