Ascorbic Acid
Active (vitamin C antioxidant) · INCI: Ascorbic Acid
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Ascorbic Acid comedogenic?
No. Ascorbic Acid isn't considered pore-clogging, and we read it as safe to use on acne-prone skin. That doesn't make it right for everyone, but congestion isn't the thing to watch for with it.
Why we read it this way
Ascorbic acid is pure vitamin C, a water-soluble antioxidant used mostly in serums to brighten skin and even out tone. It is formulated at an acidic pH and breaks down with air and light, which shapes the products built around it. We read ascorbic acid as not pore-clogging.
The nuance
The acidity of these serums can sting, and one that has turned dark orange or brown has oxidized. Neither is a clogging issue. Vitamin C on a label can also mean a derivative, which is a separate ingredient with its own reading.
Where it shows up
Brightening serums are its main home, usually in dark or opaque bottles, and it also appears in mix-in powders, eye creams and some moisturizers.
Names we read the same way
- Vitamin C
- L-Ascorbic Acid
Related ingredients
One ingredient rarely tells the whole story. The acne ingredient checker reads everything in a product at once, and there is more on what comedogenic means. Also in the guides: What acne actually is.