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 Sorbitan Laurate in the range most people, including many with acne-prone skin, tolerate well.
This rating is disputed. Credible sources land on different numbers for Sorbitan Laurate, so we publish the range (1) rather than a false single figure. When sources disagree this openly, your own experience carries real weight.
One thing the number cannot tell you is concentration. Ingredients are listed in descending order, so Sorbitan Laurate near the end of a label is present in tiny amounts and matters far less than the same ingredient near the top.
About Sorbitan Laurate
It is an emulsifier, the ingredient that keeps a product's oil and water phases from separating. A laurate emulsifier named on some pore-clogging lists. Low comedogenic risk but flagged in fungal-acne circles as a fatty-acid ester.
Sorbitan Laurate 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 Sorbitan Laurate 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.