Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient ester · INCI: Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Clogs pores for some people. Fine for many, worth watching if you're mid-breakout.
Is Coco-Caprylate/Caprate comedogenic?
Sometimes. Coco-Caprylate/Caprate is potentially pore-clogging, so we read it as one to use with caution. Plenty of people use it without trouble; if you're actively treating acne, it's worth watching.
Why we read it this way
Coco-caprylate/caprate is a light ester made from coconut-derived fatty alcohols and caprylic and capric acids. It spreads fast and leaves a dry, weightless finish, which makes it a popular stand-in for silicones. We read it as one to use with caution.
The nuance
Its name resembles caprylic/capric triglyceride, a different ingredient that we read as not pore-clogging. Many sources treat this one as equally harmless. We keep it in the middle, where the amount in a leave-on formula decides how much it matters.
Where it shows up
Coco-caprylate/caprate is common in silicone-free serums and primers, mineral sunscreens, facial oils, light moisturizers and hair oils, especially in formulas sold as natural or plant-derived.
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: The types of acne lesions.