What a —/5 rating means
Because no dependable rating exists, judge Polysorbate 80 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 Polysorbate 80
It is an emulsifier, the ingredient that keeps a product's oil and water phases from separating. An oleate-based emulsifier and solubiliser. No firm comedogenic rating, but frequently flagged for fungal acne because of its fatty-acid backbone.
On a label it can read as Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate-80, Tween 80 — worth knowing when you scan an ingredient deck.
Polysorbate 80 in makeup and skincare
It quietly stabilises most cream foundations, lotions, and moisturisers. Its irritancy is rated separately at 0/5, which is low.
If you deal with fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis) rather than ordinary clogged pores, note that Polysorbate 80 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.
Polysorbate 80 comedogenic FAQ
Is Polysorbate 80 comedogenic?
There is no established answer. No source we cite gives Polysorbate 80 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 Polysorbate 80?
Polysorbate 80 is unrated on the 0–5 comedogenic scale. Polysorbate 80 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 Polysorbate 80 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.