Coconut Oil: Comedogenic Rating & Safety Profile

Coconut Oil is a oil with a moderate risk comedogenic profile (4/5) and low risk irritancy (1/5). A rich, semi-solid plant oil high in saturated fats. Effective on the body and hair but notorious for clogging facial pores.

What is Coconut Oil?

Coconut oil is the fatty oil pressed from the kernel of mature coconuts. It is roughly 90% saturated fat — predominantly lauric, myristic and palmitic acids — which is why it is solid at room temperature. It has been used cosmetically and medicinally for thousands of years, and modern research confirms strong antimicrobial activity from its lauric acid content. However, despite its 'natural' marketing halo, coconut oil's saturated fatty-acid profile makes it one of the most pore-clogging ingredients you can apply to facial skin.

Comedogenic Rating: What 4/5 Means for Your Skin

Coconut oil scores 4/5 on the Fulton comedogenicity scale. The lauric and myristic acid content forms semi-solid plugs in follicles, especially when applied as a leave-on facial product. Even people without acne tendencies often develop blackheads and small bumps within 2–3 weeks of facial use. On the body, hair and very dry hands or feet, the same properties become helpful occlusion rather than a problem.

• Strong occlusive — locks moisture into very dry skin
• Antimicrobial properties from lauric acid
• Excellent body and hair conditioner

Beyond pore-clogging, coconut oil is very low irritancy and allergy is rare (despite the name, true coconut allergy is uncommon). The biggest risk is acne — both classic comedonal acne and fungal acne (malassezia folliculitis), which thrives on coconut oil's medium-chain triglycerides. People with active fungal acne should avoid it entirely. Tree-nut allergy does not cross-react with coconut.

Use freely on the body, hair and as an occasional intensive lip mask. Avoid leave-on facial use entirely if you are acne-prone. As a facial cleansing oil it is lower-risk because contact time is brief, but a lighter oil like jojoba is a better default.

Coconut oil and its derivatives appear in body lotions, hair masks, lip balms, makeup removers, soaps and many 'natural' or 'clean' beauty products. Always check the ingredient list — anything labelled 'cocos nucifera oil' near the top of the INCI list is high concentration.

Found Coconut Oil in your skincare?

Paste the full ingredient list into our INCI Analyser to see how this ingredient interacts with everything else in the formula.

Want the full picture on pore-clogging ingredients? Read our complete guide to comedogenic ingredients for the dermatology research behind the 0–5 scale and the full list of high-risk ingredients to avoid.

Sources

• Fulton JE — Comedogenicity testing in the rabbit ear (J Soc Cosmet Chem, 1989)
• DermNet NZ
• PubChem (US National Library of Medicine)

Written by ScanSkinAI Team · Last updated May 2026

This information is for educational purposes only. Always patch-test new products and consult a dermatologist if you have specific skin concerns.