Myristyl Myristate
Emollient / thickener · INCI: Myristyl Myristate
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 Myristate comedogenic?
Yes. Myristyl Myristate 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 myristate is a waxy ester made from myristyl alcohol and myristic acid, used to thicken creams and lotions and to leave a powdery, velvety finish. Both of its building blocks are flagged in their own right, and we read the ester itself as highly comedogenic.
The nuance
Tetradecyl myristate is the same ingredient under a chemical name, and we read both the same way. Rinse-off products like conditioners leave far less of it behind than a rich cream left on the face.
Where it shows up
It turns up in rich face and body creams, body butters, hair conditioners, lip balms and foundations, where it adds body and keeps the finish from feeling greasy.
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.