Talc
Mineral (texture / filler) · INCI: Talc
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Talc comedogenic?
No. Talc 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
Talc is a soft, finely milled mineral that gives powders their slip, absorbs oil and takes down shine. We place it at the low end, below anything we flag, and read it as not pore-clogging. It is a dry particle that stays at the surface and lifts away with cleansing.
The nuance
Talc turns up on some pore-clogging lists, and we do not flag it. The powder is dry and inert. In a pressed powder or blush the binder is often an ester or oil, which is where congestion tends to come from.
Where it shows up
Pressed and loose face powders, blushes, eyeshadows, bronzers and powder foundations. It is also the base of many body and baby powders.
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 acne actually is.