The Comedogenic Scale and its relevance to your skin

What is the Comedogenic scale and why do we have it?

Comedogenic is the tendency for an ingredient to clog our pores. Anything that disrupts the sebum outflow on our skin can lead to the formation of comedones (whiteheads). Comedone is a type of non-inflammatory acne and can further lead to the formation of inflammatory acne. Yes, the red and painful acne that we all hate. So, in short, non-comedogenic means that the product does not tend to clog our pores and less likely to cause acne.

A comedogenic scale or rating measures how likely skincare ingredients such as oils and butters will clog pores. Since most skincare products contain oils or plant butters in their formulations, it is important to know their comedogenic rating to know what it may do to your skin.

At Dream Cream we carefully select butters and oils in our facial skincare products with a 0 or low (0 – 2) rating on the comedogenic scale.

The comedogenic scale ranges from 0-5.

0 - Does not clog pores

1- Low

2- Moderately Low

3- Moderate

4- Fairly High

5- High

Generally, anything rated 2 and below will not clog the majority of people's skin.

So, you might be thinking, why would anyone want to use anything rated above a 3 if it can potentially clog pores?

Since everyone's skin is different and everyone's needs are different, just because something is rated higher on the comedogenic scale doesn't necessarily mean that it will 100% you’re your pores. Oils and butter contain nourishing ingredients such as antioxidants, fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. Some even provide protection from UV radiation. Each oil and butter contain different nourishing factors to it. Depending on your skin type, you might benefit from oils that are within the mid-range of the comedogenic scale since it might be more moisturizing than oils and butter rated low on the comedogenic scale.

Knowing the comedogenic scale rating of a particular oil or butter is a great tool to help you figure out which products to use. It can also help you determine which products you are currently using that could contain an ingredient that is the culprit to clogging up your pores. It’s simple to google the comedogenic scale rating of oil or butter to see how it ranks, so you have peace of mind.

Here are a few oils and butters and their comedogenic rating from 0-5.

Rating 0

Argan Oil

Hemp Oil

Shea Butter

Camelia Oil

Sunflower Oil

Safflower Oil

Rating 1

Grapeseed Oil

Calendula Oil

Rosehip Seed Oil