What Are Comedogenic Oils & Their Ranking?

When researching skincare that best suits your needs, you may have come across the term “comedogenic” and “non-comedogenic”, but what does that actually mean? Well, we’re here to help clear the mystery… and hopefully clear your skin!

To put it simply, non-comedogenic refers to products that do not clog pores. This is great for those who suffer from acne prone skin. Comedogenic oils on the other hand – ranked from 1 to 5 – can be an effective base for many skincare products, and all have varying levels of suitability for different skin types. The options for oils are almost endless and it can be an overwhelming task to find your skin’s perfect match!

The Comedogenic Scale

With so many oils to choose from, we’ve put together a ranking system known as the “comedogenic scale”, which ranks oils based on their propensity to block skin pores.

The scale uses a numbering system of 0 to 5. Here’s how the numbers rank on the scale:

0 – won’t clog pores at all
1 – very low likelihood of clogging pores
2 – moderately low likelihood
3 – moderate likelihood
4 – fairly high likelihood
5 – high likelihood of clogging pores

Check out the full break down here

Where does Emu Oil rank?

Emu Oil’s Comedogenic Rating– 1

Linoleic acid– 15%
Linolenic acid– 0.9%
Oleic acid– 47.4%

Emu oil is very similar to our skin’s essential fatty acid ratios, which makes it the most transdermal oil known! It absorbs very well into the skin, carrying anything you add to it into the dermal layer as well. This is what makes emu oil such a high quality, sought-after oil in skincare products. Applying it to the skin reduces inflammation, pain, and redness because of the natural benefits of emu oil itself. Emu oil is well tolerated by most skin types and is used primarily as a vehicle for other potent skincare ingredients. It is suitable for drier skin types too.

A Low-Comedogenic Alternative

Coconut oil, flax seed oil, cocoa butter have all been popular in skincare over the years, however they are fairly comedogenic, with a ranking of 4! If you are experiencing skin break outs and black heads caused by higher comedogenic oils, consider switching over to an emu-oil based skincare range. As well as being low-comedogenic, you also get the natural added benefits of emu oil. When infused with other skin-loving ingredients such as green tea extract and macadamia seed extract; emu-oil based skincare absorbs well into the skin, carrying all the good stuff into the dermal layer for more effectiveness, especially when treating inflamed skin or conditions such as eczema and rosacea.