Co
Coconut Oil
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · Cocos Nucifera Oil · Cocos NuciferaBarrier
Heavy saturated-fat oil. Excellent body emollient; one of the more comedogenic oils for facial use.
What it does
Coconut oil is ~85% saturated fatty acids (mostly lauric and myristic). It's an effective body moisturizer and a popular oil-cleanser ingredient. On facial skin it's one of the most consistently flagged comedogenic oils — many acne-prone users react with closed comedones. The fatty-acid profile also feeds malassezia, making it a poor pick for fungal-acne-prone skin. Solid at room temperature below 76°F (24°C).
The evidence, graded
expert consensusFungal acne (Malassezia folliculitis) is fed by fatty acids and esters with C11-C24 chain lengths. Oils in that range are frequently reported to worsen it, including oils marketed as pore-friendly or 'safe for acne-prone skin'. Squalane, MCT, and mineral oil fall outside the range and are typically tolerated.Rubenstein 2014 · Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology ↗
expert consensusSeborrheic dermatitis is associated with Malassezia overgrowth (similar to fungal acne). Anti-fungal ingredients (zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, selenium sulfide, salicylic acid) help; lipid-rich plant oils typically worsen it.Borda 2015 · Journal of Clinical and Investigative Dermatology ↗
emergingSome occlusives (cocoa butter, coconut oil, isopropyl myristate, certain plant butters) can be comedogenic on acne-prone skin. Lighter occlusives (squalane, mineral oil, hyaluronic acid, glycerin) are generally non-comedogenic in published data.Kligman 1972 · Archives of Dermatology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
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