Octyldodecanol
Fatty alcohol / emollient · INCI: Octyldodecanol
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Octyldodecanol comedogenic?
No. Octyldodecanol isn't considered pore-clogging, and we read it as safe to use on acne-prone skin. That doesn't make it right for everyone, but congestion isn't the thing to watch for with it.
Why we read it this way
Octyldodecanol is a branched fatty alcohol, which makes it a clear liquid where its straight-chain relatives are waxes. It adds slip, dissolves other ingredients and helps pigment spread evenly across the skin. We read it as not pore-clogging.
The nuance
Two other liquid fatty alcohols, isocetyl and oleyl, are ones we flag, and the name also resembles octyl palmitate and octyl stearate, which we flag as well. Octyldodecanol is its own ingredient. Some sources read it more cautiously than we do.
Where it shows up
Lipsticks, lip glosses, foundations, concealers and cream blushes rely on it, and sunscreens and richer moisturizers often carry it too.
Related ingredients
One ingredient rarely tells the whole story. The acne ingredient checker reads everything in a product at once, and there is more on what comedogenic means. Also in the guides: The types of acne lesions.