Carrageenan
Seaweed extract / thickener · INCI: Chondrus Crispus Extract
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Known to clog pores. If you break out easily, this is the one to skip.
Is Carrageenan comedogenic?
Yes. Carrageenan is a known pore-clogging ingredient, and we read it as highly comedogenic. If you're acne-prone, it's worth avoiding, especially when it sits near the top of an ingredient list.
Why we read it this way
Carrageenan is a gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used to give gels and lotions their body. It falls inside the marine algae family that our references group together, and we read it the same way as the rest of that family.
The nuance
It is a thickener used at low levels, so its share of a formula is small. A marine ingredient near the bottom of a list is a different proposition from one near the top.
Names we read the same way
- Chondrus Crispus
- Chondrus Crispus Powder
- Carrageenan Gum
- Irish Moss
- Irish Moss Extract
- Irish Moss Powder
- Carragheen
Related ingredients
One ingredient rarely tells the whole story. The acne ingredient checker reads everything in a product at once, the pore-clogging ingredients list has the rest of what we flag, and there is more on what comedogenic means. Also in the guides: What acne actually is.