Ingredient decoder

Sesame oil: is it comedogenic? What it does in skincare

INCI name: Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil

Acne verdict Watch

Worth watching on acne-prone skin

  • Comedogenic3(1) / 5
  • Irritancy0 / 5

What it does

Softening plant oil with mixed clogging data.

  • Emollient
  • Hair conditioning
  • Masking
  • Skin conditioning

Sesame oil in plain English

Sesame oil is a plant oil used as an emollient. It rates low to moderate with mixed data. Comedogenic ratings like this come from old rabbit-ear tests of raw ingredients, so treat them as a rough guide.

Is sesame oil bad for acne?

Not usually, but it is worth watching. Sesame oil is not a proven pore-clogger, but it is flagged for acne-prone skin for the reason below. In Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear test it scored 3(1) out of 5 for clogging pores and 0 out of 5 for irritation. Notice how your skin reacts when a product lists it near the top.

Why it is flagged: Rates low to moderate with mixed data.

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

Also called

  • Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil
  • Sesamum indicum seed oil
  • Sesamum indicum oil
  • Sesame seed oil

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Frequently asked questions

Is sesame oil comedogenic?

Sesame oil scored 3(1) out of 5 for comedogenicity in Fulton's 1989 rabbit-ear study, where 0 means no clogging and 5 means severe. That is a moderate rating. The test used the raw ingredient, so a finished product may behave differently.

What does sesame oil do in skincare?

In short: softening plant oil with mixed clogging data. In formulas it is used for emollient, hair conditioning, masking and skin conditioning.

What else is sesame oil called on ingredient labels?

On ingredient lists, sesame oil can also appear as Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Sesamum indicum seed oil, Sesamum indicum oil or Sesame seed oil.

Sources