Isopropyl Isostearate
Emollient ester · INCI: Isopropyl Isostearate
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 Isopropyl Isostearate comedogenic?
Yes. Isopropyl Isostearate 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
Isopropyl isostearate belongs to the isopropyl ester family, the group flagged most consistently across the references we curate against. It is used to give a rich, non-greasy slip, and we read it as one to avoid on acne-prone skin.
The nuance
The branched isostearate shape is sometimes claimed to be lighter than isopropyl myristate or palmitate. Our references do not make that distinction, and neither do we.
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.