Stearyl Heptanoate
Emollient ester · INCI: Stearyl Heptanoate
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Clogs pores for some people. Fine for many, worth watching if you're mid-breakout.
Is Stearyl Heptanoate comedogenic?
Sometimes. Stearyl Heptanoate is potentially pore-clogging, so we read it as one to use with caution. Plenty of people use it without trouble; if you're actively treating acne, it's worth watching.
Why we read it this way
Stearyl heptanoate is a soft, waxy ester made from stearyl alcohol and heptanoic acid, and it gives makeup and creams a silky finish instead of an oily one. We read it as Use with caution and not as a top concern.
The nuance
It is not stearyl alcohol, the fatty alcohol it is made from, which we read as not pore-clogging. Octadecyl Heptanoate is the same ingredient under its chemical name. In makeup it is often one of several esters, and the combined load is what counts.
Where it shows up
Stearyl heptanoate shows up in lipsticks, eye makeup and primers, and in face creams and lotions built to feel silky and not oily on the skin.
Names we read the same way
- Octadecyl Heptanoate
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.