Comedogenic Checker rates makeup and skincare products against the 0–5 comedogenic scale. Paste an ingredient list and we score every ingredient we recognise, explain what each number means, and suggest lower-rated alternatives — all in your browser, with nothing uploaded.
Our data
Our database of 185 ingredients is built from the published comedogenicity literature — principally the rabbit-ear studies by dermatologist James Fulton — and the widely republished ratings derived from it. We cross-reference multiple sources. Where they disagree, we publish the range and mark the ingredient disputed instead of inventing a single figure; where no reliable rating exists, we leave it unrated. Our references:
- Fulton JE et al. — Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear (J Am Acad Dermatol, 1984) and Fulton's 1989 comedogenicity ratings
- Platinum Skin Care — Comedogenic Ratings (comedogenic + irritancy table)
- SkinScore — Comedogenic Ingredients: Complete List With Ratings
- Kristina Markovic — Comedogenic Rating: Oils, Butters and Cosmetic Ingredients
- INCIDecoder — On Comedogenic and Irritancy Ratings
- Lab Muffin Beauty Science — How to Use Comedogenicity Ratings
- CLEARSTEM — Pore-Clogging Ingredients List
- Acne Clinic NYC — Pore-Clogging Ingredients
- Simple Skincare Science — The Ultimate Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Treatment Guide & Safe Product List
Our bias toward honesty
The comedogenic scale is genuinely useful and genuinely imperfect. We'd rather tell you that than oversell a number. You can read our full, unvarnished account of the scale's origins and limits on the comedogenic scale page. We don't sell your data and we don't require an account.
Comedogenic Checker is informational only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. For persistent or severe acne, see a dermatologist.