Water
Solvent · INCI: Water
Reviewed by Elysiana Aguilar, master esthetician
How we read it
Not a pore-clogger. Considered safe for acne-prone skin.
Is Water comedogenic?
No. Water 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
Water is the base of most skincare, the solvent that dissolves many of the other ingredients and gives a lotion, gel or cleanser its volume. It contains no oil, wax or fat, so there is nothing in it to settle in a pore. We read it as not pore-clogging.
The nuance
Water at the top of a label says nothing about what follows it. A water-based product can still carry a flagged oil or ester a few lines down, so the first ingredient is the least telling one on the list.
Where it shows up
Most cleansers, toners, serums, lotions, creams, sunscreens, shampoos and conditioners, usually as the first ingredient and often written as Aqua or Eau.
Names we read the same way
- Aqua
- Eau
- Purified Water
- Aqua/Water/Eau
- Distilled Water
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.