Ingredient
Coal Tar
Tar / hydrocarbon · INCI: Coal Tar
Reviewed by Elysiana, licensed esthetician
How we read it
Highly comedogenic
Known to clog pores. If you break out easily, this is the one to skip.
Is Coal Tar comedogenic?
Yes. Coal Tar 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
A hydrocarbon distillate used in some medicated products; heavy and occlusive on the skin, and commonly flagged as pore-clogging.
The nuance
Used medically for scalp and skin conditions; the pore-clogging concern is leave-on facial use.
One ingredient rarely tells the whole story. Run the whole label and see everything in the product at once.