Sodium Lactate
Humectant / NMF · INCI: Sodium Lactate
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Sodium Lactate comedogenic?
No. Sodium Lactate 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
Sodium lactate is part of skin's own natural moisturizing factor, a salt that draws water into the upper layers and holds it there. It is fully water-soluble and unrelated to the lipids on our pore-clogging references.
The nuance
At higher concentrations it makes skin more sun-sensitive, so it belongs under sunscreen in a morning routine.
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: What causes acne.