Do lotions clog pores? Here's what the science says.
A human model for assessing comedogenic substances.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if certain oils and creams clog pores by putting them on people's backs under a cover for a month and checking if pores got blocked.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 524 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists tested if certain oils and creams clog pores by putting them on people's backs under a cover for a month and checking if pores got blocked.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 524 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Related Content
Claims (4)
If a product doesn’t clog rabbit ears much, it’s probably fine for most people’s skin — but if you’re the type who gets lots of blackheads, it might still cause problems.
Some ingredients that clog rabbit ears also seem to clog pores in young Black men’s skin when left covered for a month, so rabbit tests might help guess which products could cause breakouts in people.
Rabbits’ ears get clogged more easily than human skin when tested with the same products, so the rabbit test might be too strict and flag things that don’t actually clog human pores.
The concept of comedogenicity as applied to modern topical skincare products is largely invalid; the vast majority of commercially available oils and emollients, including petrolatum and olive oil, do not induce follicular occlusion or acne formation in human skin.