Ingredients with a documented concern, from official datasets and our reviewed database.
Oily & acne-prone: Best avoided
- Pore-clogging:One of the most consistently comedogenic emollients in rabbit-ear and human assays.
A silky-feel emollient that repeatedly tops comedogenicity rankings — acne-prone users should watch for it in face products.
Sensitive skin: Best avoidedPregnancy: Use with cautionBabies & kids: Best avoidedEczema-prone: Best avoided
- Allergy risk:Fragrance is the single most common cause of cosmetic contact allergy.
- Irritation:Frequent trigger of stinging and redness on reactive skin.
Caredermis curated dermatological review
An umbrella term that can hide dozens of undisclosed scent chemicals. Fragrance is the leading cause of allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetics, and dermatologists routinely advise fragrance-free products for eczema, babies and sensitive skin.
Oily & acne-prone: Best avoided
- Pore-clogging:Rated 4/5 on the comedogenic scale; a frequent trigger of facial breakouts.
A beloved natural moisturizer for body and hair that is nonetheless one of the most pore-clogging oils on facial skin.
Oily & acne-prone: Best avoided
- Pore-clogging:Rated 4/5 comedogenic; best kept off acne-prone facial skin.
A rich body butter that is highly comedogenic on facial skin — great for body, risky for breakout-prone faces.
preservative · solvent · fragrance
Severity 3/10Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:One of the 26 EU-declarable fragrance allergens.
- Irritation:Mild irritation possible at higher concentrations.
A preservative and fragrance component that must be declared on EU labels because it can trigger contact allergy in a small share of users.
Sensitive skin: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable fragrance allergen.
A fragrance solvent and fixative that must be declared on EU labels as a potential allergen.
Sensitive skin: Use with cautionEczema-prone: Use with caution
- Allergy risk:EU-declarable allergen found in tonka bean and many perfumes.
A sweet hay-scented molecule requiring EU allergen declaration; a regular positive in fragrance patch-test series.
- Environmental impact:Not biodegradable; accumulates in the environment via wash-off.
The workhorse silicone — inert and non-sensitizing on skin (even FDA-approved as a skin protectant), with persistence in the environment as its main criticism.