Myristyl Lactate
Emollient ester · INCI: Myristyl Lactate
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 Myristyl Lactate comedogenic?
Yes. Myristyl Lactate 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
Myristyl lactate is an ester of myristyl alcohol and lactic acid, a soft emollient that lets lotions and makeup feel smooth on the skin without greasiness. We read it as highly comedogenic, alongside the other myristyl esters.
The nuance
The lactate in its name comes from lactic acid, which many people know as an exfoliant. Bound into this ester it works as an emollient, not an acid. Lactic acid and sodium lactate are separate ingredients, and we flag neither.
Where it shows up
It gives lipsticks, foundations and blushes a smooth glide, and it also turns up in face moisturizers, body lotions and hand creams.
Related ingredients
- Myristyl PropionateHighly comedogenic
- Polyglyceryl-3 DiisostearateUse with caution
- PPG-2 Myristyl PropionateHighly comedogenic
- Stearyl HeptanoateUse with caution
- Tetradecyl MyristateHighly comedogenic
- Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2Not pore-clogging
- Myristyl MyristateHighly comedogenic
- Oleth-3Highly comedogenic
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 causes acne.