Ceteareth-20
Emulsifier / solubilizer · INCI: Ceteareth-20
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Ceteareth-20 comedogenic?
No. Ceteareth-20 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
Ceteareth-20 is a nonionic emulsifier made by attaching a water-loving chain to cetearyl alcohol, the fatty alcohol blend that gives creams their body. Its job is holding the oil and water of a lotion together. By itself, we read it as not pore-clogging.
The nuance
Other lists flag it, most often as a blend with cetearyl alcohol. We read the two ingredients separately and flag neither. Both are there to give a cream its structure, and the oils in the formula are a separate question.
Where it shows up
Everyday face and body lotions, hair conditioners, cream hair color, self-tanners and sunscreen lotions use it to keep the formula from separating.
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.