What a 1/5 rating means
On the comedogenic scale, a 1 sits at the safe end of the scale — clogging is unlikely for most people. That places Carnauba Wax in the range most people, including many with acne-prone skin, tolerate well.
One thing the number cannot tell you is concentration. Ingredients are listed in descending order, so Carnauba Wax near the end of a label is present in tiny amounts and matters far less than the same ingredient near the top.
About Carnauba Wax
It is a wax that lends structure and body to sticks, balms, and colour cosmetics. A hard palm-leaf wax used for structure and shine, rated 1/5.
On a label it can read as Carnauba Wax, Carnuba Wax, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Copernicia Cerifera Cera — worth knowing when you scan an ingredient deck.
Carnauba Wax in makeup and skincare
It gives lipsticks, mascaras, brow products, and balms their structure. Its irritancy is rated separately at 0/5, which is low.
Carnauba Wax comedogenic FAQ
Is Carnauba Wax comedogenic?
Not usually. Carnauba Wax is rated 1/5, which is low risk on the 0–5 comedogenic scale, so it is unlikely to clog pores for most people, including many with acne-prone skin.
What is the comedogenic rating of Carnauba Wax?
Carnauba Wax has a comedogenic rating of 1/5 (low risk). Of the 190 ingredients in our dataset with a published rating, 132 rate higher than Carnauba Wax, 28 rate lower, and 29 others share its 1/5. Among the 3 rated waxes, 1 rates higher and none lower. The figure is drawn from 1 cited source, listed on this page.
Is Carnauba Wax pore-clogging?
It is unlikely to be. At 1/5, Carnauba Wax sits in the range generally treated as non-comedogenic. Concentration still matters: an ingredient near the top of a label makes up far more of the product than one near the end. Comedogenic ratings come mostly from rabbit-ear assays and small human patch tests of the pure ingredient at high concentration, so they are a screening guide, not a prediction for your skin or a medical claim.