Sometimes it feels like creating an effective skincare routine requires a chemistry degree. When it comes to moisturizing your skin and choosing from what seems like an endless supply of different face oils, trying to pick the right product and avoid a breakout is overwhelming – especially with how quickly different face oils become popular and then disappear. How can you know which popular face oils actually live up to the hype of moisturizing without the breakout?
The first and most important thing to keep in mind when considering which face oil to choose is the comedogenic rating. Yes, again, with those chemistry-lab titles, but this term is important. The comedogenic rating of oil tells you how likely it is to clog your pores. The score starts at 0 and increases to 5 — the higher the number, the higher your likelihood of the oil clogging your pores.
The comedogenic rating can help you decide which face oils to love and which to avoid. Different skin types tolerate different comedogenic ratings; acne-prone and oily skin types should stick to 0-1 grades to prevent clogged pores and breakouts. Normal/combination skin types can be a little more liberal and tolerate ratings up to a 2. Dry skin types can use oils with ratings up to a 3. The complete range of scores can be broken down as follows:
- 0 Rating— Well documented as being non-comedogenic and will not clog your pores.
- 1 Rating — Slight chance of clogging your pores.
- 2 Rating — Most people will not experience pore-clogging, but some will.
- 3 Rating— A significant portion of people will experience a breakout, but a portion will not, depending on their skin type (as mentioned earlier).
- 4 Rating— Most people will break out unless they’ve specifically built a tolerance for the oil.
- 5 Rating— Highly likely that most people will break out and experience pore-clogging.
If you’re wondering what the rating of your current face oil is, check this comprehensive list of the comedogenic ratings for the most popular face oils.
- Argan Oil – 0
- Avocado Oil – 3
- Castor Oil – 1
- Chia Seed Oil – 3
- Cocoa Butter – 4
- Coconut Butter – 4
- Coconut Oil – 4
- Fractionated Coconut Oil – 2-3
- Hemp Seed Oil – 0
- Jojoba Oil – 2
- Olive Oil – 2
- Rosehip Seed Oil – 1
- Shea Butter – 0-2
- Shea Oil – 0-2
- Squalane Oil – 0-1
- Wheat Germ Oil – 5
- Soybean Oil – 4-5