Ingredient decoder

Oleyl alcohol: is it comedogenic? What it does in skincare

INCI name: Oleyl Alcohol

Acne verdict Moderate clog risk

Rated a pore-clogger

  • Comedogenic4 / 5
  • Irritancy2 / 5

What it does

Liquid fatty alcohol that softens skin and helps absorption.

  • Emollient
  • Masking
  • Perfuming
  • Solvent
  • Viscosity controlling

Oleyl alcohol in plain English

Oleyl alcohol is a liquid fatty alcohol that softens skin and helps other ingredients sink in. It is not a drying alcohol. It has moderate ratings on older comedogenic lists. Its rating comes from old rabbit-ear tests of the raw ingredient, which can overstate what happens with a finished product on human skin.

Is oleyl alcohol bad for acne?

It can be. Oleyl alcohol has a moderate clog risk rating for acne-prone skin. In Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear test it scored 4 out of 5 for clogging pores and 2 out of 5 for irritation. That test used the raw ingredient, so a small amount in a finished product may behave differently. If you break out easily, check where it sits on the ingredient list: the higher it appears, the more of it the product usually contains.

Why it is flagged: A liquid fatty alcohol with moderate ratings on older lists.

Clean routine and still breaking out? The cause may be internal. See what is driving it

Also called

  • Oleyl Alcohol
  • Cis-9-octadecen-1-ol

Related ingredients

Browse all ingredients A to Z

Frequently asked questions

Is oleyl alcohol comedogenic?

Oleyl alcohol scored 4 out of 5 for comedogenicity in Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear study, where 0 means no clogging and 5 means severe. That is a high rating. The test used the raw ingredient, so a finished product may behave differently.

What does oleyl alcohol do in skincare?

In short: liquid fatty alcohol that softens skin and helps absorption. In formulas it is used for emollient, masking, perfuming, solvent and viscosity controlling.

What else is oleyl alcohol called on ingredient labels?

On ingredient lists, oleyl alcohol can also appear as Cis-9-octadecen-1-ol.

Sources