PEG-100 Stearate
Emulsifier · INCI: PEG-100 Stearate
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is PEG-100 Stearate comedogenic?
No. PEG-100 Stearate 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
PEG-100 stearate is stearic acid attached to a long water-loving chain, which turns a waxy fatty acid into a water-dispersible emulsifier. That change is the point: it behaves like a detergent rather than a lipid, and our references do not flag it.
The nuance
It is almost always paired with glyceryl stearate, and the two get blamed together. We read both as emulsifiers, not as the oils they are holding in place.
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.