What a —/5 rating means
Because no dependable rating exists, judge Isopropyl Linoleate 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 Isopropyl Linoleate
It is a synthetic ester — an oil-and-alcohol reaction product engineered for a smooth, quick-absorbing slip. An isopropyl ester of linoleic acid, part of the same isopropyl-ester family as isopropyl myristate and isopropyl isostearate — both of which rate 5 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 Isopropyl Linoleate, Isopropyl Linolate — worth knowing when you scan an ingredient deck.
Isopropyl Linoleate in makeup and skincare
It is a workhorse of foundations, primers, sunscreens, and mascara, where a fast, silky slip sells the texture.
If you deal with fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis) rather than ordinary clogged pores, note that Isopropyl Linoleate is among the fatty-acid or ester-type ingredients that community sources commonly avoid — a separate concern from its comedogenic score, and one with weaker evidence behind it.