We scan your ingredient list and flag ingredients that have historically gotten high comedogenic ratings (4–5) in lab tests — meaning they might be more likely to clog pores.

But context matters. These ratings often come from older studies where ingredients were tested on their own, and at higher concentrations than you’d find in real products.

Skincare formulas are complex, and your skin is personal. How something works depends on the full formula, how much of it is used, and your skin type.

So we highlight potential pore-cloggers – not “good” or “bad” ingredients.

Think of this as a guide, not a rule book.

The comedogenic scale runs from 0 to 5 and shows how likely an ingredient is to clog pores in testing:

0 – Won’t clog pores
1–2 – Low risk
3 – Moderate risk
4–5 – Higher risk of clogging pores

These ratings often come from lab tests where ingredients are used on their own and at higher levels than in real products.

Think of it as a guide – not a strict rule for how your skin will react.

“Pore-clogging” usually refers to ingredients that are more likely to clog pores (aka comedogenic), which can contribute to breakouts like blackheads or whiteheads for some people.

But it’s not one-size-fits-all. How a product works depends on the full formula – and your skin.

Comedogenic ratings often come from lab tests where ingredients are used at higher levels and on their own, which doesn’t always reflect real products.

So think of these ratings as a signal, not a promise.

They can guide you, but they don’t guarantee breakouts.

Skin is personal – like, really personal. Things like oil levels throughout your hormonal cycle, skin barrier health, climate, and even how you layer your products can all affect how your skin reacts.

So one person’s holy grail can be another person’s breakout. Someone with oilier skin might respond very differently to an ingredient than someone with dry or balanced skin.

That’s why we flag ingredients that have been historically linked to clogged pores – but how your skin responds will always be its own thing 💙

Not necessarily. Both natural and synthetic ingredients can clog pores – it depends more on their structure, how much is used, and how they’re formulated.

For example, some natural oils (like coconut oil) have scored high on comedogenic scales, while many synthetic ingredients are well tolerated by acne-prone skin.

When it comes to breakouts, it’s more about the chemistry than whether something is “natural”.

Yes, very much so.

Skincare products are complex formulas where ingredients interact with each other. The concentration, combination of ingredients, and overall formulation all influence how a product behaves on the skin.

An ingredient that might clog pores when used alone may behave very differently when used at a low concentration in a well-balanced formula.

Because of this, our checker is designed to highlight potentially higher-risk ingredients while still acknowledging the importance of the full formula.

Yes. Formulators sometimes use small amounts of ingredients that may have comedogenic potential because they provide important functions such as texture, stability, or moisture balance.

In many cases, these ingredients are used at very low concentrations, where they may not cause issues for most people.

Our checker simply highlights ingredients that have historically been associated with clogged pores, so you can make more informed decisions when exploring new products.

The term “non-comedogenic” is not strictly regulated, and different brands may use different testing methods or criteria.

Additionally, breakouts can be influenced by many factors beyond pore-clogging ingredients, such as hormones, stress, bacteria, or skin barrier irritation.

A product labeled non-comedogenic may still not work for everyone, which is why understanding ingredient lists can be helpful when troubleshooting skincare routines.

Many ingredient checkers flag ingredients with comedogenic ratings as low as 1–3, which can result in many ingredients being labeled as “pore-clogging.”

To avoid unnecessary ingredient fear, the Common Clouds checker focuses only on ingredients with the highest historical comedogenic ratings (4–5). These ingredients have shown a stronger potential to contribute to clogged pores in laboratory testing.

This approach helps keep the results more focused and avoids flagging ingredients that many people with acne-prone skin tolerate well.

Shea butter is sometimes listed as moderately comedogenic in older ingredient charts. However, real-world experience and more recent dermatology perspectives suggest that many people with acne-prone skin tolerate it well.

Comedogenic ratings often come from laboratory tests where ingredients are applied in their pure form and at high concentrations. Finished skincare formulas behave very differently.

Because shea butter does not consistently cause clogged pores in typical formulations, we do not flag it in this checker.

Dimethicone is a silicone that helps smooth the skin and prevent moisture loss. Although silicones are sometimes thought to trap sweat and sebum in the skin, current dermatology research does not show dimethicone to be comedogenic.

In fact, dimethicone is commonly used in products designed for sensitive and acne-prone skin because it forms a lightweight, breathable barrier.

For this reason, our checker does not flag dimethicone as a pore-clogging ingredient.