What a —/5 rating means
Because no dependable rating exists, judge Agar by how your own skin responds rather than by a number. The absence of a score is not the same as a zero — it simply means the ingredient has not been reliably tested on the classic comedogenic scale.
About Agar
It is a thickener that controls how a product flows and feels. A red-algae polysaccharide used as a gelling agent in masks and jelly textures. It belongs to the same algal-derivative family as carrageenan and algin, which rate 5 and 4 on this grid. It is named on the CLEARSTEM and AcneClinicNYC pore-clogging ingredient lists, but neither publishes a 0-5 comedogenic score for it and no Fulton-derived table we cite carries one. We therefore leave it unrated rather than invent a number — treat the listing itself as the signal.
On a label it can read as Agar, Agar Agar, Agarose, Gelidium Extract — worth knowing when you scan an ingredient deck.
Agar in makeup and skincare
It sets the consistency of gels, liquid foundations, and serums.
Agar comedogenic FAQ
Is Agar comedogenic?
There is no established answer. No source we cite gives Agar a comedogenic rating, and a missing score is not the same as a 0. If you are acne-prone, watch how your skin responds.
What is the comedogenic rating of Agar?
Agar is unrated on the 0–5 comedogenic scale. Agar is one of 26 ingredients, out of the 216 in our dataset, that none of our cited sources gives a comedogenic number, so we leave it unrated instead of guessing.
Is Agar pore-clogging?
Without a published rating we cannot say either way. Its position on the ingredient list still matters: near the end of a label it is present in small amounts.