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.